The duel of the Greek rising powers: Promitheas – Peristeri
In round 6 of the Greek League, we have an interesting match between second and third best teams in Greek, Promitheas and Peristeri which are the only teams that have some chances to stop Panathinaikos’s domination. Both teams have a very good start of the season in both national and European competitions. Let’s see some interesting stats for those in form teams.
Promitheas is third-placed in Greece, after Panathinaikos and Peristeri, who are undefeated after first 5 rounds. Their only defeat came in the third round against Panathinaikos Athens when they were smashed 99-68. Since then, they have won 5 games in a row, including a win in Germany against Ulm, an astonishing win against Virtus Bologna and another one in Spain against MoreBanc Andorra. In this last game from Eurocup, they won the game 91-81. In that game, their shooting form was excellent with 53% from distance. Also, they took advantage of Andorra’s 13 turnovers, while they have only 4 in the entire game. The main performers were: Chris Babb (24 points in 36 minutes), Chase Fieler (17 points) and Oleksandr Lypovyy (15 points). In terms of rebounds and assists none of these players excelled, their main focus was on shooting and nothing else.
Peristeri, as I mentioned before, is undefeated in Greek League, being also undefeated in Champions League until the last round when they lost away at competition-specialist Tenerife 72-68. The match was very close, as the shooting percentages or any other stats, but with the help of their fans and their longer rotation, the Spanish team managed to get the win. The three-point shooting was bad for Peristeri, finishing with only 7 field attempts made out of 21. They lost the rebounds battle 36-31 and also the assists one 17-12. The main performers were Steven Gray (26 points), Wiliam Hatcher (13 points and 3 assists) and Moses Kingsley (10 points and 10 rebounds).
It will be a close encounter, with an unpredictable outcome. Last year both teams lost their home game against the opponent, but this year I think the home court advantage will be a key factor of deciding who will win. Both teams came after long trips in Spain and the resting level should be almost the same, with a one day extra for Peristeri. In the end, I expect a Promitheas win.
Photo: eurocupbasketball.com
Bogdan Vasile Tirc
