Different EuroLeague goals for two Greek giants
Both Olympiacos and Panathinaikos can rightly call themselves giants of the EuroLeague, but with the two clubs in contrasting form, their goals in the current campaign appear to be rather different with half off the regular season in the books.
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Olympiacos have been falling down a slippery slope during the last couple of years. Last season, the Erythrolefki even failed to make the EuroLeague playoffs, losing a crucial match against Zalgiris in Piraeus in the penultimate game of the regular season. After leaving the Basket League in the summer, Olympiacos always ran the risk of suffering from a lack of matches, and that factor has played a role in their continued demise in the 2019/2020 season. Kestutis Kemzura was promoted to head coach after David Blatt was fired following a loss to ASVEL in France on matchday one.
Six wins, 11 losses. Not the kind of form which is going to haul you back into the playoffs. At times, Olympiacos have shown glimpses of their obvious potential and talent, notably defeating CSKA in Moscow and embarking on a stunning comeback against Khimki at the Peace and Friendship Stadium. Nevertheless, the ageing squad with veterans such as Kostas Papanikolaou, Giorgos Printezis and Vassilis Spanoulis doesn’t have enough quality in its ranks, and consistency has been a real problem.
Three successive defeats to Red Star Belgrade, Barcelona and Fenerbahce have left Olympiacos’ playoff hopes hanging by a thread. Yes, there are still plenty of matches remaining in the regular season, but all of the teams above Olympiacos are much more consistent and certainly aren’t any worse than the Piraeus organisation.
Nevertheless, if Olympiacos do manage to string a winning streak together in the upcoming games against Valencia, ALBA Berlin, Bayern Munich, Zenit Saint Petersburg and Baskonia, they will be back in the hunt for a post-season berth. Just reaching the playoffs would be regarded as an achievement.
Panathinaikos, on the other hand, won’t be satisfied with only making the playoffs. The goal is clear: the Final Four. Six-time winners of the EuroLeague, Panathinaikos haven’t competed in the Final Four since the start of the previous decade, and the fiery Dimitris Giannakopoulos is desperate to finally end the playoff hoodoo. Panathinaikos were knocked out by Real Madrid in the last two consecutive seasons.
Initially, the Prasini began the campaign with Argyris Pedoulakis at the helm, but he was sharply sacked after a shock home defeat to ALBA at the OAKA Indoor Hall. Not long after that, the well-loved Rick Pitino agreed to come back for a second stint as Panathinaikos boss, and he has subsequently given the fans a reason to believe it is their year. At the moment, Panathinaikos are sitting in sixth place of the table with an 10-7 record, and if the Athenians can add consistency to their game, they are capable of challenging for a top-four ranking.
Unlike last year, Panathinaikos do have more depth in the squad, with Jimmer Fredette adding shooting ability and Konstantinos Mitoglou enjoying the best season of his career as he regularly commands the boards. Admittedly, Nick Calathes has endured his struggles in certain matches, but the 30-year-old is a magician with the ball in his hands and he single-handedly saved Panathinaikos from defeat against CSKA in Kaliningrad with late heroics. Incidentally, Panathinaikos have now beaten CSKA on the road in two years in a row, having previously nearly always lost in Russia.
Panathinaikos should, barring any unexpected collapse, safely qualify for the playoffs, but Pitino doesn’t want to be playing against Real or Anadolu Efes in the quarter-finals. Anything other than qualification for the Final Four will be deemed as a failure.
2019/2020 EuroLeague regular season standings after 17 rounds:
Anadolu Efes, W14 L3
Real Madrid, W14 L3
Barcelona, W13 L4
Maccabi Tel Aviv, W11 L6
CSKA Moscow, W11 L6
Panathinaikos, W10 L7
Olimpia Milano, W9 L8
Red Star Belgrade, W8 L9
Khimki, W8 L9
Valencia, W8 L9
ASVEL, W8 L9
Baskonia, W7 L10
Olympiacos, W6 L11
Fenerbahce, W6 L11
Bayern Munich, W6 L11
Zalgiris Kaunas, W5 L12
ALBA Berlin, W5 L12
Zenit Saint Petersburg, W4 L13
