Dimitris Priftis: 'Olympiacos would make a good game in the Greek Cup final' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Hellenic Basketball Federation Credit Hellenic Basketball Federation

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens started slowly in the first quarter but eventually managed to down Promitheas Patras 85-68 and sealed their place in the Greek Cup Final for the 26th time.

Free throws this season

80%12,0Points made:12,0Accuracy:80,1%Place in standings:8Record max:25Record min:4Most made FTs:Daryl MaconTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

The Greens will face the semifinal winner involving Olympiacos and AEK Athens on Sunday afternoon (16:00 CET).

At the postgame presser, Panathinaikos's coachDimitris Priftis emphasized the different face his team showed in the second half, overcoming Patras' 14-point lead (27-13).

"We started the game sluggishly, and Promitheas came in really strong. When we increased our pressure and made things difficult for them, I think that we won easily in the second half," the Greek coach said.

"Our goal in these games is to find 3-4 players who are good on offense. When the whole team is good on defense, which wasn't the case, in the beginning, things can turn out for the best."

In fact, the six-time EuroLeague champs relied heavily on an 11-0 run. Eight of those points came off the hands of Nemanja Nedovic. The Serbian guard went 0/5 from the field in the first quarter, when his team was 0/7 overall behind the arc.

Credit Hellenic Basketball Federation

"We got nervous for a while, we fixed it somehow, improving our defense," Priftis continued, referring to the second half of the game.

Asked about the final, the experienced tactician said that a rival game wouldn't be that bad an idea.

"Whatever comes from the second semifinal is welcome, and let's wish to have a nice final. A clash between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos would make for a nice match-up," he pointed out.

If Nedovic made a start for Panathinaikos to bounce back, Giorgos Papagiannis was a true force of nature in the game's final stretch. The Greek center dominated the paint with a dunk session whilst handing out blocks to any Promitheas Patras player who would defy his defensive prowess.

The 24-year-old finished with 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks for a PIR of 23, second to Jeremy Evans, who had 26.

"We certainly didn't start the game as we wanted," Papagiannis stated.

"Promitheas got a big lead, but we came back in the second quarter and got the ticket to the final. We improved on rebounds and on defense as well, which was an important part."

The final rebounding count reflected Papagiannis's words. Panathinaikos had 38, while Promitheas only 25. On top of that, the Greens managed to get 17 second chances off of offensive rebounds only.

Daryl Macon, who also geared up in the second half, revealed one of the reasons for his surge. The American guard had a brief conversation with Panathinaikos GM Dimitris Diamantidis, who gave him some valuable advice.

"He just told me to keep going, play, and stay focused," Macon said. "He's a basketball legend, and I love listening to his advice. He's managed to get to the level I want to get to."

Moreover, Macon stressed that Panathinaikos had ups and downs in the game but added that the team kept working and came back in the second half with the help of the coaching staff and with a lot more focus.

PAO captain Ioannis Papapetrou could not help the Greens in the semifinal but sat on the team's bench, encouraging his teammates.

The 27-year-old forward traveled to Heraklion, Crete, by boat and not by plane since he was operated on his sinuses three weeks ago, and doctors suggested that he avoid flights.

Credit Vangelis Stolis

On the other end, even though Promitheas got blown out, suffering a partial score of 29-47 in the last 20 minutes, coach Ilias Zouros had reasons to be optimistic and even proud.

"Congratulations to my players. I am proud of my team, we came without practice here, since basically after the Bursa game we have been unable to do so," the 2010 EuroCup coach of the year said in the presser.

Credit Hellenic Basketball Federation

In this Final Four, Promitheas couldn't count on Greek guard Nikos Gkikas and American center Jerai Grant who couldn't recover from COVID. However, the last spree among team members has left its mark, as Zouros conceded.

"Two players played heroically after contracting COVID. The team fought, we were focused as much as we could, but at some point, your powers abandon you, and that leads to wrong choices," he stressed.

That was Promitheas's third consecutive presence in the Greek Cup semis, although the chance for a third straight final was lost.

"Congratulations to Panathinaikos and to the Greek Federation for organizing the Final Four," Zouros went on to say.

"Promitheas also deserve credit because, for one more season, we came so far in the Cup, after the two finals in 2020 and 2021".

Kendrick Rey, who made some tough shots for Patras, pointed out that his side stayed close at the beginning, came in with energy but got tired along the way, adding:

"We didn't make the right choices, so in the third quarter, we lost our rhythm. We are now looking at the next games".

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