Panathinaikos protest: Do they have a case to win it? / News - Basketnews.com

Two different sets of rules were applied in both episodes Panathinaikos protested against.

Credit: AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic - Scanpix Credit AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic - Scanpix

The EuroLeague quarterfinal series between Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv has been breathtaking from the very start, full of stories that surround both the players and the organizations. Game 3 was not an exception.

Player of the Game EFF 31 Josh Nebo Points 22 Accuracy 10-13 Rebounds 9 Assists 0

When it seemed like PAO were out of the contest, they came back and had a real chance to win the game. That's when a couple of episodes happened that ultimately caused Panathinaikos to file two protests to the EuroLeague about the events that transpired during the final minute.

Mathias Lessort blocked Lorenzo Brown's layup with about 15 seconds remaining on the game clock. Initially, the call was ruled as goaltending, with the basis of the call being that Lessort forcefully touched the backboard during the shot, altering the shot's By rule, it's goaltending.

After further review, it was determined that the PAO center first touched the ball and only then slammed his hand into the backboard. As such, the call was overturned and a jump ball was called, as neither got a clear possession of the ball after the shot and a subsequent call.

Led by head coach Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos filed a protest against it, saying that 3.8 seconds should've been left on the shot clock (the time that was remaining at the moment Lessort touched the backboard) instead of a new 14 seconds following the jump ball.

Additionally, Panathinaikos claimed an out-of-bounds call was missed during the last minute of the game when Josh Nebo grabbed the rebound.

The question now stands - why was such a decision about the shot clock made and how much of a case do Panathinaikos have here?

Nebo's Case

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