Result in an anthological night of basketball and excitement at the Palace. A gift of competitiveness, two teams mad for victory. At this point in the season. Two groups that showed that they will surely battle at other summits. Madrid lost in extra time and, however, came out stronger. Zeljko Obradovic's powerful Panathinaikos, with an unapproachable Kendrick Nunn (33 points), ended their streak of 11 victories (six in the Euroleague), a year without losing in Europe at the Palace. [112-115: Narration and statistics]
The last one, precisely, had been Panathinaikos itself. Then European champion, with Ergin Ataman at the controls and Scariolo in front. This new Madrid sold its skin very expensively, despite its string of casualties. Relived again and again in the pure agony of guys rebelling. Andrés Feliz, Abalde, Procida, the appearance of Damian Jones. New heroes in the Palace to get used to.
The visit of Panathinaikos not only leaves Goya with the presence of Zeljko Obradovic, tireless with his legend in tow, just as angry as when he was 30 years old and shouted at Djordjevic or Danilovic in the champion Partizan. Revered by the stands, because with this white team he won a European Cup no less than 31 years ago. It is worth an entry to see his wisdom first-hand, now back in Athens, where he won another six of his nine Euroleagues. At the head of a squad so luxurious that it scares.
The greens also bring back Yabusele, who left a couple of years ago heading to the NBA. And Juancho. And Sloukas. In the first act, face to face, the Greek with Llull, like a picture from the past. Both greened their laurels, as if they had made a pact with time.
Beyond the sentimental, there is basketball and the court puts everyone in their place. Competing against Panathinaikos is a challenge for anyone in this Euroleague, if in your squad there are almost more players in street clothes behind the bench than in the squad, facing the Greeks is an odyssey. And that's how it seemed in the first half.
Panathinaikos hit Madrid hard at the start without Maledon (the fittest player in Europe), Campazzo, Jantunen, Deck or Garuba. There are so many tools he has to hurt his opponent, that he is almost unstoppable. Zeljko's first trick was to hurt Tavares by pairing him with Mitoglu and his open shots. It was the first gap, which opened further with the initial mistake.
At the beginning of the second act, all the alarms went off. Panathinaikos was at ease and three-pointers were raining down. There came the maximum (23-38). Two triples by Schulga in his debut in the competition -exquisite mechanics- alleviated the bad feeling. And there, in that period of crisis, one of those magical nights of the Palace began to unfold. An atmosphere of rebellion that had not been experienced for a long time. With Llull at the controls and a commitment to madness, to speed up the game and try to disconcert the rival, Madrid came out on top. The best moments of Damian Jones arrived, very powerful in painting. Feliz's aggressiveness, Abalde's defensive fang.
It was a basket precisely from the Galician just before the break that brought Madrid closer (48-51), to the delirium of a Palace that was licking its lips. The striking thing about the comeback was that Pedro Martínez did not go for the triples. It was the frenzy, the attacks in the first five seconds of possession, the brave penetrations, that made Panathinaikos lose control.
On the way back, Madrid continued to rise to the epic level. Pedro Martínez's heroes multiplied, as if Llull were capable of infecting each of his teammates. At the next tug of the PAO, Damian Jones and a brave Procida responded, another asking for passage. Five consecutive points from the Italian put Madrid ahead (66-65), although they had to keep rowing. Two triples at the end of the third quarter, Damian Jones and Abalde at the horn and on the board, raised the stands again.
And Abalde continued on his return, three more triples, 13 career points, evidencing the full moment he is experiencing with the arrival of Pedro Martínez. His defensive virtues continue in the other ring. It is essential. When he sat down in search of a moment of respite, Nunn abused Llull and Panathinaikos suffered a painful 0-7 partial that made them take the lead again.
But the night had several more chapters to write. A wonderful show. Kendrid Nunn seemed to do it, with 23 of his team's 27 points in the final act, a competition record. Panathinaikos was up seven with less than two minutes left, but Jones appeared with a triple, Abalde and a huge steal from Procida. With 15 seconds left and the game tied, Pedro Martínez opted for the foul. Nunn didn't miss, but Feliz took it to overtime with a drive.
