By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
In his last Greek Cup Final, Dimitris Diamantidis didn’t only lead Panathinaikos to another domestic title, but also added another “MVP” award to his trophy case. Panathinaikos was simply… too much for Faros Keratsini, winning the game 101 – 54. This is the 17th Cup title in the history of the Greens for whom James Gist scored 13 points and grabbed 6 rebounds, while Diamantidis added 8, plus 3 assists.
But, let’s hear it for Faros as well. The second division team from Keratsini managed to advance in the Final after consecutively eliminating two teams from the first division, Kifissia at the quarterfinal and PAOK at the semifinal. In a way, they were winners, too, since even their participation in the Final counts as a success.
The Greens were, of course, the heavy favorite even before the game started, since there is a chaotic qualitative difference between them and their opponents. Faros could not hope to match the superiority of Panathinaikos that entered the game determined to assume control right from the beginning. Something that they accomplished, since the first quarter ended with the score being 31 – 12. This difference kept being expanded since Panathinaikos kept a good rhythm in its game, and Faros could not appear competitive.
This victory also came with a unique achievement for coach Djordjevic and his players, since they broke the record for biggest margin in a Cup Final. The previous holder was Aris, since in 1987 the team of Thessaloniki had won the Cup by defeating Panellinios 110-70.