By Lefteris Moutis/ moutis@eurohoops.net
This is the season of upsets in play offs around Europe, but not in Greece. For one more season Olympiacos and Panthinaikos “reserved” their place since October. And moreover, both teams usually reach the finals without a loss. This season in the semifinals the champs will face Rethymno and the “Greens” will play against Panionios, but the final result is more than expected.
Olympiacos has an admirable run of 23 straight wins in quarterfinals and semifinals since Game 5 of the series against Marousi in the 2007-08 season. On the other hand, Panathinaikos lost last season in Rhodes against Kolossos in the third semifinal game and that result end their record of 35 wins in row in the first two series of the playoffs since 2004-05.
Until the moment their previous streak started, Panathinaikos had qualified in the finals with a full sweep only in three seasons (1995, 1999 and 2001 when they didn’t had to play in the quarterfinals) and Olympiacos only two times (1994 and 2001). The Greek league in the last decade is getting extremely predictable and that’s the biggest proof of the continued decline in competitiveness.