Hustle is the key

Our team is set to face Panathinaikos in away game.

Pregame breakdown

PAO defeated CSKA three times in a row under the guidance of the legendary American coach Rick Pitino. Though they needed Nick Calathes heroics twice as the Greeks’ leaders saved two games with his buzzer-beating three-pointers.

In comparison to the Army Men who needed the 4-hour flight to the Greek capital, the Greens did not travel this week. Their Tuesday away game took place in nearby Piraeus.

13 players, including Dani Hackett boarded the flight to Athens. The Italian guard missed the game vs Zenit with bruised hip, he will be re-evaluated on the day of the game. Injured Will Clyburn, Mikhail Kulagin and Andrey Vorontsevich stayed in Moscow as well as Andrey Lopatin and Alexander Khomenko who were sent to CSKA-2.

Referees

Fernando Rocha (crew chief, Portugal), Carlos Peruga (Spain), Milan Nedovic (Serbia).

Pregame quotes

Dimitris Itoudis, CSKA head coach:

We got used to the schedule. We watched the film, we tried to prepare ourselves with Xs and Os of strategy. Tomorrow it is going to be a hustle game. We have to match their energy. They are coming off three losses, and they are chasing the playoff spot, the best possible position. We know it is going to be tough, but if we will be ready to hustle, we are going to be alright.

Mike James, CSKA guard:

We are getting ready for tomorrow. We need a win. We need the best momentum going into playoffs. We are trying to focus on this. We kind of let them one step away from the victory in our last game and we will try not to let it happen again.

“Relativity” connections

CSKA head coach Itoudis spent 12 seasons as an assistant coach at Panathinaikos from 1999 through 2012. He helped the club win five Euroleague championships, 11 Greek League titles and seven Greek Cups during that span. Only Nick Calathes and Ian Vougioukas are with the club from that period. CSKA assistant Andreas Pistiolis was also a part of that successful team.

Coach Darryl Middleton played for Panathinaikos for 5 years (2000-05) winning two EuroLeague titles with the Athenians.

Mike James played for Panathinaikos for two seasons from 2016 to 2018. He led the team to back-to-back Greek League titles and a Greek Cup in that time.

Ioannis Papapetrou of Panathinaikos was a teammate of Daniel Hackett at Olympiacos for two seasons, from 2015 to 2017. They reached the EuroLeague championship game in 2017 together.

Nikita Kurbanov of CSKA and Panathinaikos big man Ian Vougioukas were teammates at Unics Kazan in 2013-14, when they reached the EuroCup Finals together.

Janis Strelnieks and Papapetrou were teammates with Olympiacos Piraeus in the 2017-18 season.

Vougioukas and Will Clyburn were teammates at ratiopharm Ulm for part of the 2014-15 season.

Kosta Koufos was a teammate of two Panathinaikos players during his NBA career. He played with Wesley Johnson for the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2010-11 season. Giorgios Papagiannis was his partner in the Sacramento Kings from 2016 to 2018.

h2>Past matchups
Wins/losses: 21-20
1981-82 – European Champions Cup. Group Stage: Panathinaikos – CSKA: 87-83 (-4)
1981-82 – European Champions Cup. Group Stage: CSKA – Panathinaikos: 83-80 (+3)
1994-95 – European Championship for Men’s Clubs. Semifinal Round: Panathinaikos – CSKA: 101-77 (-24)
1994-95 – European Championship for Men’s Clubs. Semifinal Round: CSKA – Panathinaikos: 77-70 (+7)
1995-96 – European Championship for Men’s Clubs. Semifinal: CSKA – Panathinaikos: 71-81 (-10)
2000-01 – SuproLeague. Regular Season: CSKA – Panathinaikos: 69-57 (+12)
2000-01 – SuproLeague. Regular Season: Panathinaikos – CSKA: 89-81 (-8)
2001-02 – Euroleague. Regular Season: CSKA – Panathinaikos: 85-91 (-6)
2001-02 – Euroleague. Regular Season: Panathinaikos – CSKA: 83-80 (-3)
2003-04 – Euroleague. Regular Season: Panathinaikos – CSKA: 58-69 (+11)
2003-04 – Euroleague. Regular Season: CSKA – Panathinaikos: 75-68 (+7)
2004-05 – Euroleague. Regular Season: Panathinaikos – CSKA: 73-85 (+12)
2004-05 – Euroleague. Regular Season: CSKA – Panathinaikos: 75-72 (+3)
2004-05 – Euroleague. 3rd place game: CSKA – Panathinaikos: 91-94 ОТ (-3)
2005-06 – Euroleague. Regular Season: Panathinaikos – CSKA: 92-82 (-10)
2005-06 – Euroleague. Regular Season: CSKA – Panathinaikos: 84-89 (-5)
2006-07 – Euroleague. Final: Panathinaikos – CSKA: 93-91 (-2)
2008-09 – Euroleague. Final: Panathinaikos – CSKA: 73-71 (-2)
2010-11 – Euroleague. Regular Season: Panathinaikos – CSKA: 74-60 (-14)
2010-11 – Euroleague. Regular Season: CSKA – Panathinaikos: 68-72 (-4)
2011-12 – Euroleague. Regular Season: Panathinaikos – CSKA: 76-78 ОТ (+2)
2011-12 – Euroleague. Regular Season: CSKA – Panathinaikos: 91-75 (+16)
2011-12 – Euroleague. Semifinal: CSKA – Panathinaikos: 66-64 (+2)
2012-13 – Euroleague. Top 16: CSKA – Panathinaikos: 86-69 (+17)
2012-13 – Euroleague. Top 16: Panathinaikos – CSKA: 63-69 (+6)
2013-14 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals. CSKA – Panathinaikos: 77-74 ОТ (+3)
2013-14 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals. CSKA – Panathinaikos: 77-51 (+26)
2013-14 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals. Panathinaikos – CSKA: 65-59 (-6)
2013-14 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals. Panathinaikos – CSKA: 73-72 ОТ (-1)
2013-14 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals. CSKA – Panathinaikos: 74-44 (+30)
2014-15 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals. CSKA – Panathinaikos: 93-66 (+27)
2014-15 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals. CSKA – Panathinaikos: 100-80 (+20)
2014-15 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals. Panathinaikos – CSKA: 86-85 (-1)
2014-15 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals. Panathinaikos – CSKA: 55-74 (+19)
2016-17 – Euroleague. Regular Season: CSKA – Panathinaikos: 81-77 (+4)
2016-17 – Euroleague. Regular Season: Panathinaikos – CSKA: 85-80 ОТ (-5)
2017-18 – Euroleague. Regular Season: CSKA – Panathinaikos: 81-63 (+18)
2017-18 – Euroleague. Regular Season: Panathinaikos – CSKA: 70-75 (+5)
2018-19 – Euroleague. Regular Season: Panathinaikos – CSKA: 96-84 (-12)
2018-19 – Euroleague. Regular Season: CSKA – Panathinaikos: 77-78 (-1)
2019-20 – Euroleague. Regular Season: CSKA – Panathinaikos: 102-106 OT (-4)

Short dossier

Panathinaikos Athens, Greece
Founded: 1908
Colors: green, white
Home court: O.A.K.A (18,700)
President: Emmanuel Papadopoulos
Head coach: Rick Pitino
Website: www.paobc.gr
Trophy case:
- 6-time Euroleague champion (1996, 2000, 02, 07, 09, 11),
- International Cup winner (1996),
- 37-time Greek champion (1946, 47, 50, 51, 54, 61, 62, 67, 69, 71-75, 77, 80-82, 84, 98-2001, 03-11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19),
- 20-time Greek Cup winner (1979, 82, 83, 86, 93, 96, 2003, 05-09, 12-17, 19, 20)