If this goes the full five games, it may well go down as the finest ever series the Euroleague playoffs has ever seen. Valencia and Panathinaikos delivered pure drama in Game 1. Emmet Ryan writes that while Panathinaikos took the day, winning the series is a matter of survival.
There was an extra dash of seriousness even before the opening tip. With end of regular season honours won, it would have been normal for Pedro Martinez and Jean Montero to be feted before a raucous home crowd.
Not tonight, not in the Euroleague playoffs. Valencia wanted to send a message that this was a new challenge. Panathinaikos heard it loud and clear. By the end of the 40 minutes, they felt it too.
Experience proves telling early
Panathinaikos had a less than ideal Euroleague season. You don’t end up 7th with a roster of this calibre without some drama. They even have a head coach who is essentially theatre in human form.
Yet this group has been here before and got the job done. That was so obvious as the Greens took charge in the first quarter. With Kostas Sloukas done for the season, Kendrick Nunn decided to seize the moment. He scored 10 of the first 12 points for PAO, on a night where he’d score 21 in total. Even when Nunn finally missed a shot, Mathias Lessort was on hand to fight for the putback.
Much as their attitude may have been right, Valencia simply couldn’t make up for not having been in this position before. They looked shocked to take such a blow so quickly and would end up going 35 minutes without being on level terms. This was Ergin Ataman leaning into his side’s strengths and making it pay off.
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These guys are relentless
Pedro Martinez didn’t blink. Not when his side was being abysmal from deep, granted that was the entire game, and not when they struggled to live with Panathinaikos. His plan for this series is to run the Greens into the ground and no in-game situation was going to see him deviate from that.
Valencia rotated over and over. The plan was to keep tempo at maximum pace throughout and wear down Panathinaikos. These were NHL tactics on full display in the Euroleague playoffs. Think of the Mike D’Antoni approach for speed; only Martinez actually trusted his bench.
PAO’s more natural rotation changes felt like they were arriving in the middle of an autobahn when taking the floor. There was no time for adjustment amidst a flood of utter disruption. It almost paid off. That it didn’t in Game 1 of the Euroleague playoffs was a blow for Valencia but far from a mortal wound.
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A proper series
In an era where sports globally must deal with the risk of homogenisation, European basketball can still genuinely hope for proper clashes of philosophy come playoff time. Nowhere is that more reliable than the Euroleague playoffs and Game 1 of this series proved it.
Panathinaikos deserved the win tonight. You win across 40 minutes. Valencia were uglier for the first 10 than the Greens were in any stretch on Tuesday evening. There is a beauty in a physical fight for intellectual supremacy.
In my preview video, I picked Valencia to lead 2-1 in this series (although Panathinaikos to win it all). For that to happen, they have to win Game 2. To prevent that, Ergin Ataman needs to find a way to live with or limit the pace of Martinez’s men. Valencia will know how to take that first punch come Thursday evening.