So the time has come for the final of the Greek Cup.
Many years ago there was an incentive for the team that participated in it. In recent years it's a game like everything else. And especially since he succeeded in taking two consecutive trophies, Olympiacos put an end to the tradition that he wanted the reds not to win Panathinaikos in the games where the potato was hot. Cupola, then? Not exactly, but it does not have the same value as before, since in 2 months will follow the finishers to show off and the "boss" in the country. And there the truth is, it proves the superiority of one against the other.
PREHISTORY
The first event was 1976 in Glyfada and Olympiacos won against AEK with 81-69. 18 was followed by finals until we reached 1995. It was the first time that Final 4 was organized and for the next 10 years, at the time of the boom of Greek basketball and competitiveness. This competition is no longer there, since it is indicative that this year 5 will be the next year, the pair of the final is the same !!
In the history of his finals, the top scorer is the big Nikos Galis with 245 points, while the 76 and 74 are in 8 and 9 respectively.
The team with most conquests is Panathinaikos with 12. Olympiacos is in second place with 9, followed by Mars, who has 8.
The list is completed by PAOK (3), AEK (3) and Panionios (1)
STATISTICS
Especially for this year's two finalists:
Panathinaikos → 12 conquers 17 in the final.
Olympiacos → 9 conquered 15 in the final.
Dimitris Diamantidis needs two striking three-pointers to take second place, where Slobodan Sobotic is now in 12. The first is Panagiotis Giannakis with 23.
Zelimir Obradovic has 10 finishes and counts 6 conquests while his best man, Dusan Ivkovic, counts 4 cups at the 5 finals that has taken place.
Finally, the 3 titles MVP, won by Kostas Tsartsaris in the finals of '06,' 07, '08, are a striking statistic. Diamantidis was MVP '09, while in the two cups, which Olympiacos won successively, Teodosic was the most precious.
THIS YEAR
In order to get here, many teams from the Second National had to be withdrawn, to qualify for teams without even fighting, but also to be struggling with others, facing the "big ones". The organization is in crisis and the obvious is that nothing is done to overcome. The factors both of the EEC and of the two teams do not contribute to anything in the development of the sport, which at some point would also lead to braking in the slide of the institution. Even the two leaders, the teams, Spanoulis-Diamantidis, admitted that we are not yet ready to hold a final with a full court. Did they both wonder, what did they do about it?
Have they ever wondered if they decided to leave the field when coins, bottles, crackers and chairs fell against them, rather than staying up and down until they were restarted?
Greek basketball needs a will to solve its problems as an extension of the crisis that plagues the country at all levels. This year's final will be one of the same. Let's hope at least (Saturday) at 18.30, watch a good game.
