Larissa makes Panathinaikos work hard to reach the Basket League finals
Reds and Greens will fight for the title in the best-of-five series
Olympiakos and Panathinaikos will face off in the Basket League finals starting this weekend, having taken very different routes to their first such clash in four years.
It was back in 2018 that the two giants of Greek basketball last met in the Basket League finals, and now they will resume their rivalry with a league title at stake with Game 1 in Piraeus, as Olympiakos enjoys home advantage.
The Reds had an impeccable run to the finals as they swept Peristeri 2-0 in the quarterfinals and Promitheas Patras 3-0 in the semifinals.
Panathinaikos saw off Aris 2-0 in the first round, but in the semifinals it struggled to overcome surprise package Larissa 3-2, with the deciding game on Wednesday in Athens ending in emphatic fashion (89-43) for the Greens.
It followed an eventful best-of-five series where Larissa beat the champion twice at home.
The best-of-five finals will definitely have Olympiakos as the favorite, and the Reds are even targeting a sweep as they aim at their first league title in six years.
