Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv & coach Pini Gershon did it again. The 91-82 win over Panathinaikos Athens sent them to their 11th Euro Final. For Gershon it will be his fourth Final in four attempts.
Gershon admited that his team was not at its best. The Greeks managed to stop Parker, Saras & Vujcic for most of the game, but Maccabi recieved an heroic performance from Sharp, Burstein, Kommatos & Green.
Maccabi led 25-18 at the nd of the first quarter and went on up to 45-33. At half time the lead was 49-41 with Sharp scoring 13 points.
In the third period, the Greeks came back and took a 55-54 lead. Parker scored his first field goal and added a three pointer to make it 61-55 and 68-62 at the end of the period.
The final quarter was dominated by Maccabi, supported by 7,000 fans who cheered them on.
Maccabi had a 60% in FG and 78% in FT. They also pulled down 24 rebounds and dished out 17 assists (Saras 8).
Great evening for Sharp with 20 points (3-5 for three). Parker scored only 13 points but pulled down 5 rebounds and made 3 assists.
In the Final on Sunday Maccabi will face Tau Ceramica Vitoria who upset CSKA Msocow 85-78.