Panathinaikos led 82-81 in the closing seconds, thanks to a three-pointer from Sylvain Francisco. Then Cedi Osman took the last shot, a three-pointer, at the buzzer. 84-82 to PAOK Thessaloniki, the club he joined this summer after leaving the team across the court.
Osman found it simple. “I think these shots are the easiest shots. You have to take them with confidence. That’s what I did, and I’m very happy it went in,” he told BasketNews.
Two three-pointers in the closing seconds, two lines. I write the second one down when the buzzer has gone and the ball is still in the air. At that point, everyone’s watching the rim. I’m watching the clock. If the ball left his hand before zero, it’s on the sheet. Back home, at that moment, the parent on the shot clock asks if he can breathe. I tell him yes, once the captains have signed. The player says it’s the easiest shot. For the table too. There’s no timeout left to write down.
Zeljko Obradovic, the Panathinaikos coach, congratulated PAOK. He also pointed to the thirteen offensive rebounds conceded: “they took 13 offensive rebounds, so I believe the key was there,” he said. Andrea Trinchieri and PAOK will face Olympiacos, who beat AEK 93-80, in Sunday’s final.
Thirteen offensive rebounds. I don’t have a column for rebounds. I have a column for points. Eighty-four, eighty-two. Buzzer, sheet closed.
It’s true, we checked: BasketNews.
