Reds triumph away in Game 1 of the Basket League finals

Olympiakos snatched home advantage in the finals of the Basket League with an imposing performance at the Olympic Sports Hals on Sunday, beating Panathinaikos 75-65 in Game 1 of the best-of-five series.

Being clearly superior from the second to the last quarter of the game, the Reds inflicted on Panathinaikos its first league loss this year after 31 victories in the regular season and the play-offs.

Panathinaikos was the favorite for the game and led 26-19 after the first quarter and by 10 a little later. Yet when Olympiakos stopped relying on out-of-form Vassilis Spanoulis and Giorgos Printezis, on which the Greens had adapted their plans, the game was turned on its head, with the hosts scoring just six points in the second period and the first half ending with the visitors up by three (35-32).

On a bad night for Panathinaikos's Nick Calathes (0/7 triples), Nikos...