ATHENS (Greek Cup) – Same old, same old.

That’s the best way to describe Sunday’s Greek Cup final between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos on Sunday.

The Greens were in danger of losing when trailing by a single point in the fourth quarter but Dimitris Diamantidis showed yet again he is the man for the big occasion by hitting three consecutive three-pointers.

The best defensive player in Europe, Diamantidis used his offense (16 points) to propel Panathinaikos to an 80-70 win.

Zeljko Obradovic, the long-time Panathinaikos coach, gushed about the play of his backcourt after the game and specifically Diamantidis.

“Our guards were excellent and I must refer especially to Diamantidis,” he said.

“In the second half of the game, he played with great confidence and it’s very important for every player.”

Diamantidis prefers to do his talking on the court and not off it, but he has made the big plays on so many occasions that the 28-year-old often finds himself answering questions by the media.

“I want to congratulate my teammates, my coaches and the fans of the team,” he said.

“We were concentrated during the whole game. Olympiacos got us, even got the lead at some points, but some crucial baskets helped us find our way back into the game and our psychology to rise.

“It was our first trophy for this year, but we have to keep going. We have difficult games ahead in the Greek League and Euroleague.”

Diamantidis has quite a winning streak going.

In every final that he has played in for Panathinaikos, the club has won.

“My wish is that this can go on!” he said. “I came to a team that has a leading role. I am in a team aiming for and conquering titles. There is no secret. We keep going and we are happy, giving joy to our fans and ourselves!”

On the Olympiacos bench was Panagiotis Yannakis, the man who coached Diamantidis with Greece’s national team from the 2004 Olympics through last summer.

Yannakis is now exclusively the coach of the Reds with Jonas Kazlauskas having recently replaced him at the helm of the national team.

He said to the fans of Olympiacos: “You have to build up basketball wise and psychologically for situations like this.

“During situations like this, we count those who love you the most and support your effort.

“By working hard, you can only have gains.

“The goal of this team is to keep building in a way that it will manage to win titles. It’s an effort that requires patience and support.

“If a team has patience, it can achieve something really important.”

FIBA