Djordjevic leads Panathinaikos against Barcelona

BARCELONA (Euroleague) - It seems like the basketball world stops when Barcelona and Panathinaikos trade blows in European competition.

Giants of Spain against giants of Greece, the two sides have clashed on numerous occasions over the years - 34 in all - with many a great player involved.

Before these two sides meet, there is always a sense that something special may happen.

The loquacious Serbia national team coach, Aleksandar Djordjevic, who played for Barcelona from 1997-99, is now at the helm of Panathinaikos and is going to coach against his old team for the first time.

Games like this one capture his and everyone else's imagination.

"This is a big classic for the Euroleague as two of the greatest teams in European basketball history will compete again," he said.

The Euroleague is only in the third week of its regular season so it's too early to suggest this game has a major significance but the side that wins will undoubtedly grow in confidence and that's never a bad thing.

What is working for Panathinaikos so far this season has been having Nick Calathes in the backcourt again.

The Greece national team point guard started his European career several years ago with the Greens and ultimately left, becoming a Eurocup MVP with Lokomotiv Kuban.

He then moved to the NBA to play for the Memphis Grizzlies before accepting an offer to come back to the Greens this season.

Calathes revealed himself to be one of the most improved players on the old continent when he played for the national team last month at EuroBasket 2015 in Zagreb, Croatia, and Lille, France.

That was true in all aspects of his game, including his ability to put the ball in the basket.

He averaged 9.9 points per game. Calathes drilled 11 of his 18 shots from long range for a scintillating 61.1 percent.

Nick Calathes (GRE)

Calathes can go ahead and write his name into the starting lineup for Greece next year when they compete at one of the three FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OQTs).

His pairing with Dimitrios Diamantidis gives the Greens a lot of quality in the backcourt.

It's easy to see why Djordjevic was happy to take the reins of this team because in Calathes, he has one of the top playmakers in the game.

Djordjevic also has an opportunity to work with a player that is already assured of legendary status when he decides to call it quits in the game in Diamantidis.

The 35-year-old needs only 10 points to surpass Sarunas Jasikevicius and move into eighth place on the all-time leading scorer's list in Euroleague history.

There are numerous players to keep an eye on in this game, including some from Barcelona.

Three will be looking to make the trip to the Olympics with Spain in Pau Ribas, Alex Abrines and Juan Carlos Navarro while Barca center Shane Lawal will be in Rio with Nigeria.

FIBA