Valencia Basket faces Panathinaikos Game 5

Valencia Basket did not enter Thursday facing a winner-take-all Game 5 against Panathinaikos. The decisive quarterfinal was played on Wednesday, May 13, at Roig Arena in Valencia, and Valencia won 81-64 to clinch the series, according to EuroLeague’s game center and the club’s official website. The result sent Valencia to its first EuroLeague Final Four after the Spanish club recovered from a 0-2 deficit in the best-of-five series. Panathinaikos, the reigning European champion under coach Ergin Ataman, was eliminated in Valencia after losing Games 4 and 5. ### Was the match really on May 14? Valencia Basket’s official ticket notice said the fifth and decisive playoff game against Panathinaikos would be played on Wednesday, May 13, at 9 p.m. local time at Roig Arena. Panathinaikos’ official schedule also lists the game on May 13, and EuroLeague’s official game page shows the matchup as completed, with Valencia winning 81-64. May 14 references appear to reflect publication timing or local reporting confusion, not the official game date. By Thursday, both EuroLeague and Valencia had already published postgame material, including highlights, press conference video and a club match report. (valenciabasket.com) ### How did Valencia turn the series around? Panathinaikos opened the series with two road wins in Valencia, taking Game 1 by 68-67 and Game 2 by 107-105, according to the official schedules on the Panathinaikos and EuroLeague sites. Valencia then won Game 3 in Athens, 91-87, and Game 4 in Athens, 89-86, to force the decider back in Spain. Valencia’s club website described the comeback as a recovery from 0-2 down, and EuroLeague’s front page called it a historic day for the team after the Game 5 result. (euroleaguebasketball.net) The series was one of the closest in recent playoff memory, with the first four games decided by a combined 11 points before Valencia won the decider by 17. ### What happened in Game 5 itself? EuroLeague’s official game page recorded an 81-64 Valencia win before a crowd of 14,254 at Roig Arena. (paobc.gr) The same page listed Braxton Key with 12 points for Valencia and Kendrick Nunn with 21 for Panathinaikos among the featured individual lines. Valencia’s website said the team “overcomes a 0-2 deficit against Panathinaikos to reach their first-ever Final Four,” and postgame video on the EuroLeague site carried comments from coach Pedro Martinez and players including Brancou Badio. (valenciabasket.com) EuroLeague also published a postgame clip headlined with Martinez saying, “It’s a historic day.” ### Why is this a first for Valencia? Valencia Basket said on its official website that the Game 5 win sent the club to its first EuroLeague Final Four. (euroleaguebasketball.net) That makes the quarterfinal result a landmark in the men’s team’s European record, even though Valencia has been a regular presence in Spain’s top division and in European competition. EuroLeague’s own coverage matched that description by framing the victory as Valencia’s first trip to the season-ending semifinal stage. (valenciabasket.com) The official site grouped the result with immediate Final Four ticketing information and postgame reaction, indicating the berth was confirmed on Wednesday night. ### Who does Valencia face next? EuroLeague’s playoff page shows the next step as the Final Four, and secondary coverage from Eurohoops reported that Valencia will meet Real Madrid in a Spanish semifinal in Athens. (valenciabasket.com) The other semifinal pairing is Olympiacos against Fenerbahce, according to the same report. Valencia’s official calendar now turns back to domestic competition this weekend, with a Liga Endesa home game against Surne Bilbao scheduled for May 17, while the club awaits the confirmed Final Four date and tipoff details from EuroLeague. (euroleaguebasketball.net) (valenciabasket.com)