Panathinaikos came... within a breath of the Final Four in Athens after the 2 victories at the "Roig Arena" in Valencia, which were sealed with Nigel Hayes-Davis's incredible buzzer beater in Game 2 of the series for the final score of 105-107 in overtime.
With a 2-0 lead and the momentum to reach the Final Four in Athens, the "green" delegation returned having truly "broken" the "curse" of the Iberian peninsula.
The truth is that it was the most unwelcoming place for Panathinaikos as they rarely left Spain with victories.
But this year the... spell was broken at once and the "trefoil" found fertile ground to flourish.
And it did. For the first time in its history, it managed to beat all the teams it faced in their home courts and record 5 victories in 6 games on Spanish soil.
It started on the 3rd matchday, when they defeated Baskonia 84-86 thanks to Kendrick Nunn's buzzer beater, which had broken the... curse of Vitoria after 8 years.
This was followed by an away win in Madrid against Real with 77-87 on the 11th matchday of the Euroleague, while just before the end of the regular season, Panathinaikos prevailed in Barcelona against Barcelona with 79-93, winning after 13 years.
This was followed by a loss in Valencia during the regular season with 102-84, only for the two teams to meet again in the Playoffs, where Ergin Ataman's team showed the character of a great team and made it 0-2 (The first time in its history that it won 2 games in a Playoff series)!
This year, it reached the point of making it 5/6 on Spanish soil and feeling right at home! Something that seemed distant just a few months ago.
It is characteristic that Panathinaikos has played 93 games in Spain and has 25 victories and 57 defeats.
While until the beginning of this season, the record was... 20-56.