PAOK was the best team by far and proved in the best and most impressive fashion at the Peace and Friendship Stadium. With Kostas Flevarakis leading the bench (he had taken over from Svi Serf in the course of the season), a skillful set of players and the support of thousands of fans that traveled in Athens, despite the unfavorable weather conditions, PAOK won the title and its 3rd Greek Cup on January 31, 1999, all the more winning it easier than ever before.
Frankie King, Walter Berry and PAOK’s Captain Giorgos Balogiannis were the ones to ‘execute’ AEK and showed they meant business from the very first second. They scored 56 from PAOK’s 71 points, the final score being 71-54, marking a clear and fair triumph. Coldbella (5), Nikolaides (2), Maslarinos, Morales (2), Giannoulis (6), participated the final as well, while the team roster at the team was also apprised by Peral, Papachristos, Iliopoulos, Kakiousis, Despos, Christou.
The team’s return to Thessaloniki was an adventurous one. Terrible weather conditions, troves of snow and the fact that the Athen’s airport had closed down, resulted in the team traveling back by train. The apotheosis by the fans took place at the train station and continued throughout the streets of Thessaloniki.
THE ROAD TO THE FINAL
The last hindrance before the final had been Aris. The semi-final of January 30, at the SEF turned out to be a walk in the park for PAOK. Proof enough the final score of 83-50, which also set a record difference in the games between the two teams. Balogiannis and Berry had scored 21 points each and were the best players for PAOK, who also had the following players participating: Coldebella (9), Nikolaides (1), Giannoulis (11), King 18 (1), Morales 2, Christou, Despos, Peral, Maslarinos.
To qualify for the final four, PAOK had to start in the same gym that everything was decided. The Cup draw produced Olympiacos as its first opponent. Beginning of the season, early September, but PAOK with Berry and King in excellent condition, won 61-52 and got to qualify. PAOK played its second game of the tournament in Drama against KAOD and surpassed this obstacle with relative ease, as shown in the final 53-87. Sportig was the next opponent. PAOK win 81-52 in a game held in the Alexandrion and qualified for the final four.
