The world of basketball had allready had a first meeting with Nikos Galis, in 1986, in the FIBA world championships, where he led the whole tournament in scoring, with 33,7 ppg, even more than basketball's Pele, brazilian Oscar Schmidt!
In the quarter finals of euroleague, (same year) then champions cup, Europe had a good opportunity to meet Galis, and his team Aris. Aris faced Europe's best team, Tracer Olimpia Milano of Mike D'Antoni, Bob McAdoo and Dino Meneghin, the series seemed an easy thing for the Italians, but Galis and his team mates had a different opinion.
In the first game in Thessaloniki, he scored 44 points, making some amazing baskets and having some amazing fg percentage. Aris, whose legend had just begun, won by 31 points. 98-67! Bob McAdoo, ex-Laker champion, said: "What Galis and Aris did today, I haven't seen even in games against the Celtics"!
Still it was too early for Aris. In the second game, everything went wrong. Tracer won by 34 and finaly made it to the semi finals, in one of the most legendary series of the European basketball...
Tracer became european champions that year. The repeated their triumph in 1988, while Aris, made it in three consecutive European final fours, just missed the fourth one, but was never meant to make it...
They were both legendary teams anyway!!!
