CSKA led 42-23 at halftime, but the Greek team gradually narrowed the margin throughout the second half. Panathinaikos forward Ibrahim Kutluay tied the score at 61-61 midway through the final quarter.
Canadian guard Steve Nash edged Shaquille O'Neal by 34 points to win the National Basketball Association's most valuable player award, the fourth-closest margin since the media began determining the winner in 1980-1981.
The decision was first reported Friday, but the official announcement Sunday detailed the balloting by a panel of 127 sports writers and broadcasters in the United States and Canada.
Nash, the South African-born nine-year NBA veteran who led Phoenix to a season-best 62 victories in his first year with the Suns, received 1,066 points. O'Neal, who left the Los Angeles Lakers for Miami and helped the Heat to the best record in the Eastern Conference, received 1,032.
Players received 10 points for a first-place vote, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth and one for fifth.
Nash received 65 first-place votes to O'Neal's 58. The NBA assist leader at 11.5 a game, Nash is the sixth guard to win the award, joining Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson.
Nash's close friend, German center Dirk Nowitski of Dallas, was a distant third in the balloting with 349 points, followed by Tim Duncan (328) of San Antonio and Allen Iverson (240) of Philadelphia.
Nash is the first player to lead the league in assists and be named MVP since Johnson in 1987.
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