Panathinaikos AKTOR defeated Fenerbahce Beko 73-57 in the first game of the Final Four of the Turkish Airlines Europa League and advanced to the final, head coach Ergin Ataman said that they won the game with an outstanding defense in the last quarter.
Speaking at the press conference organized after the game played at Uber Arena in Berlin, Ataman stated that they were in control for most of the game.
Stating that they reflected their game strategy to the game well, Ataman continued as follows:
"We started the game great in defense, but then we took unnecessary shots and had turnovers. Fenerbahçe managed to come back. They gave us trouble especially with transition plays and 3-pointers. In the second half Fenerbahce came back once again. Then I put the defensive players on the court. I put Kalaitzakis on the court to put pressure on Calathes. Sarunas Jasikevicius used Nigel Hayes-Davis and Sestina as 4 and 5. We went back to a defense that we haven't played much this season. We were very aggressive on rebounds, Nunn didn't score many extra points. But we were able to spread the floor well and find the right shots and with our outstanding defense in the last quarter we were able to win the game."
Pointing out that Grant had a very good game, Ataman said, "They locked up Calathes and Nunn. Sloukas was not having a good shooting day on offense. Here Grant reflected his confidence on the court and became one of the important key players in terms of offense. The locker room of this team is great. Everyone knows basketball very well. In critical games the offense doesn't always work.
Speaking about what he said in the meeting with his players before the game, Ataman said:
"In the locker room before the game, I said, "Don't think of this as a Final Four game. Think of it as a single game that we have to win. We have come this far, we are the best defensive team in the Europa League. Let's play our game. Don't focus on the result of the game, focus on the game, live the game. Reflect our strategy on the pitch." We were a bit lucky today. The technical team makes some decisions, but they might not work. But tonight I want to give 100 out of 100 to my technical team."
Underlining that Panathinaikos has never lost in the Final Four, Ataman concluded his words as follows:
"We have broken all records and I hope we will continue without losing the final. Real Madrid seems to be the favorite of the tournament, but we will see what happens in the semifinals. We beat Olympiacos three times in the league, we lost twice in the Europa League, we won once and lost once against Real Madrid, so you never know what will happen. We will play our game without thinking about the result and we will see what happens."
Негізгі бет Panathinaikos - Fenerbahce 73-57 / Ergin Ataman Press Conference / Turkish Airlines Final Four
Пікірлер: 57