Serelis: “A foul was whistled at zero, I don’t know if it was or not”

A determined one Panathinaikos… he touched the break in SEF, but his own mistakes gave him Olympic the opportunity to take the first step in the finals of the Basket League, winning 73-70.

After the match, Christos Serelis spoke at the press conference about the lost opportunity of the “greens”, emphasized that his team proved that the series will not be easy for the Olympicwhile he also made a comment about the foul that was charged to Agravanis and restored the lead for the home team.

In detail what he said at the press conference after the 1st final of the Basket League:

“We didn’t start as well as we had asked. We let Olympiakos easily score 26p. in the 1st quarter. We had asked the children to be patient and follow the plan, in order to have an opinion on the continuation if this plan can lead us somewhere. Defensively we were focused afterwards, offensively we found better phases in the second half. We reduced the gap, Olympiacos had not escaped much. We passed in front of a point almost ideal to make the break. Unfortunately we didn’t keep that lead. We had a good shot by Grigonis, after the two shots we conceded and the match was decided in the details. We’re here to prove that it won’t be an easy series, as many might have thought. We have to be prepared for the next match, very strong and focused on defense from the start. Also, we have to have a clear mind in attack for 40′. We need 40′ to win the match at home.”

For the Olympiakos final in the 3rd period: “I can’t use something critical or pivotal when it’s early. Basketball is decided on the last possessions. It was equally crucial when we went ahead and a foul was whistled at about 0”. I don’t know if it was or not. We will not look now to see how the difference went. We are interested in our plan and what mistakes we made, what we need to correct. We do not want these empty spaces that we had, this should not happen in OAKA. We have to be more compact.”

As to whether the way Game 1 developed will help Panathinaikos going forward or if it will make Olympiacos more… suspicious: “I don’t believe that Olympiacos was not suspicious. I talked earlier about those outside of basketball, not inside. I think it will be a difficult game and it would have been even more difficult if we had won today. I don’t think these teams, at this level, expect easy wins in a final. The players and coaches are very experienced. I believe 100% that this match gives a greater self-confidence inside and outside the team, so that the world also believes in the team’s effort. I repeat, whatever we achieve the year is not a success. We know that. But I also said before the playoffs that we will not play with our hands down.”