Ataman: “End of the psychological advantage of Olympiakos – We got stronger with Nan, we are going for big things”

Rainy o Ergin Ataman in his statements on a Turkish website. His coach Panathinaikou he emphasized that the victory in the SEF does not give anything to his team, but puts an end to his psychological advantage Olympiakou. The Turkish coach said that he was surprised by the overwhelming reception at OAKA, while he added that Kendrick Nunn significantly strengthens the roster by extolling him Dimitris Giannakopoulos for his determination to bring the best players to the team. Finally, regarding the Euroleague aspirations, he said that the initial goal is to qualify for the playoffs, predicting that when the team “ties up”, it will be for big things.

“We put an end to the psychological advantage of Olympiakos”

“Olympiacos has been the Champion of Greece for the last two years and had not been defeated at home by Panathinaikos in the last seven derbies. This is a very strong team. They were finalists in the Euroleague last year, losing in the final seconds to Real Madrid. We are a new team. We were not ready for the Super Cup and we were badly beaten. In the Euroleague derby we had the lead for the most part, but lost in extra time. The atmosphere at SEF was very difficult. We played very well in the second half with various tricks. We won fairly. The victory made everyone at Panathinaikos happy. We put an end to their psychological advantage».

“Just a victory in the SEF, more important is the championship and for Panathinaikos to return to its glory”

“When I came to Panathinaikos, I said that we would put an ‘end’ to the dominance of Olympiakos. This was a very good win. The fans of the team have shown me great love and enthusiasm since day one. Many thank me for coming. They have before them a coach with five European titles and two consecutive Euroleagues. There are high expectations for me. This to me is just a derby win. The important thing is to win the Championship and for Panathinaikos to return to its great glory».

“We brought the excitement back to the world, the reception at OAKA was incredible”

“Fans enjoy watching an enthusiastic coach who has achieved great success. There was great excitement when I did my classic move with raised fists in the first home derby. Unfortunately, we lost then. Now, when we returned from Piraeus to Athens, it was 01:00 in the evening. Thousands of sports fans welcomed us with fireworks! They stopped the bus and we couldn’t move for half an hour! They were chanting my name and waiting for me to raise my fists again! I did it! It is very important to have such a relationship. The excitement had died down in recent years. We brought him back. It was incredible! I had a hard time getting into the field and getting to my office! At 03:00 in the morning I was able to leave! Unbelievable! As a Turkish coach, being welcomed with open arms and adored like that is extremely important in terms of the friendship of the people of the two countries and global integrity. Expectations will grow even higher».

“Nan will strengthen the team – When Giannakopoulos sets his mind to something, he always does it”

“We made a big change in the team. The owner of the team, Dimitris Giannakopoulos, has great confidence in me. In every statement he says ‘We have the best coach in Europe and we will succeed with him’. A lot of responsibility falls on me. Due to the last place in the Euroleague last year it was difficult to sign big names. We did not create a team with an astronomical budget. The only player with Final Four experience is Kostas Slukas. We need a scorer and playmaker, we felt Nan is him. Nunn has had a remarkable NBA career. He had 15 points two years ago. He has played on LeBron James’ team. When his case arose, we completed the transfer immediately. Many teams wanted him, especially Olympiacos. When the owner puts something in his mind he always does it. Nan will strengthen the team. This is a great transfer success. The owner flipped the switch with this big move, as he had done with Sluka. I spoke to Nan on the phone three days before the transfer. He had made the decision to come to us».

“The Euroleague is a marathon, the first goal is the playoffs”

“We had two overtime defeats in the Euroleague. The Euroleague is a marathon. Apart from the unbeaten Real Madrid, the rest of the teams are very close to each other in the standings. We will try to win as many games as we can. The first goal is to reach the playoffs after many years. I believe that the team will bond and the players will assimilate the system. Then we’ll go for big things».