Ataman: “Panathinaikos AKTOR has chemistry with the world after years – When you win, this is how you celebrate”

After the huge win, especially the way it came, at MonacoThe Panathinaikos AKTOR hosted by Armani Milan (21:45, NovaSports Prime, News Bulletin 247, sport-fm.gr) for the 16th matchday of the Euroleague.

THE Ergin Ataman spoke ahead of this match both about the feelings that the victory in the “Principality” left for the “greens”, as well as about the difficulty of the match against the Italians but also for his presence Dimitris Giannakopoulou on the team’s side.

What he said in detail:

For Panathinaikos AKTOR’s difficult schedule in the “devil’s week” and the match against Armani Milano: “Yesterday’s game is in the past. We are in the middle of a doubleheader and like many other teams we will play again tomorrow. For sure, it will be a tough game. The reality is that Milan did not start the season well. But in the last two games he has changed, he is playing good basketball. They beat Barcelona away last week and on Wednesday (20/12) they got a “clean” win against Villeurbanne. It will be a tough game. We know the players and their system. Of course, we will try to get another away win, this time in Milan.”

For what the “clover” should do to celebrate the double in Italy as well: “Milan have different style of players. He has tall shooters like Voigtman and Meli. Their leading scorer is Shavon Shields, who plays in the “3” position. They play different basketball compared to Monaco, they are a different team. We have to adapt defensively to their system. On the other side of the floor we want to attack with our best players, to make the right choices.”

To support the friends of Panathinaikos AKTOR in away games: “The people of Panathinaikos AKTOR have been supporting the team since the beginning of the season, since I signed I felt the support. I thank them for that. They not only support us in victories, but even after defeats, they continue to believe in us. This is very important. The team has found chemistry with people after years and that is very important. Tomorrow we will try to win, but we respect Ettore Messina and his team. They are a good team, we will have a difficult away match.”

On the off chance that his players lack concentration due to the prevailing excitement: “No I’m not thinking that. People enjoyed what happened and celebrated it. We celebrated it, of course. If you’re coming back from -15 down with a shot in the last second to win after being down three in overtime, it’s only natural to feel those emotions. Panathinaikos AKTOR is on the right track. I don’t know if we will make it tomorrow and if we win, we will see the final result. However, so far we have lost three matches in overtime and one, this one against Efes, in the last possession. At the same time, we have eight victories. I am very optimistic about the Second Round of the season.”

On the importance of the victory in the Principality under the gaze of Dimitris Giannakopoulos: “At first I think it was nice for him and his family because they enjoyed it. It’s the same for us. Whether Giannakopoulos is next to the floor or not, he remains the owner and president. We know that he follows the team with emotion, he has high goals. He loves the team and we know that even when he is not on the pitch. But yesterday I think he enjoyed it and that makes us happy.”