Panathinaikos AKTOR outlasted Maccabi Tel Aviv 95-88 in a match-up thriller, leveling the series at 2-2 and sending them to a fifth game at OAKA next week to advance to the Final Four in Berlin.
One of the protagonists of the “greens” in this match was Ioannis Papapetrouwho gave huge assists to the defense and scored 8 pointswhile he also made a pivotal three-pointer in the fourth period.
After the match, the Greek international spoke to sport-fm.gr about what brought him the big one win his team, his own performance in the series, but also in the last game of OAKA.
In detail what he said to Giorgos Petridis:
For the elements that gave victory to Panathinaikos: “We fought until the end, we played really hard and we didn’t get frustrated at any point in the game. Even when Maccabi had their own good moments, even when we were chasing, we didn’t get disappointed, we played until the last moment and I think we gave our souls. We all gave something to the team, and that was a great element in today’s win.”
On whether it’s defense that gives championships: “Just as you say, the defense is because we know that with it we can achieve big victories. Our offense is there and we have a lot of talent, we know that we can be effective every night, however the defense is what gives us confidence and what wins these tough games.”
On how he feels about coming forward: “I feel really good, as I’ve said before, I’ve put in a lot of effort and covered a lot of distance in a short time to get back to where I know I can be, in a good condition. I’m happy to help the team, to be here and to be active. Obviously the night does not belong to me, but to Panathinaikos. We dedicate this victory to Paris Dermanis, our caregiver who is having a hard time and we give him all our strength. I am happy to help the team achieve its goals. We haven’t done anything yet, we still have a game ahead of us and we have to be focused.”
For the last match: “We regained the home advantage, which we fought for all season. We have a home match which will be difficult, we will prepare for it. We will rest a little, because it has been a demanding and tiring journey. We will be ready to give our souls to a packed OAKA”.
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Source: Sport Fm
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