Statements on Cosmote TV were made by Dino Mitogloutalking about Panathinaikos AKTOR’s return to the Euroleague Final 4, characterizing this specific achievement as very important.
In addition, he spoke about how Ataman is preparing the “greens” ahead of Berlin, while also referring to the upcoming semi-final against Fenerbahce.
In detail what he said:
On how he handles the pressure of the Final 4: “Qualifying the Final 4 after so many years for the team means a lot. We know the people of Panathinaikos how much they were thirsty and looking forward to a Final 4. From the first moment we built something new last summer there was an excellent effort from everyone, the goal was always high and what we wanted was to achieve them all. We achieved something very big to bring Panathinaikos to the Final 4 again. A great effort was made by the whole team and the people, whom we thank for their support. That there is a lot of excitement is a given, we are going there to win and our mind is on winning”.
For how many ask him for a ticket: “The truth is that a lot of people are asking for a ticket, I never expected that. It’s very difficult because the tickets are limited and you can’t find them easily. On the one hand, people are very excited and want to come, on the other hand, the Euroleague doesn’t give us many tickets. But I won’t dwell on that. My job is to play basketball, to perform well on the court and my problem is to win Fener and not the tickets”.
What Ergin Ataman is focusing on ahead of the Final 4: “The coach, as we all know, has a lot of experience, especially from Final-4 and European championships. After the game with Aris at the end he told us that now is the time to prepare for the Final-4 and for the play-offs and see the domestic games as a preparation for Berlin. He knows where to focus and when to put a lot of emphasis on a game. For us, the preparation starts from tomorrow”.
On whether the 2nd round game against Fenerbahçe in OAKA is a guide for the semi-final: “Clearly. Fenerbahçe is an excellent team with many options both defensively and offensively with their tall and short players. The secret is to be aggressive in defense, to put our bodies forward so that they don’t feel comfortable in the game. Of course the opponents will say the same about us, so we will have to prepare for a very difficult game”.
Regarding whether he has exchanged any messages with Kalathis and Papagiannis: “No I didn’t send a message. I only sent George for his name day because we have a great relationship. I wanted to send a message to Nick, but once I realized we were going to be rivals I didn’t want to. These are two guys who have been through a lot together, especially Giorgos and I since we were little kids together in the national teams and Nick and I have been through a lot in Panathinaikos. We have a great relationship in the national team as well of course. But as I said before and after the game we are friends, we have a great relationship, but for 40′ we are rivals and we want to win the game. There are no friendships and feelings”.
On the positions he can be used and words from his college coaches: “This year’s coach and coach Serelis used me in “5”. I believe that I can not only play in one position, I can help my team in many ways. Many coaches used to put me at “3”, now they can also use me at “5”, I have no problem as long as the team wins”.
On how she managed the… belly she got in the last month: “I am a person who always takes responsibility. I always sit back and look at what I did wrong, look at the games before and after, try to see what I could have done better. It is not possible to average 20p in a season. and 10 p. It’s unnatural. And in general at the top level of the Euroleague it is difficult. I have learned in my life to go game by game, every match is final and to give 100% every time I enter the field. Sometimes you will play well, sometimes not and sometimes you have to do something for your team to win”.
For the phase with the three points of Grigonis in Monaco: “After I turn around and see two people in front of me, I would have taken the shot at this stage, but I saw Grigonis all alone. Why shouldn’t Marius take the shot and of course the play was very good”.
Source: Sport Fm
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