Statements after Panathinaikos AKTOR’s victory over Red Star were made by Yannis Sfeiropouloswith the coach of the “red and whites” of Belgrade standing on the quality shown by the “greens” in the last minutes of the match.
What the Red Star coach said in detail:
“Before I start talking about basketball, I want to send condolences, from me and everyone in the team, to those who lost their people in the tragedy in Novi Sad.
About the game now. We fought hard against the European champions, took the lead and controlled the pace for most of the race. In the end, Panathinaikos had the quality. They came back because they had 4/8 three-pointers in the last period. For us it was very crucial that we gave away a lot of easy points from our own mistakes. I think that was our negative from the start of the match. We definitely gave away 14-15 such easy points. This difference gave them a chance to concede in the match. We continued. We have lost the battle, but the war goes on and we must keep on fighting”.
On Kanan not getting the ball in the last 2 minutes, despite having 20 points: “It just happened. We had other scorers on the court at that point. We had the opportunity to move the ball around to find the free player. Of course, because Kanan had scored a lot, they weren’t letting him get the ball easily. So someone else was free and taking the shots.”.
On the last possession and whether it was his choice to pass the ball to Teodosic, even though he wasn’t that good in the match: “I don’t agree with that, because Milos created a lot of situations for the team, he made a three-pointer, he gave an assist. When I have four guards at this level on the floor, we have to find the best possible player to take the free kick. I think Teodosic was free at the time and took the shot. It was a good shot”.
On whether he prefers the atmosphere in Hala Pionir or the Belgrade Arena: “Both. I think both. There are fewer people here, but the stadium is more closed. In the Arena there are more people and the noise is also big. We want our fans to support us. I know they are a bit disappointed today because we didn’t win. We could have won. We had the chances, I know, but we have to continue stronger. Don’t forget that we are missing our main centre-back, who was in his best competitive form”.
On the fact that the fans chanted his name rhythmically when he came out on the field: “I want to thank our fans for the support they show to the team, as well as to me. This recognition is very important to me. They know I love them too. I am very clear with them. We talk many times on and off the field. They need to know that we are doing our best and that we are fighting with our hearts. This I can promise”.
Source: Sport Fm
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