Panathinaikos faced the game against PAOK as it should, in a serious way and Fragkiskos Alvertis was happy with his players, as he stated at the press conference after the encounter.
"We were serious. PAOK has good players and the positive thing for us is that we played the way we wanted. It's not going to be easy from now on. We have to prepare for the game against Olympiacos and the rest of our schedule in Euroleague".
When it was pointed in the press conference that PAOK was better in the last minutes of the game, Alvertis noted: "I prefer to keep the good things. I will discuss the bad things with my players".
Regarding the fact that he was very... expressive during the game at the bench, Alvertis said: "I enjoy the game myself. I can't play anymore so my pleasure comes from what I see. If my players create a nice play, I enjoy it too. And when you see on the floor something you have planned it's pure happiness".
Alvertis was asked about the game against Olympiacos on Thursday: "We know how difficult all games are in SEF. We have to stay true in everything we are going to plan. We have to stick to our plan. Our goal is always to win".
Whether the team can choose an opponent in Euroleague, Alvertis stated: "None of the two teams is an easy opponent. We have to wait for the game to finish on Thursday and we'll see. We cannot make a choice. Sometimes if you make a choice things just get worse".
Stephane Lasme stated: "It was a really good game. We managed to do what we had to do in the last two quarters in order to get the positive result, something that is good for us. You can never be satisfied by the level the team is playing. We have to keep our heads down. I don't think that we are ready for the play offs at this moment, but I believe that we are on the right path. My game depends on the team. My teammates helped a lot to play better".
Soulis Markopoulos (coach, PAOK) noted: "Congratulations to Panathinaikos. We knew that the game was going to be difficult and we got Panathinaikos in a very good period. We showed some weaknesses, especially in our defense against their fast breaks. At certain points we were able to show some quality, but we lacked consistency. I don't know if the interruption of the Greek League will be good or bad for us. Sometimes it's normal to feel a little loose. We haven't planned any friendly games. We have to check on that".
Mark Payne (player, PAOK) stated: "It was an... irritating game because we didn't do the things we have planned to do. Panathinaikos is an athletic team, they scored a lot of points in the pain and finally the game didn't evolve as we have planned. After each game you are able to see your mistakes on video. It's good for us that the Greek League will stop, in order to work harder to be better for the rest of the season".
