Panathinaikos got the positive result at the game against Olympiakos, winning the derby 86-69 in OAKA, passing the torch now to Euroleague and the game against Asseco Prokom on Wednesday (20.45, NovaSports3). The preparation for the game begins today in the afternoon.
Drew Nicholas and Mike Batiste talked about the game against Olympiakos and the one that is coming up next, against Prokom.
“We feel really well after the win and especially with the way we played. We were focused for 40 minutes, something that is really very important for games like this. We knew what we had to do. Our coaches have prepared us well and it’s something that shows on the result. About my personal performance I can only say that I try to get better game by game. I try to stay focused and I am lucky because my coaches and my team mates are there to help me. It was simply a second game in a row that I felt well and if happened to be the one against Olympiakos. I have heard a lot about these games. The atmosphere was great. It’s dream to play in front of 20.000 fans supporting you, you feel the energy and the passion. They really helped us a lot. It’s a fact. We know that the fans of Panathinaikos are standing next to the team and we want them to stand next to us in the games to come”.
Nicholas was asked about the quote of Thanassis Giannakopoulos after the game against Olympiakos, that “Drew had made me cry once, when he has scored against us 9 three pointers for Efes Pilsen, but now he made me happy”. The American guard laughed before giving his answer: “I don’t believe that I can do many things about what had happened, except for saying I am sorry that I made him cry. And I thank him for having the faith in me to bring in this big club. I hope that we will achieve the goals of the team. I can promise only one thing: That I will try to give each time 100% on the floor, so that I can make him cry of happiness this time!”.
“We have to take care of the ball”
Mike Batiste denied accepting any reference about an “easy win”, although he seemed to know very well why Panathinaikos got a +17 point win against Olympiakos: “A game like this is never easy. It’s always tough. We knew that we can hurt them offensively and this is what we did in this particular game, along with the fact that we took care of the ball, we controlled our turnovers. Every time we can do this, we can win the game, especially if we press the ball in defence; if we do all this stuff, future turn out to be just fine for us. It doesn’t matter how you begin the season, but you end it. We’ll see what will happen. I don’t worry about them. I think about my team and what we are doing on the floor. I think about the games to come like the one against Prokom. We have to be ready for the upcoming games. Against Prokom we must be even more focused, in order to do what we have to do”.
