Zeljko Obradovic made reference to the absence of the fans but also to his players’ motive to ultimately down Ilissiakos. The Head Coach of the clover stressed: ‘‘It is not the first time we are called upon to play two days after a Euroleague game, at 17:00, but the different element was that we were competing without our fans and this is a difficult situation. The same thing happened in Pylea. The motive in such games is a very important element. In the first half we did not counteract Ilissiakos’s game. In the second half we found the motivation we needed to play better. Congratulations to my players but also to Ilissiakos which is a very different team that the one we saw in the first round and competed very well tonight’’.
Mike Batiste noted: “Today’s game was a whole different ball game because we were competing without our fans. We found motivation to play in the second half. We played good defence which allowed us to score some easy baskets in offence. This was the game’s key, so as to establish a better pace and take control over the clash”. In reference towards Panathinaikos’s punishment he stressed: “We have stated many times “let us fight our battle”. I have nothing to say to our fans. We can control nothing further that what takes place inbounds, on the floor”.
Ilissiakos’s Head Coach, Kostas Flevarakis, stated: “In general the games of the two best teams of the Greek League and especially Panathinaikos’s, have a very disgraceful element. We try to demonstrate good character and it what we aimed towards today. We base our efforts in good defense and that is what we enforced in this game. Maybe the fact that we played with 12 players and Panathinaikos behind 7-8 stands for something. Panathinaikos one way or another knows how to win such games. We look at what we do and towards the next game versus Iraklis. It is however important to illustrate a good image and we tried to play good basketball, without any passive zone defences, trying to run the open field on fast breaks”.
Nontas Papantoniou, Ilissiakos guard, stated: “Today we wanted to test our stamina. A final is up ahead, a clash in order to remain in the category versus Iraklis, in which we want and must give it our all. Today we proved to have character and the ability to endure”.
