The win and the will the players showed are the two elements, Argyris Pedoulakis, holds on to, after the tonight's game against Lietuvos Rytas.
"The game had two sides. During the first half we were nervous when it came down to shooting the ball, to our choices in offense. I think that our desire to finish the game early with a helping hand from our fans who were giving us energy, stopped us from playing with a clear mind. During halftime we tried to calm the players down. We told them that we cannot drink the sea with a spoon. It cannot happen. We also told them that they must not look at the score or the time. In the second half we had the chance to turn things around, with players who are better in defense. We keep the win and the will all players showed on the court during the second half of the game.
We knew that we were not where we want to be. We had to face something unexpected. Dimitris had to travel to his hometown in the morning and he was back in the afternoon before the game (his grandfather passed away). We would like to express our condolences. We had this problem with Stephane, who was unable to help us today. During the first half our players were nervous. I believe it was because of the desire they all had to help the team. They did it, but in the wrong way".
Finally, when asked about the game against Laboral Kutxa, he noted: "We all know that our group is really open. We have to be focused. Now we have to think about the game against Aris. It's not time to check the game against Laboral Kutxa right now".
Dirk Bauermann (coach, Lietuvos Rytas): "Congratulations to Panathinaikos for the victory. In the second half they played really well in defense. Many people believe that basketball is a game of rhythm, when really it's a game of effort. When you play hard and you defend well you get into rhythm. It's the key. Their defense was at different level. They played with energy and found the right way to win. We played well in the first half. We knew exactly what was going to happen in the first five minutes of the second half and I am disappointed on the way we reacted. We had a lot of turnovers (10 during the third period) and if you want to win a big team like Panathinaikos you have to protect the ball".
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