Argyris Pedoulakis appeared satisfied by the performance of Panathinaikos during the second half of the game against Aris in Thessaloniki.
"Aris tried to use its energy, pressing the ball. It's a healthy team. A big effort is made here and I believe that this effort will be rewarded. During the first half our problem was in rebounds. We faced also a problem in our rotation in defense. When Gist stepped on the court in the second half, he helped us a lot and it was the point where we got a clear lead. We wanted to "play" with the time, giving time on the court to all our players. I don't know about mr Giannakopoulos and his involvement in football. Even if I knew something, there is nothing I can say on his behalf".
Giorgos Apostolidis noted: "We faced a really good team. They press in defense and they play really hard, chasing every single rebound. Although we knew all these things we didn't react the way we should have in the first half. During the second half we improved and we won the game. I am ready to play whenever coach asks me too. I want to be focused and ready".
Vaggelis Aggelou (coach, Aris) stated: "We knew that the Euroleague regular season is like a preparation time for the second round for the big clubs. Our goal in offense was to get to 70 points. we knew that Panathinaikos would prefer a slow tempo. The ration turnovers/assist wasn't positive for us. Even though we worked well and we pressed the ball in defense, switching, something that we see in Euroleague by players of great talent. We tried to play the same way. It's a given that these games are only good for us. They demonstrate the distance basketballwise among the two teams and the motivation we have. This experience can only help us. Sarikopoulos didn't play a lot at the end, because Batiste didn't play either. The line up Panathinaikos used with Gist playing as a center made things difficult for us. We learn from the big ones. And when we lose from the "small" teams we take full responsibility".
Zissis Sarikopoulos (Player, Aris), stated: "Coach told us what we had to do in offense before the game. We didn't want to let Panathinaikos get to a big lead. Unfortunately in the second half we got stuck offensively, because Panathinaikos played better in defense with an athletic line up. We fought, we managed to response but there was no continuance. Personally, I am really good psychologically and I will be better. I feel well and healthy. Our target is stability".
