The right reaction of Gist against Cooper in the second quarter was one of the keys for Panathinaikos' win against PAOK, according to Argyris Pedoulakis.
"These days are a little strange for all teams. It's holidays, there is a loose atmosphere and if you are not focused you may face problems. We had the will to play as a team, to pass the ball, but we didn't play organized in team defense. Cooper did the damage for us in the first quarter. Gist was the main player who had to deal with him. When we managed to respond to the pick n roll PAOK had set up, we managed to open the rhythm and get to a 20 point margin. PAOK is a well structured team, they know how to read the set game and they have energy. We made an effort to preserve ourselves, heading to difficult games", as the coach of Panathinaikos stated at the press conference after the end of the game.
Jonas Maciulis noted: "We expected a tough game, after the game against Olympiacos. We were a little loose. This is why this was a close game. We had to find our rhythm in order to get the win. I like all these ideas that have to do with philanthropy, since they help people in need. I am happy that I was a part of this initiative".
Soulis Markopoulos (coach, PAOK), stated: "Congratulations to Panathinaikos. They were better. When we don't play in hurry and we are calm, we are ok. But, when we shoot in a hurry we gave Panathinaikos the chance to go to the fast break and get a difference. They have quality. We tried to react in the third quarter, but we weren't up to it. We have to work a lot from now on, in order to achieve our goals in this difficult league".
Nikos Kalles (player, PAOK) added: "Congratulations to Panathinaikos. They had the lead in the biggest part of the game and they controlled the encounter. For 30-32 minutes we were competitive and we could have done the damage. But at the end we ruined everything. In these holy days we, the players, want to be closer to people in need".
