Zeljko Obradovic and Dimitris Diamantidis represented Panathinaikos in the pressconference that was organized by OPAP S.A. at the headquarters of the BasketLeague sponsor and hosted both teams that will compete in the championship finals: Panathinaikos and Olympiakos. The event was attended by Yannis Spanoudakis (President and Managing Director of OPAP S.A.), Vassilis Economidis (Chairman of HEBA), while Olympiakos was represented by Dusan Ivkovic and Vassilis Spanoulis.
Panathinaikos’ coach underlined: “I would once again like to congratulate Olympiakos for winning the title in Constantinople. It has been my experience that, after any Final Four, things are difficult for the players, whether you are the champions or end up in last place, as we did in Constantinople. But we have the enough experience to understand that we need to focus our mind elsewhere. Something that is very important to understand is the fact that it is not a single game; it is a playoffs series and it takes three victories to win it. It will certainly be very difficult. We have already played three games against Olympiakos. At the OAKA, we had the lead throughout the game but won but just four points; the second game at S.E.F. that was easy for Olympiakos came down to a single point; and the Cup Final was decided in the last offense. Ihavenodoubt that with all these facts at hand, things will be very difficult for both teams.”
In his turn, Dimitris Diamantidis was asked what things he would “bet on” in view of the finals from Panathinaikos’ viewpoint: “Before anything else, I would first like to congratulate Olympiakos for winning the Euroleague title. On our side, what we can definitely promise is that our team will play on a high level and will always give it 100% to do its best. If we deserve it and perform well, we will win. The only thing I can promise is that we are going to give it our all. We know that we are going to be facing a very good team, but I think that in Panathinaikos we all know that in order to attain the goal of winning the championship we must play very well. Therefore, give it 100% in order to win the championship.”
When asked whether we could see fans of both teams watching the games together without stirring trouble, both Diamantidis and Obradovic answered: “It is very difficult”, said Panathinaikos’ captain and went on to add: “I wish that were doable, but the way things are nowadays it is very difficult. We all wish that we can at some time reach a point when we get to play without seeing brawls in the arenas, having fans from both teams in the same arena without seeing them cause mayhem.”
The “clover’s” coach gave a different perspective: “It is difficult to speak in the name of many people, because people are different. After the final in Constantinople I spoke with many Panathinaikos’ fans and they were happy that Olympiakos won the title because of everything that happened there in Turkey. This must be the goal for the future: to manage to get them to learn how to treat basketball in a correct manner. Some will like it, some others will not.”
Regarding how difficult it is for a team to handle its emotions after a Final Four, Zeljko Obradovic stated: “Experience shows that, after a FinalFour, players are emotionally charged. It is necessary for them to leave these emotions behind, although this is very difficult. It is very important to have all 12 players ready, because these are the playoffs and it takes three victories to win. We have players who experienced enough for it. I want to see my players perform as they did in the Final Four, because I truly believe that they competed in the best possible way. There is no objection… it is equally hard to prepare the team after a Final Four.”
Dimitris Diamantidis was asked about the advantages as well as the short coming so for both teams in view of the OPAP BasketLeague finals: “There are advantages and disadvantages in every team. It is difficult to find one’s shortcomings on this level. Through scouting both teams will be well prepared. In order to avoid going into individual technical aspects, no matter which team is good at something or bad at something else, an important role is played by the kind of day you are having, and the way in which you are going to respond in the game and find solutions in a good or bad moment for you. On the level that both teams are right now, we know how to face one another. It is important what kind of day you are going to find yourself in. This will also play a significant role.”
As far as a possible reaction on the part of the coaches and the teams in case trouble is stirred, Zeljko Obradovic noted on his turn: “Things are very simple. There are rules. If a bottle is thrown on the court the game should stop. In the game against Panionios Diamantidis was hurt. I asked the referee: “If you were the one hurt, would you let the game continue?” The order is to generally continue the games; to have all games played until the end. Everything would be much simpler if the rules applied; the same rules for everyone.”
