Panathinaikos is focusing on the next day. After Barcelona getting the series 1-0 the Greens are determined to come back for game 2 of the playoffs tomorrow (April 11, 21.45, NovaSports2) at the Palau Blaugrana.
The Panathinaikos Head Coach, Argyris Pedoulakis, spoke this morning about yesterday’s but also about tomorrow’s encounter during a “mini” Press Conference at the hotel the delegation stays at, only for James Gist to pick off where he left off, straight after.
Pedoulakis: “The effort is our promise”
The stress that follows a game, especially when it is a Euroleague playoff game, a game ruled in a single shot and in OT at that, has settled down. Our mind must focus on all up next, guide to be the correct moves and the turnovers committed yesterday.
“It is a new day for us. Starting from this morning we are focusing on the next game. We will be meeting shortly, to spot our mistakes and try to get prepared for tomorrow’s game. It is of dire importance to be able to administer the fact that we lost, react, and activate the team’s tenacity further”.
Concerning exhaustion, issue on which he was questioned, he stated: “It is true that we lack in depth. We had stated it at the very beginning, that in such a series of games you must have solutions and this season we do not have as many players as we should, but we will live with it. We will check out our gas deposit and move on. It will be tough for certain players to get over physical tiredness but the same thing goes for the Barcelona players. They will be dealing with the same problem even though they have more solutions. Nothing can change however at this very moment in time. There is nothing to gain in thinking such things. You are obligated to speak of positive aspects”.
Speaking of the team’s image yesterday and what will change compared to it next, he stated: “We have a few things in mind… There were aspects in the game which failed to function as they should and it is only natural. By checking out the quarters one might notice that we started off great and then gradually began to underperform. It is something that has to do with the whole issue of solutions; players are committing things for the first time. In the beginning we were focused but then at some point we lose this concentration. The solution is repetition. Gist is a good example. He has great potential to improve! He has been with us for three months and he has been called upon to use his brain in the game for the first time, but he still lacks the appropriate ability to concentrate for such a long period of time in order to read such a high level game”.
In reference to the refereeing and Panathinaikos intensively protesting against the calls, something he also referred to himself, he clarified: “At the moment we must focus on our mistakes. That is what we always do. And even in the locker rooms we will be stating exactly that. We will try to change what we can. First and foremost you must change what is within your ability. Panathinaikos is a cultural team and once a game is over it is obligated to focus on its mistakes, to first approach issues introverted so for it to be able to proceed”.
Panathinaikos’ defense becomes a reference point on yet another occasion: “Defense is a general fact. I believe that this season we are one of the two-three teams that work a lot on this very department. Barcelona has automated certain things exceptionally. We messed this up for them yesterday. We risked certain things also. They found answers to certain of our moves. Like with Saras, player who exploite having been a Panathinaikos player in the past to be able to read into many situations which otherwise had not been automated by Barcelona. During second half Gist threw him off his game. We will try to mess up the things that come naturally and rapidly once again for Barcelona. Diamantidis also had an important part in all that took place yesterday, player who basically performed as a “free agent” on the floor, going deep into the low post and in defense, something that allows him to remain less worn out”.
The chess board had quite a few moves on behalf of both coaches and Pedoulakis commented on this too: “Xavi Pascual is a high level coach. I have a life motto concerning all this. Good things and bad thing don’t last long. The thing is to be able to control your team with discipline and no one can say that we are a team that especially in crucial encounters will not do all we have planned as a team. We have issues, because we are together for the first season, but not a single person can state that we have failed to retain our character. We compete always and this is exactly what we will continue to do. And down the road we create a new team; more attractive to the European standards”.
The discussion turned to guards, since at some point Panathinaikos was competing with three, three tall guards Bramos competing at Small Forward: “There was a time that Barcelona performed behind three point guards in its lineup and that is entirely different. We can play with up to two point guards and many times with only one. In any event it is something we have been working at in practice with Bramos at SF especially for such conditions. Saras at pick n roll is one of the 3-4 top players. And that was destroyed by Gist, because he has very strong legs and he is able to defend positions from Point Guard to Power Forward”.
Pedoulakis knows the team he has on his hands, his players and is eligible to make a promise: “We walk through and live the experience. It was certainly an opportunity for us and I believe that the team did all it could and all in its reach to get the road win. We must check certain things out. Our promise is to try the best we can, all of us and the players who are in priority, because the player is basketball itself and all of us must do our duty. Either before the game, by preparing the team in practice, in meetings, in discussions, either inbounds of the court lines. Only few guys have performed at such a level; take Bramos for example. He did an exceptional job in defense but hesitated in offense. As we advance these things change however, they improve. It is a whole different deal to watch from a far than to be in the middle of the whole matter”.
Gist: “I took it personally!”
The Greeks have a specific word to describe one’s good will and desire to offer out of the kindness of one’s heart. James Gist with his presence, his demeanor and his words while speaking to the Press representatives seemed to fully grasp the meaning of the word, in an unprecedented manner for an American. Actually from his very first sentence:
“I took it personally… I believe it is my mistake because I missed the two free throws. I shouldn’t have… My team needed me. It was a great game, it will be a fascinating series; I believe that the games will be closed but this defeat really got to me. We failed to stick to the game plan. Barcelona will adjust to things we executed, as will we do respectively. It is important to adjust and learn from our mistakes. It is totally different that now-in general-we know the level at which we must compete in order to win. It’s the playoffs now… It’s… the real thing! We are competing for a spot in the Final Four. We will check out the video, read into it and now we will all be ready; us and them too”.
The game’s difficulty doesn’t scare Gist: “That is why we are pros; that is why we get paid so much money. You play the game for opportunities like this. And you must beat the best in order to be the best! In every game you must be the best”.
First smile appears on his face when someone reminds him the block on Tomic that sent the game into overtime: “To be honest, I amazed myself with that block. It was amazing! I presented my team with the opportunity to challenge the win in overtime. It is not only the little things that count; it is also the things that are 50-50… Those things count too…; the things that you have 50-50 chances in achieving”.
The change in his game manner, which now calls for further thought, is also set on the table: “It is not easy… I have heard a lot growing up, I have heard about how I must concentrate during the game, about how a single play might make a difference. There is no margin to err when we are competing in such games. Mistakes will happen, but as long as we play tough and smart, we are giving the team a chance to win. I have certainly reconsidered certain things coming here. Maybe in the previous years, in my previous teams all the games weighed towards offense; Panathinaikos basis its game mainly in defense. It is its number one priority. I experienced it as an opponent last season. When you experience what Panathinaikos stands for you understand why it is always high ranked. I am pleased to be on this side of the court now. We play athletic defense, with switches, rotations which make everything harder for our rivals. Many great players are on the team this season that can do this very job. Our offense is there, but defense is there also and it is what will win the games for us”.
As far as his coexistence with another exceptional defender such as Lasme, he smiles for the second time: “He is amazing! As also it is amazing to have such a player next to you. He will cover any teammate of his, he will be there for me and I will do the same for him. With a guy like him holding the paint, we can have a physical defense… And so many others exist who will do the same in the big men department but on the perimeter also. We have an advantage in defense”.
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