Head Coach for Panathinaikos, Argyris Pedoulakis spoke of motivation, Schortsanitis and all that was said and done from this morning concerning the team: “We had to establish a competitive motive today, having already qualified for the Top16. We tried to work with the guys in this area. Fenerbahce/Ulker on the other hand aimed to win in order to avoid playing a knock-out clash in the next game day across from Cantu. We stepped out somewhat numb, especially in offense. We held fast however in defense, keeping the score low across from a team with great players and then we improved in backcourt. We had the extra pass, we had great choices and good performance in departments such as free throws, rebounds and in a game with quite a defensive character, we had few turnovers and that was the most auspicious element for us in the encounter. We hold on to the win, we have yet another game in Euroleague regular season and on we go”.
When questioned on Sofoklis Schortsanitis’ presence he stressed: “Sofo is a part of our game. If we use him correctly he can really help us. He got us out of a sticky spot today, especially in backcourt. We have changed certain things and he upon his return must automate some moves and establish connections with a new player, Banks, with whom essentially they have trained 1-2 times and he can really help him out”.
Panathinaikos coach was asked about the Panathinaikos BC President’s Mr. Dimitris Giannakopoulos Press Conference: “We tried to remain focused on the game. We spoke to the players and tried to seek out the positive in all this, we try to drive motivation from anything that might occur. The fans were very positive, warm and helped us substantially. Panathinaikos is a great cub, a huge one and the players found motive for the game, brought out energy and essentially the team helped the fans and vice versa”.
About the fact that Panathinaikos on yet another occasion contained his opponent in frontcourt he stated: “Offensive and defensive collaborations need repetition. Through video, training, even through turnovers, players and team improve. A very serious mistake a player might commit is experienced more easily if committed in order for him to understand it, to remedy it. Our defense is our main core, the foundation on which we have based our efforts. In every game given we have been in it until the very last minute because we always have a defensive game”.
Head Coach for Fenerbahce/Ulker, Simone Pianigiani, stated after the end of the encounter: “There is not much to day about my team and the way it performed today. Congratulations to Panathinaikos for winning. To us, these moments are a mirror of the way we began the season, behind injuries and misfortunes. When you are unable to get all the team to train together, you have issues. We have lost games in the details like when in Moscow. We reached here with my players feeling the pressure of the result for qualification to the next phase. We played nervously up to in a state of panic at times. We had the correct approach but I can’t ever remember having seen so many lay ups and unguarded shots missed. I won’t even count the stats in the last five minutes during which we were bad. We did a good job in rebounds, granted that Panathinaikos is the leading rebound team. We have one more game in which we will be challenging qualification on to the next round, on a road game versus Cantu. It is a life or death clash. We must regroup and reinforce our strengths but when at home we have greater confidence and we believe that performing with attention instead of panic will offer us the ability to get the win and the qualification we aspire towards”.When asked if Mike Batiste was affected by the fans reception he stated: “It was magnificent, what the team and the Panathinaikos fans did for Mike. And it is not only for the wins and the successes which were quite a few, but also for the man named Mike. All that took place was terrific. It was a justified honor. I started him off in second half but it was only natural that he would be emotionally burdened. In such moments there is not much you can do. It is natural for him to feel this way”.
