Panathinaikos will be facing Anadolu Efes tomorrow (March 1) at 22.00, in THY Euroleague Top16 Game 9. The Panathinaikos Head Coach commented on the game, injuries but also BC President, Dimitris Giannakopoulos announcement earlier today:
“We have a tough game ahead versus Anadolu Efes, a team which has been following quite a remarkable stride this season. It likes to run a lot, it has big men under the basket, it loves the fast game, it has creators such as Farmar and Lucas… It is a structured team and it will be a tough game for both teams. We are in a better state compared to the first round game, because we are all together or almost all together. Alongside the fans’ presence we will drive energy and confidence to do what we must do”.
Pedoulakis spoke next of injuries existing on the team: “We had the unlucky incident with Vassilis (Xanthopoulos) and his neck strain, but also with Stephane (Lasme) who suffered a mild ankle sprain. Stephane will be with us, because his injury was not serious and moreover he is a tough guy. Today he will throw some hoops and tomorrow he will be at our disposal. He is a key player; especially in backcourt he offers quite some assistance!
When asked about the differences between tomorrow’s game in comparison to the first round’s one, the Panathinaikos Head Coach stated: “We were in a period of time where Diamantidis was absent, a player extremely important for the manner we wish to face Efes’ pick n rolls. That was an area Dimitris was really missed. Apart from this, Gist and Kapono had only just arrived and they did not know how to move in the team, something we paid for. And let us not forget that Sofoklis had just come back and had not yet established the breathers needed. We have gone up a level since then; and this without looking past the fact that Efes is a team of depth which has invested a great deal of money and has many solutions. Efes is stable exactly where it should be. As are we now that our guys who had been facing issues have returned”.
Answering to a question concerning Dimitris Giannakopoulos’ statement earlier today, he stressed: “It is something extremely positive. At the state the country is in, I believe that anything that brings the Greeks together is in their best interest. In any event the truth is that one supports the other. If only the one exists it is hard for there to be another”.
Kapono: “We are a different team”
The difference between the team’s condition today in comparison to the one Panathinaikos was in during the first round was the area Jason Kapono focused upon when speaking about tomorrow’s encounter versus Anadolu Efes: “It is yet another tough game. As in the previous one across from Zalgiris Kaunas this one also comes along with a “must”. We faced them in the first round away from home. We had failed to perform well. We lost, but without playing well. We learned through experience, through video that all we went through all we experienced as a team since then and especially these last few weeks will help us to commit a good, stable game and gain the win. It is a team which likes to run and gain many points off fast breaks. For us to force them to play half court will be a major element. We must not allow them to shoot fast either. If we control the pace, it will really aid us through the game”.
