Panathinaikos upstaged PAOK and the Green’s Head Coach, Argyris Pedoulakis, spoke of the season that has just begun, Ramel Curry but also the atmosphere in the PAOK arena.
“It was a tough game for both teams, because they had essentially no motive. It was a preparation game for the playoffs. We had no focus, we had bad passing game and maybe due to the weather we thought that the summer had arrived. We must comprehend that the season starts now. I would like to wish good luck to PAOK, team which for yet another season had an impressive stride”.
Pedoulakis was asked about Ramel Curry: “He doesn’t know some of the team’s plays and certain other stuff. It is clear that he has a scoring aptitude. His best feature is that he is calm and this calms down the entire team. Everyone is making an effort to help him adjust to the team and he himself is responding positively”.
In reference to Panathinaikos obtaining a new player, he repeated his fixed position: “We have a steady tactics. We speak of those who are competing. It is disrespectful and rude to speak of another player further to those who competed”.
About the atmosphere at the Pylea indoor arena, he stated: “It is one of the “mildest” climates out of all the Greek areas we have played at. The crowd has understood that more important issues are taking place in the country. Significant the fact that also in PAOK, basketball people have taken over”.
The Panathinaikos coach was also questioned about Olympiacos’ Euroleague success: “Panathinaikos’ features are logic and self awareness. It came full circle as the most successful team in the history of European basketball. Olympiacos’ success reflects Greek basketball. Panathinaikos is restructuring at the moment. For us the goal is to keep this parenthesis as small as possible”.
PAOK Head Coach, Soulis Markopoulos, stressed: “Congratulations to Panathinaikos for its European stride. It was better for fourth quarter, there we did not have the mind; we committed different offenses than appropriate. We played a game after quite some time; it was a good test, although fear of an injury did exist, because we were playing after quite some time away from action. In fourth quarter are big men got into fouling trouble. Panathinaikos shortened its scheme and created issues for our zone defense. 23 turnovers is our main issue as also getting the game close to the basket. We will work on that until Tuesday in order to present ourselves improved. My objection to the program has to do with our teams not competing every two days, more that we are called upon to commit up to four games in a single week. We waited twenty days with no games and this is a problem. But we must prepare and get what we can from the players in the games of the playoffs series”.
Vassilis Xanthopoulos stressed: “We were not very focused. We had certain good, but mainly bad periods. We must pay attention in order to pass through to the semis and we are aiming for the title”.
Giorgos Dedas stated: “The truth is that we wanted to see this game, versus an athletic and pure basketball skills team like Panathinaikos. Papadopoulos and Tsairelis for the last month and a half have not participated in the greatest part of practices. Competitive ones for us are the games to come. We want to get through Rethymno which is a tough team. I hope we will be able to make it. We have two days to prepare. We committed 23 turnovers but Panathinaikos has guards who enforce pressure on the ball and can throw you out of the game. We have Hatcher, an experienced guard. Nikolopoulos also led the team well for as long as he played. But from a certain point forward it is only natural that exhaustion will kick in”.
The playoffs program
Panathinaikos will be facing Ikaros Kallithea for the playoffs. The first game will be hosted at the OAKA (Wednesday, May 22) and the second at the KG Esperos, in Kallithea (Friday, May 26). If a third game is needed it will be hosted at the OAKA once more (Sunday, May 26). Game times are expected to be announced by HEBA.
