By Dionysis Aravantinos / info@eurohoops.net
Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens defeated in a close game Anadolu Efes and coach Velimir Perasovic admitted that the hosts expected to win this game and continue their rise after a bad start.
As he said: “It was a very tough loss for us. First I must congratulate Panathinaikos for their win. They deserved the win. I think we started the game really bad. In the second quarter, we played better came back and had control of the game until the end. In the final minute, they scored in the last seconds a crucial three-point shot, we had a chance to win the game but we have to find a better shot in the last possession”.
Coach Xavi Pascual dedicated the win of Panathinaikos to the victims of the floods that devastated Mandra, a suburb of Athens, and cost the life of 15 people: “First of all, we are very happy with this win. We want to dedicate this win to the families who lost someone in Athens in this catastrophic event that happened. We feel sorry and we want to dedicate the win to them. It was a tough game, and in the end, both teams played seriously, and good basketball. We controlled the game in the final minutes of the game and we ended up on top.”
Coach Pascual also commented on Nick Calathes’ performance: “I am very happy for him because he works really hard. He does his best every day. We must be very happy, as he was great in both defense and offense. He was our leader on the court. He was the key to the game for us. We are extremely happy for him. Pappas also changed the game for our team in the last minutes in a positive way.