By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Turkey coach Ergin Ataman expects the referees of the EuroBasket semifinal game of his team against Greece to rise up to the occassion.
And that includes treating Giannis Antetokounmpo without any superstar bias.
“Both sides [Greece coach Spanoulis and him] have made their statements [on the officiating],” Ataman said on the eve of the semifinal. “Referees are human too; they follow the news. The reason behind these statements is for them to be more careful. After all, there are two very high-quality rosters. The referees will surely try to make the right calls as carefully as possible. That means when Giannis commits a foul, they will call it without looking at his name. We will just play our game. Of course, a lot of offensive fouls are called on Giannis. We won’t have time to think about it, but maybe the referees will rewatch the games after the tournament and review their decisions.”
A big question mark for Turkey is the condition of swingman Cedi Osman. The player was injured during the quarterfinal win over Poland and his status ahead of the semifinal remains unclear.
“Cedi’s treatment is still ongoing,” Ataman said. “Of course, he couldn’t practice today. Whether he will play or not will only be clear at game time tomorrow. And if he does take the court, how effective he can be will also be clear at game time. We will make our decision accordingly.”
Ataman is quite familiar with the Greek roster since the team also features some Panathinaikos players like star guard Kostas Sloukas, forward Dinos Mitoglou, wing Panagiotis Kalaitzakis and major prospect Aleksandros Samodurov.
“I already have five players who play there,” Ataman mentioned. “They have players with EuroLeague experience, and of course, an NBA star like Giannis Antetokounmpo. We have similar characteristics. Greece, in particular, shares the floor very well on offense. Sloukas organizes the game extremely well, of course. In the last game, Toliopoulos also made a big contribution.
We have made our preparations. We won’t have a different strategy. Whatever kind of basketball we have played so far in the championship, we will do the same against Greece — fighting, battling, and trying to win the game.
The Turkey – Greece game will be headlined by the clash between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Alperen Sengun. Two MVP candidates in the EuroBasket.
Now, of course, the performance that Alperen has shown under the basket appears to be a strength,” Ataman said. “Of course, Giannis is also effective under the basket, but not as effective as Alperen. He is more effective facing the basket and in transition. I can say we are stronger under the basket. Especially, we will also use our other big men — Ömer Faruk, Adem Bona — and perhaps even Sertaç Şanlı from time to time.”
Ataman and Turkey have reached the EuroBasket semifinal for the first time in 25 years but they are nto satisfied yet.
“Yesterday I told my players that Greece is a very good team and that we need to be very focused,” Ataman said. “Of course, we are going to play a historic semifinal game, and inevitably that excitement is reflected on the team and can create a sense of comfort. I told them that the semifinal should not satisfy us in any way, that we came here for a medal, and now that there are only four teams left, our only goal from here on out should be the championship.
“Tomorrow, millions will be in front of the TV in Turkey,” Ataman added. “In Greece as well, 7-8 million people will be watching. It’s a Turkish-Greek derby. I am not nervous. I have coached in many games like this. I will just try to do my job in the best way possible on the court. Hopefully, if we win, we will enjoy that joy separately.”