By Michalis Gioulenoglou/ info@eurohoops.net
Ergin Ataman, despite the last play of the game, which ended with a block of Vincent Poirier and then a non-call on the “high-five” with Kendrick Nunn, expressed his satisfaction about the way the first two games of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague playoffs series were officiated.
Panathinaikos coach expects the same to happen in Istanbul next week, as he said in the press conference: “Both games here were very tough; we didn’t have any court advantage, and the games were very good officiated for both sides. Sometimes they made mistakes for both sides, but it was very clearly officiated, so we expect the same in Istanbul”.
Speaking about the win of Efes, Ataman admitted that his team simply was not good enough in the last period: “For three quarters, we played perfect basketball, but in the last quarter, we made crucial mistakes in offense and even more defensively. We couldn’t stop, especially Dozier, on isolation plays, and the same with Larkin. They didn’t give us open shots, especially for Nunn. They had a good pick-and-roll defense, and we were terrible, especially against Larkin, and we gave them the game shot that they wanted. Efes deserves to win for their hustle and for their experience that they put on the court”.
As Ataman explained, Panathinaikos has to win on the road: “We celebrated when we won, and we need to learn from the defeat. The series is 1-1, everything will be more difficult now, but of course, we will try to win in Istanbul and get back the advantage. Everything is in the hands of our players”.
He also clarified that Cedi Osman, who was the top scorer of Panathinaikos, wasn’t used in the last period because of cramps in his legs.