By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
After Panathinaikos Aktor recovered a homecourt advantage in a best-of-five series opposite Anadolu Efes on Wednesday, Turkish head coach Ergin Ataman was confident in the locker room, sending a series-clinching note in a speech to his players.
“We are up 2-1,” he mentioned, “We need one more win. Of course, we saw that Efes is a very dangerous team. Every time we led, they came back. Now we need one win. To win one more game. We will try to win on Friday and finish the series, because we are not guaranteed a win at home, and we will win.”
“Today, we played perfect for three quarters. We controlled the game. Last quarter, OK, we made some mistakes, some turnovers, but we will analyze this. Take good rest,” he continued, “We come here with the mentality to close the series on Friday.”
The defending champions can clinch a berth in the 2025 Final Four with a win in Basketball Development Center on Friday. If necessary, Game 5 will return the series to the Greek capital, after two games in Istanbul, with a decider in OAKA Altion on Tuesday.
Ataman, 59, is a three-time champion in Europe’s premier club continental competition, including the 2020-21 and 2021-22 back-to-back triumphs with Efes. A six-year stint extended into being named Alexander Gomelsky EuroLeague Coach of the Year for the 2020-21 campaign. In his first season with the Greens, he guided the storied club to a seventh championship in team history.