By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
After Panathinaikos’ dramatic win over Real Madrid at OAKA Arena (82-81), thanks to Jerian Grant’s game-winning basket, coach Ergin Ataman made headlines for his postgame comments.
Addressing reporters outside the locker room, the Turkish coach had a clear message:
“I love what the media writes. Keep writing. Keep going. Even better, even better!”
He elaborated during the postgame press conference:
“If you play and work at Panathinaikos, one of the best clubs in Europe, which reached the Final Four the last two years and won the EuroLeague two years ago, of course there’s pressure. It’s normal sometimes. But I also know who is trying to provoke in the media. I understand now that someone is trying to provoke me, and the reason is obvious.”
He continued:
“Before the game, when I came to the court, everybody saw the love and synergy between me and the fans—20,000 people. I’m always under pressure, not because of what you write, but because of myself. I always want to win. In the last five years, I’ve won the EuroLeague three times. If the team isn’t performing well, I put pressure on myself. The players are young and sometimes emotional—that’s normal—but I know who is trying to provoke us. Let them continue.”
Ataman also addressed Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos’ message after last weekend’s loss to Aris in the Greek Championship, in which Giannakopoulos invited the coaching staff and players to resign:
“Everybody asked me why I didn’t respond to Mr. Giannakopoulos’ Instagram post. It’s simple: he’s like me. Sometimes I attack players at press conferences, and of course, he is the owner and he criticized all of us. That’s normal. He has patience, wants to win, puts in effort, invests money, and he has the right. Sometimes I’m aggressive with my players; he was aggressive with all of us, and he was right. Honestly, I get motivated by this. The players were confused—they are young—but we had a great meeting. I told them to forget about the eight star and focus on the next game. We will fight, but I respect Mr. Giannakopoulos and I want to thank him for giving us even more motivation, especially me.”