By Giannis Rammas/ info@eurohoops.net
As coach Xavi Pascual said in today’s press conference: “We are happy with what we have done so far, with the home-court advantage, but only that. Now we know we have to play against one of the best teams in Europe, a team that last year finished second at the Final Four. Which means it’s a very difficult situation. We have our fans here, the energy they give us, and we will try to do our best. We are confident that we will have chances to win, firstly in Game 1, and then we will talk about the second one. It’s not Pascual against Obradovic, it’s Panathinaikos against Fenerbahce. Obradovic has a great history with the team, but this a great chance for Panathinaikos to be at the Final Four”.
Veteran forward Antonis Fotsis added: “It’s the first game of our series. We have the home-court advantage, the first two games at our gym, and our fans will be with us. We want to be as ready as we can to try to achieve something because it is a great opportunity for us.”
From the other side Zeljko Obradovic is ready to face his old team: “Playoffs time is the best time that exists. We play against a team that always really uses home-court advantage, with everything that means to play in OAKA. Plus, they are really a good team, they have some really important players back after injuries. The good things is that our team is also healthy now, and it will be a very interesting series to play against Panathinaikos”.
Fenerbahce‘s Greek guard Kostas Sloukas, who has been a longtime opponent of Panathinaikos as a member of Olympiacos knows what to expect: “We are happy that we are in the playoffs. Panathinaikos is a very good team and they play excellent in OAKA. They are very aggressive. We need to start very focused, and follow our plan that has been prepared by the coaching staff. This detail is very important. I hope the best for my team. I am sure that all of my teammates will give their best to get good results there.”