By Eurohoops Team / info@eurohoops.net
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In the final game of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, Panathinaikos defeated reigning champions Real Madrid in Berlin to win the seventh EuroLeague title in the club’s history.
At the press conference after the victory, Panathinaikos manager Ergin Ataman stood in front of the microphone.
The following are the remarks made by coach Koc Ataman at the press conference:
“It’s an incredible feeling. This season we achieved one of the most impressive results in the history of European basketball. Panathinaikos finished 17th in the Euroleague last season. It’s incredible to be champions in a season with thousands of Panathinaikos fans by our side. We didn’t start the game well, we allowed 36 points in the first quarter. I’m sure most people thought after the first quarter, “It’s going to be a boring final.” We never thought about that for a second. We never thought about it in the locker room or during the break. We constantly talked about the need to improve our defense and aggression. In the third quarter we took the lead, allowing only seven points to our opponents. In the final quarter we played perfectly. Real Madrid finished the regular season in first place. Nevertheless, as has always been the case in the history of the Euroleague, the leaders of the regular season could not become champions again. We are the champions.
When we were planning with our president, Dimitris Giannakopoulos, we were aiming to reach the Final Four this season. We were going to take it step by step, and the first goal was the Final Four. But, you know, when you reach the Final Four, you have two more games to play. If you win both games, you will be the champions.
When you take over a club that is 17th in the standings and almost all the players in the team have been replaced, you have to set big goals for the players. In the first training session I showed the players the championship posters of OAKA, and there were six posters. I told the players: “I’m here to put up one more championship poster.” I also said this in the last training session before coming to Berlin. I am sure. I also want to thank all the Greek fans, because they believed in me a lot and respected me from the first day. This was very important for me. I played my first derby here in the Super Cup, and we lost to Olympiacos by 25 points. I was a little worried when I returned to Athens, but everyone who saw me in the city said: “Coach, don’t worry, this is still the first game.” “We are sure he will achieve his goal,” he said. I am very proud of this belief.
After the game, Giannis Antetokounmpo came up to me and said, ‘You’re the best coach in the world.’ It’s a real honor to have an NBA MVP come and say something like that. He said this specifically to not only Europe, but the whole world. So, thank you, Giannis.”
Elgin Ataman: “Do you think the EuroLeague Coach of the Year award should be given after the Final Four and not after the regular season?” He answered the question:
“I was asked a lot of questions about the Best Coach of the Year. In response, I said every time that Chas Mateo deserved to be the Best Coach of the Year during the regular season. His job is never easy, and many people think, “Real Madrid has great players, so it’s easy to coach that team,” but it’s not true. It’s very important to be able to manage that group of players well, and Mateo did a great job in that regard. Therefore, he deserved to be chosen as the Best Coach of the Year. I was also happy because coaches who are chosen as the Best Coach of the Year often don’t become champions. That’s why I answered the question, “Mateo is chosen as the Best Coach of the Year, and I will be the champion.” This is much better for me. “I was chosen as the manager of the previous year, but I don’t remember when I was chosen, I only remember the day we won.”
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