After the victory of Panathinaikos AKTOR over Mykonos Betsson, Ergin Ataman was placed extensively in the press conference about the exclusion from the Euroleague, the psychological state of the team, the refereeing, but also the absence of Kostas Sloukas which affected the course.
At the same time, he responded to Ofer Yanai in a particularly sharp style, emphasizing the need for respect in European basketball, while also referring to his future at Panathinaikos, clarifying the relationship of trust he has with the administration and that he will remain as long as it continues.
What he said in detail:
For the victory over Mykonos: “We took the game seriously, we know it’s the playoffs. It was not easy physically and mentally to play. We were ready, we were in control in the first period, we shared the ball and got the win.”
On the psychology after the elimination in the Euroleague and beyond: “All the players are disappointed, as are all of us, as are the people. This is sports. We had three goals: The Cup, the Euroleague the big goal and the championship. We won the Cup against Olympiakos, but lost the Final Four in the fifth game. It’s not easy when we were 2-0 down. We have to respect Valencia, who finished in 2nd place and had a great season, they only lost three matches at home. We won the first two there, but in the next two we had lousy stats. In the fifth game they had the advantage mentally and the psychological momentum and won the series.
There are other details that no one is telling. Our captain, our best attacking player in three seasons, Kostas Slukas did not play due to injury. He was the most impactful point guard for our offense in three years. Slukas has the best statistics in these three years. If Montero stayed out of Valencia what would happen? It would be very different. I don’t want to make excuses for my players. We missed Slukas a lot.
There were different criteria from the referees. There was a big difference in shots in the third, fourth and fifth matches. Our best attacking player didn’t go for the shots. We didn’t succeed in the Euroleague, that happens in sports. In the last three seasons with Fenerbahce we have the best record of all teams. We have one Euroleague, two Cups and one championship. Only Fener had better results than us. And in Greece there is no other team better than us. We are the most successful team in Greece”.
And keep going: “In the last match against Valencia at half-time, I said something about our attack and Shorts. that we were playing 4 against 5. It was a matter of tactics. Why is Shorts hesitant to take any shots? That’s why I said in the second half that I would put Toliopoulos on, it was a matter of tactics. I respect the people, the journalists, our president. I take criticism to my face, but I have not spoken ill of an opposing president or coach.
The president of Hapoel Tel Aviv (Ofer Yanai) made a statement. This is scandalous. I have been here in the Euroleague for 25 years with three titles. “Our players didn’t have a coach,” Yanai said. I want to answer: I don’t know you, but you don’t respect me. It was unprofessional. Focus on your team, on your coach. It’s your first year. You have no right to talk about me. You are the president, let whoever told you to come out and speak. I wanted to say this because I don’t accept comments from my opponents. He must learn to respect. Also, I heard it will make 75 million budget. Good luck. Even if you make 100 million you won’t do anything. You won’t reach my level. You won’t win any Euroleague. Shut up and talk to your team.”
On what he told the players: “Only 4 teams will play in F4. We have the quality, we have to go step by step in the playoffs and make it to the final. We don’t need to say anything to the players. During the season we discuss. We don’t make art. There are difficult times and you have to learn to overcome them. The players have the experience. I came here with the trust of Mr. Giannakopoulos and I will leave when Mr. Giannakopoulos loses his trust in me.”
On whether his team was affected by what happened off the court: “My players are upset and sad. We lost by 2-0 and it is heavy for the people, but even more for us, who worked for 7 months. We still have a big goal ahead of us and then we’ll see what happens.”