Ergin Ataman and Cedi Osman spoke on behalf of Panathinaikos BC AKTOR ahead of tomorrow’s home matchup against Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv (28/10, 21:15).

The head coach of the Greens began with an update on the team’s medical report: “I think that except for Rogkavopoulos, everyone practiced. We won’t have anyone new missing tomorrow. Everyone will be on the court except Rogkavopoulos and, of course, Samontourov. The others trained well and will be available for the game. Holmes, Juancho and Nunn trained and I believe they will be ready tomorrow.”

On the Israeli team, he said: “They are a very dangerous team. They score a lot, they are fast on offense and experienced. Tamir Blatt is very good in scoring and creating, as is Lonnie Walker, who is an excellent scorer. And Roman Sorkin is very smart. They have experience. They play every game at the same high level. They may only have two wins so far, but they were both important ones — against Hapoel and Real Madrid. They lost to Olympiacos by one point on the final possession. They are a very dangerous team. Our matchups against Maccabi are always tough and the same will be true tomorrow. That’s why we need 100% a strong and intense atmosphere. We need our fans’ help in this difficult moment with all the injuries, to give us extra motivation and extra energy.”

Regarding areas for improvement, he noted: “This EuroLeague season has started strangely. As you’ve seen, we’ve played six games and we complain about our situation — but we have four wins. We can complain about the game in Bologna, of course, but a week earlier we beat Efes in Istanbul. Efes beat Olympiacos. Everyone can beat anyone. Hapoel is the only team with one loss, and that loss came against Maccabi. So the important thing is to find balance in the team — for everyone to be physically and mentally ready to work and play hard. I am sure that this team will eventually find its balance. But every game matters because we must collect points in the standings — if we lose them now, we will be at risk later. We must stay mentally focused and play the way we did in the games we won.”

On whether he was sending a message by not giving instructions during a timeout in Bologna: “In basketball there are different methods. I use certain methods — this is who I am, Ergin Ataman. I built my career with my own methods and I will continue to use them. Sometimes I speak, sometimes I shout, sometimes I stay on the side. Everyone can understand this.”

On the team’s shooting percentages and cohesion, he commented: “We practiced together once after many days. In Bologna we didn’t have Holmes. In the league game we didn’t have Holmes, Nunn, Hernangomez. In Bologna, Hernangomez played five minutes without being able to help because he was injured. I need everyone at 100%, practicing and playing together. Then we will be like last year — there’s no reason we won’t. But the team must work together, because for some reason we did not have a full preseason.”

Finally, asked whether he has seen anything in the EuroLeague that would make him adjust his tactics or approach, he replied: “Our tactics will not change. We have the players. Basketball is not won by tactics — it is won by the players. You prepare the players to perform and then you win or lose. In the last two seasons, most of the time we won. I did not win games through tactics — it is the players. I believe in them, they will fit into our system. I will not change the system because of one loss. We have winners in terms of strategy, team and players. Yes, we have some new players who must adapt, like T.J. Shorts, who is completely different from our system. Maybe when he plays, we adjust something.”