Ergin Ataman spoke ahead of Game 2 against Anadolu Efes Istanbul, reflecting on Game 1, sharing his expectations for the second matchup, and discussing the team’s mindset.

Here are his full statements:

On the importance of the first win and the team’s mentality: “The positive thing about yesterday’s game is that we found a way to win. However, we did not play good basketball. We made a lot of mistakes, lost control, and lacked discipline in the second quarter. Anadolu Efes Istanbul showed that they are a very dangerous team. Tomorrow, we have to play better basketball. The series will be tough, as all playoff series are. We were quite anxious yesterday. We didn’t play our usual game. I hope we’ll do better tomorrow, especially on offense.”

On Panathinaikos AKTOR’s ability to bounce back in the fourth quarter: “We had many ups and downs, especially yesterday. We were up by 10 early in the second quarter and then stopped playing basketball. We became more selfish, lost spacing on offense, and allowed points on defense. In terms of 5-on-5 defense, I think we did a good job. But when you take off-balance shots and give up points in transition, you lose control. It will be important to play with discipline for the full forty minutes.”

On Kendrick Nunn and whether he feels added pressure as the MVP: “Kendrick is an excellent player. Sometimes players miss shots — that’s normal. With the career he’s had, I don’t believe the MVP award adds pressure on him. It just wasn’t his day, especially at the beginning. But he did score in the end. I believe he’ll be better tomorrow. Still, we must respect Anadolu Efes Istanbul’s strong and aggressive defense against him.”

On whether Game 2 will be more difficult: “Every step is difficult. Whether the series becomes 1-1 tomorrow or we go up 2-0, every game will be tough until we reach three wins. That’s the reality of the playoffs.”

On injury concerns: “There are some minor injuries. Some players underwent treatment today. I believe we’ll have the same roster available tomorrow.”

On whether he felt disrespected by Anadolu Efes Istanbul not practicing at OAKA: “I already expressed everything I wanted to say about that yesterday. I don’t want to dwell on it further.”

Kalaitzakis: “Juancho might be the most complete player in Europe”

Panagiotis Kalaitzakis addressed the media on the eve of Game 2 against Anadolu Efes Istanbul, discussing the key elements behind the team’s Game 1 victory, as well as the standout contributions of Juancho Hernangómez.

His full comments are as follows:

“We took Game 1 and we’re ahead. We had some lapses yesterday, particularly in the second and third quarters—we conceded a lot of points in transition. If I’m not mistaken, we gave up 30 points in the second quarter alone. We’ve reviewed the footage, identified what went wrong, and we’re making adjustments for tomorrow’s game to contain Anadolu Efes Istanbul as much as possible. I believe we’re ready to go up 2–0.”

On whether the issue in Game 1 was defensive or offensive: “Defense is the key. That’s been our identity since last season—we’ve got guys who can play tough defense, get out in transition. Offensively, we have a lot of talent—one of the strongest teams in the EuroLeague. But we need to get stops, use our bodies. Vincent Poirier caused us problems on the offensive glass—we need to limit him. Everyone needs to crash the boards, close off driving lanes, play team defense, and get the crowd involved. If we combine all that with better decision-making and ball movement on offense, we’ll be in a position to take Game 2.”

On whether Game 2 will be more difficult: “As I said yesterday, Game 2 gives both teams the chance to make adjustments after watching the first. We saw what Anadolu Efes Istanbul is capable of—they came in on an 8-game win streak and were arguably the hottest team in Europe over the last couple of months. They have serious offensive weapons and play great basketball. We’ll do our part to contain them and stick to our game plan. We have nothing to fear.”

On whether Game 2 will be different: “This is basketball. Just as prepared as we are, so are they. Anything can happen in a single playoff game between two great teams. Anything’s possible. But we’ll give 100%, come out sharper than in Game 1, cut down on our mistakes both defensively and offensively, and our goal is clear—take a 2–0 lead.”

On the evolution of Juancho Hernangómez: “The main difference is his playing time. It’s not as though he transformed over the summer—he didn’t suddenly do an extraordinary amount of work to become who he is now. He’s always had this ability. He’s a fantastic player—perhaps the most complete one in Europe in my view. He closes passing lanes, he’s everywhere defensively, rebounds, shoots, passes, moves without the ball. He’s incredibly versatile. We’re very happy to have him. This season, he’s simply getting more minutes, and he’s doing the same things we’ve seen him do for years with the Spanish national team and even in the NBA.”