Ergin Ataman spoke to journalists shortly before Panathinaikos BC AKTOR departed for Abu Dhabi, ahead of the EuroLeague Final Four.

Our team’s head coach initially commented on Mathias Lessort’s condition: “If there is a risk of aggravating his injury, it’s understandable that he won’t play. However, over the past 2–3 days, he has been practicing with the team. If I determine that he can play and contribute on the court, he will play. So far, he appears to be on track to be included in the roster. But this is not only about Lessort. Lessort is one player. The important thing is the team. And I don’t even know yet if he’ll be on the final roster. We reached this point in the season without Mathias, and now we must find a way to survive without him. If he does play, he will certainly be helpful, as he is the best center in Europe. But our focus is not on Lessort — our focus is on the Final Four and our first game, the semifinal.”

Regarding Panathinaikos BC AKTOR’s opponent in the semifinal, he said: “Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul is certainly a very strong team that had a great season and finished second. They had one more win than us… However, during the regular season, we defeated them twice — both games were close. It will be a difficult match. They have very experienced players — but so do we. The condition each team is in on the day of the semifinal will play a crucial role. We have the experience and the confidence, and we will take to the court to win the game.”

On the team’s approach heading into Abu Dhabi, he emphasized: “We will continue our preparations… The atmosphere will be unique. We are proud to be there, and the fans will be there for two consecutive seasons. Everyone will enjoy it. We will try our best. For me, it is a basketball game — a familiar situation. We need to win two games to reach the title. Right now, we are thinking about the semifinal against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. After that, we will focus on the next game.”

Regarding the second consecutive Final Four appearance, he said: “Nothing changes… Being at the Final Four two years in a row. It’s two games you need to win to take the title. We are not looking at the trophy right now — we are focused on the semifinal. After that, we will turn our attention to the final.”

He concluded his remarks by responding to a question about the team’s psychological mindset heading into the tournament: “The mindset is the same for all teams. Olympiacos BC finished first in the regular season and is considered a slight favorite to win the tournament. But we can beat them at this stage of the season. Even though we lost to them in the EuroLeague, we defeated them in the domestic league and in the Cup final. There are also other dangerous teams — Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and AS Monaco. Of course, we want to win. Last year was our first Final Four appearance in many years. This time, we must go with more confidence. It’s the Final Four. I’m not saying we will win — there are still three other teams and we will need to play very well. We must fight to reach the title. It will not be easy.”