Ergin Ataman and Kostas Sloukas spoke on behalf of Panathinaikos BC AKTOR ahead of tomorrow’s game against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (6/1, 21:15).

The Greens’ head coach commented on the upcoming match and on whether he expects a reaction after the loss to Olympiacos:

“It’s not about a reaction. It’s a reality that when you play at home, especially against teams you lost to away in the first round, like in Milan and Bologna, you have to find a way to win. We are in a very good position in the standings and just one win behind the team in first place. These are very important games, but this is the new EuroLeague: all teams are tough and everyone is trying to get extra wins. They will certainly be two more difficult games. In this EuroLeague, you have to forget both wins and losses. The most important thing is the next game, and that is against Armani, a very good team that we lost to in the first round. We are ready for a great game.”

Asked about the possibility of a transfer reinforcement, he replied: “I am focused on the two games we will play this week. If we are successful in them, we will have the chance to be at the top of the standings. This is something handled by the president and the club’s management; I am not focused on that. I explained what our mistake was after the previous game. The club started looking, the president is always ready to help the team. After what I told him, that we were missing something important, of course he reacted. I didn’t insist; I said what we were missing and naturally the club is looking for the best solution. But it’s not easy.

We also have the serious issue with Konstantinos Mitoglou, as you know. We don’t know how long he will be out; he has a serious muscle injury. The club is focused on this and is scanning the market, while we, as the coaching staff, are focused on the two games.”

On the game plan against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, Ataman said: “They have a very good roster. They also have some injury problems. Shavon Shields is an excellent scorer, they have Zach LeDay, and in the last game against us Armoni Brooks had a career night. In the paint they have Nebo and Booker. They are a very good team with a very strong roster. That’s why we shouldn’t think about stopping just one player. We all need to play a good game together, both defensively and offensively. Sometimes it’s not enough to play good defense only; you also have to score.”

Regarding injuries and availability, he added:“No, we don’t have any other problems. Only Mitoglou. G rigonis will also be ready. Rogkavopoulos trained at a lighter pace and we will check his condition again tomorrow morning.”

From the players’ side, Panathinaikos BC AKTOR captain Kostas Sloukas stated:

“Home games hurt the most when you lose them, especially against your eternal rival. These are extremely important games because if we manage to get the wins, we will be very high in the standings, possibly even first. Also, I want to say that in my 17–18 years in the EuroLeague, I don’t remember a season where everything went perfectly from start to finish. That’s the beauty of the competition: there are adversities and difficulties during the season. If you manage to overcome them, you celebrate at the end. So we keep going.”

On Dimitris Giannakopoulos’ visit and the situation after the loss to Olympiacos, he said: “Of course, a loss—especially here against Olympiacos, with a poor performance from us for 40 minutes, even though we were close at the end, and considering the special circumstances we faced before the game—is difficult. Our image was not good and that is worrying. As I said, the loss to Olympiacos was an additional problem, but this is a marathon and we must find our way out of the tunnel we are in.”

Regarding the upcoming double week, he emphasized: “They are talented and quality teams, especially our opponent tomorrow. We need to control the tempo and our defense must be more aggressive. We have the talent to control the pace and score easy points after good defense. The important thing is for Panathinaikos BC AKTOR to show the good face it showed in previous weeks. If it does, it won’t have problems against any team.”

On his personal condition, Sloukas noted: “I’m trying to get into rhythm. I’m out of rhythm, it’s obvious. I will give everything I can to help and to get the two important wins for us.”

Finally, on how last week’s events affected the team, he concluded: “They affect you because you can’t have good practices. I wasn’t sick, but there were five players with a 39°C fever. You don’t practice properly as a team, and Grant had an injury and missed three practices. All of this affects intensity. There are no excuses. Against Olympiacos, as I said, our performance was disappointing, and that’s what we need to address in the upcoming games.”