Panathinaikos AKTOR was defeated by Olympiacos (97-93) in the third-place game of the Abu Dhabi Final Four. The top scorer for the “Greens” was Omer Yurtseven, who recorded 23 points.

Panathinaikos AKTOR found themselves trailing by five points (12-7) midway through the first quarter. Their poor shooting from the perimeter allowed Olympiacos to extend the lead to 13 points (33-20) by the end of the period. At the start of the second quarter, the “Greens” narrowed the gap to four points (36-32 at the 13th minute and 44-40 at the 16th), before the first half concluded with Panathinaikos AKTOR down by 11 (57-46).

In the third quarter, Olympiacos maintained their lead, though Panathinaikos AKTOR managed to cut the deficit to six points (70-64) in the 28th minute of the game. Ultimately, the match concluded with Panathinaikos AKTOR falling short in the third-place game of the Abu Dhabi Final Four.

Quarters: 33-20, 57-46, 75-64, 97-93.
Olympiacos (Bartzokas): Walkup, Wright 19, Larentzakis 5 (1), Vildoza, Lee 8, Fall 5, Vezenkov 23 (5), Peters 32 (6), Fournier 5 (1).
Panathinaikos AKTOR (Ataman): Kalaitzakis 7 (1), Brown 2, Osman 14 (1), Samodurov 2, Grant 8 (2), Pleiss 2, Nunn 9, Lessort 12, Mitoglou 8, Yurtseven 23.

Ataman: “The championship is the goal”

Ergin Ataman spoke to the media following the conclusion of the third-place game of the Final Four. His statements in detail:

“What I can say is that this was a good opportunity to give playing time to young players like Alexandros Samontourov. Over the past few months, he has performed exceptionally well in the Stoiximan GBL Playoffs. Tonight, he showed that he has potential. In the second half, however, he only played for two minutes because he fouled out.

There’s not much to say about the game itself, other than that Panathinaikos AKTOR has done a great job over the past two years. Two consecutive appearances in the Final Four. We didn’t play well in the semifinal, and we lost. We didn’t defend the title we won last year. Now, our focus is on winning the domestic championship in Greece, with the finals starting on Friday. We have not lost a single game this season in the Stoiximan GBL, and we are determined to win the title.”

On how Panathinaikos AKTOR will regroup after the Final Four in Abu Dhabi:

“We need to better prepare for certain defensive situations as a team. Offensively, we need to make better use of our motion offense, and on defense, we cannot allow open shots at the end of the 24-second clock, as happened against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.

On another note, I believe the EuroLeague should seriously consider the fact that for the second consecutive year, we faced issues with people entering our hotel before the game against Fenerbahce, to insult me and my mother. I would like to sincerely thank the President of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Mr. Ali Koç, who attempted to stop them.

We must ask EuroLeague Basketball: in what serious, major sporting event is it acceptable for individuals to enter the team’s hotel and insult the head coach—for a second time?

Everyone talks about Dimitris Giannakopoulos’ behavior, but in which venue do you place Olympiacos fans directly behind the Panathinaikos AKTOR bench, especially given the known tensions between the two teams? I hope EuroLeague Basketball will evaluate what they’ve learned from these events. I would also like to suggest that they consider changing the scheduling of the semifinals. We ended up playing at 6:00 PM. One game could be played on Thursday with the supporters of those teams, and the other semifinal on Friday—with the same logic.

Many fans are unable to get tickets. The third-place game should also be canceled altogether.

Have you ever seen in the NBA two games played back-to-back on the same day? I hope EuroLeague Basketball gains experience from all this. They hold meetings every week, but I don’t see decisions being made that would make the experience more attractive for fans.

That’s the experience I took away from Abu Dhabi. We waited two days for this third-place game. It’s something that just doesn’t make sense.”

On the upcoming Stoiximan GBL Finals starting Friday:

“Last year, we won the EuroLeague and then had a very tough series against Olympiacos. This year, we have home-court advantage, we’ve beaten them twice in Greece, and we have the confidence that comes from that. We will do our best to win the championship.”