Ergin Ataman, the coach of Panathinaikos, spoke before the clash of his team with Virtus in the ninth round of the EuroLeague.
After the victory against Alba in Berlin, Panathinaikos will try to secure a second win in the double round in front of their home fans.
We lost two games at home in overtime. Zalgiris came here, and it was tough, but we played a bit better. We made some mistakes, but we executed well in the last attack. This is the EuroLeague, and all teams play at a high level. It’s essential to find the best way to win. Sometimes you play brilliantly, as we did in Berlin, and sometimes you face challenges, especially in offense. The most important thing is to show determination and character to win games,” Ataman began and added:
Virtus plays good basketball, especially with Shengelia under the basket. Belinelli is also playing brilliantly, and Hackett performed well against Milan, as did Lundberg. They have found a way to win six games.
The most important thing in this game is to stay focused and aggressive. We missed some free throws in the first half of the last game, and it negatively affected us. I hope we will be better at free throws and that we will make open shots against Virtus,” concluded Ergin Ataman.
The game between Panathinaikos and Virtus is scheduled for Friday at 8:15 PM.