May 20, 2013
Final Four Game 1 - May 04, 2007 CET: 20:30 Local time: 21:30 - O.A.K.A.
Panathinaikos 67 - 53 Tau Ceramica
FINAL FOUR, GAME 1
GROUP Semifinal 1
GROUP Semifinal 2

Records

Ave.   Ave.
0-0 Final Four 0-0
0-0 Playoffs 0-0
0-0 Top 16 1-0
1-0 Regular Season 0-1
18-4 Overall 20-2

Referees

Crew Chief
LAMONICA, LUIGI, Italy
Referee
BELOSEVIC, ILIJA, Serbia
Umpire
RYZHYK, BORYS, Ukraine

Team Stats

Ave.   Ave.
81.0 Points 85.7
33.5 Rebounds 32.5
11.2 O. Rebounds 11.0
22.4 D. Rebounds 21.5
12.6 Assists 16.9
9.3 Steals 13.3
2.8 Blocks 2.0
14.3 Turnovers 12.3
56.0 % 2PT 54.1 %
38.1 % 3PT 38.8 %
70.1 % FT 68.6 %
89.2 Index 99.1
Team Stats - Panathinaikos
Team Stats - Tau Ceramica

Player Stats

Ave.   Ave.
12.8 / Batiste Points 16.0 / SCOLA, LUIS
5.0 / Tsartsaris Rebounds 5.9 / SCOLA, LUIS
2.6 / Batiste OR 2.5 / SPLITTER, TIAGO
3.6 / Tsartsaris DR 4.4 / SCOLA, LUIS
4.0 / Diamantidis Assists 5.0 / PRIGIONI, PABLO
2.2 / Diamantidis Steals 2.5 / PRIGIONI, PABLO
0.7 / Diamantidis Blocks 0.6 / Peker
2.2 / Diamantidis Turnovers 2.2 / Rakocevic
68.5 % / Batiste 2PT 81.0 % / PRIGIONI, PABLO
50.8 % / SISKAUSKAS, RAMUNAS 3PT 47.7 % / Rakocevic
80.7 % / BECIROVIC, SANI FT 91.3 % / PRIGIONI, PABLO
14.5 / Diamantidis Index 18.7 / SCOLA, LUIS
Team Roster - Panathinaikos
Team Roster - Tau Ceramica

THE TAKE

Zoran Planinic and Fragiskos Alvertis - Press conference - Athens 2007 Two of Euroleague Basketball's best teams will battle for one spot in the Euroleague Final on Friday when Tau Ceramica and Panathinaikos meet in the second game of the 2007 Final Four at Athens Olympic Indoor Hall (OAKA). Not only are these teams no strangers to pressure and big games, they've also faced each other under similar circumstances. Just last season, Tau topped the Greek champs in the third-and-deciding game of the best-of-three Quarterfinal Playoffs to move on to the Final Four in Prague. But that series is only a small part in the budding rivalry between these sides. Zeljko Obradovic of Panathinaikos and Tau's Bozidar Maljkovic are two of the winningest coaches in European basketball history and combine for nine Euroleague crowns. Maljkovic even led Panathinaikos to its first Euroleague title in 1996. Both teams are full of accomplished stars at the same positions and any of those key matchups could wind up making the difference. At power forward, Tau boasts Luis Scola, while Panathinaikos counters with Mike Batiste. OAKA brings happy memories for Scola, who helped Argentina win the gold medal in the 2004 Olympic Games at the arena. At point guard, Pablo Prigioni of Tau takes on the Greens' Dimitris Diamantidis. Both teams have countless options on the wings, with the Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy winner Igor Rakocevic, sharpshooter Serkan Erdogan, Fred House and ace defender Sergi Vidal making a formidable rotation for Maljkovic. On the other hand, Panathinaikos brings Ramunas Siskauskas, Nikos Hatzvirettas and Milos Vujanic, among others. Both coaches bring a clutch guard in off the bench – Sani Becirovic for Obradovic and Zoran Planinic with Tau. Meanwhile the matchups in the paint could change by game time, as Panathinaikos's expected starter, Kostas Tsartsaris, is suffereing from back pains. That could mean more minutes for former Euroleague MVP Dejan Tomasevic, Demos Dikoudis or even former ULEB Cup Final MVP Robertas Javtokas. Tau starts Tiago Splitter and brings tough Kaya Peker off the bench to fill its needs in the paint. Both teams have been tested and arrive in Athens in peak form. Tau has won 10 straight Euroleague games, while Panathinaikos swept Dynamo Moscow in the Quarterfinal Playoffs. This game is not to miss, as beyond being between two of the top teams in the Euroleague, Tau (85.7 ppg.) and Panathinaikos (81 ppg.) are also two of the top three scoring teams in the Euroleague. Don't miss out as the passion, drama, offensive firepower and high-stakes combine to make this semifinal clashes one of the most-anticipated matchups of the season!


Watch VideoVideo Interviews
Mike Batiste | Ramunas Siskauskas | Tiago Splitter | Serkan Erdogan 
Press Conference Video: Fragiskos Alvertis | Zoran Planinic | Players | Coaches

Panathinaikos practice comments | Tau Ceramica practice comments
historic matchups | head-to-head matchups
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Euroleague.net

Quotes Head Coaches

OBRADOVIC, ZELJKO
Panathinaikos
"I've been asked many times about the pressure. I am happy because we are part of this Final Four in Athens. We are very happy to have a chance to play in this great city of Athens. We are ready, every year we have a better competition. We have three good teams and we are happy to join them in the Final Four. I believe that my team is ready to play good basketball. It is very important for everybody to see good games and I am sure fans will have a great opportunity to enjoy great games. There is no revenge atmosphere against Tau Ceramica for what happened last season. Not at all, because Tau is a new team with a new coach, and I have six new players. It has nothing to do with last year's playoff game."

"A lot of people say that there are no stars left in Europe, but we do have stars and that's a fact. If anyone of you saw the last game of the Unicaja-Barcelona playoff series, the two passes Pepe Sanchez made only a star can do. Theo Papaloukas is a star and he has proved it. Fragiskos Alvertis has played for 17 years in Panathinaikos and you need to be a star for that. It is difficult to see a point guard like Zoran Planinic. Some players decide to go to the NBA, but some young players miss the opportunity to be in our teams. The Euroleague is an excellent competition, I really believe it."

"Eight years ago, the former Yugoslavian League was a great competition. Split won the Euroleague three times in a row and then Partizan won it in 1992, but their national competition, with so many countries is not like before and it is very difficult to compete with the rest of the big leagues in Europe such as Spain, Italy, Greece, Germany or Russia. The rules have also changed, because two foreigners were allowed in every team and now a team can even have the possibility to play the Euroleague with 12 American players. This year, if you remember, Partizan played an excellent Euroleague. Olimpija and Cibona are always good quality teams and they have the possibility to make it to the Final Four in the future. I wish they can make it."

"I am sure of what we are fighting for. Since the first practice this season, I talked to my players, saying that Panathinaikos has had the obligation in the last 15 years to be at the top in every competition, not only to win games, but something more. I want to see the team play good basketball and the fans to be happy with us. It has been like that all season long."
MALJKOVIC, BOZIDAR
Tau Ceramica
"I am very happy to be back at the Final Four after so many years, especially because we play in Athens, a city where my family and I lived really well and enjoyed. They are here too and visiting with our Greek friends from those days. Speaking about basketball, maybe we don't have as many stars as we used to have because they are now in the NBA, but the competition gets better every year. It is more consistent, fair and I am personally very happy to be in the Final Four for the seventh time. I always say before a Final Four that I want my team to play the way it practices, and to show its stuff on the court. As for my feelings, I am very proud because some very talented teams are not here. Everyone of us wants to win, that is clear, and that depends on us coaches, but above all, it depends on the players. They are the main characters and are the only ones who can score points with 18,000 fans in the stands."

"I am very happy with the job my ex-players and now coaches Dusko Ivanovic and Velimir Perasovic did [coaching Tau] before I arrived. I must once again thank Perasovic this season, and Ivanovic before him. Tau Ceramica is at its third consecutive Final Four and I am very happy."

"Comparing the Euroleague to what it was 10 years ago, I believe it is harder to be a coach and a player in this league than before. There is a lot of commitment and more games, too. Then again, some players who were available before and who used to play for many years now opt to play in the United States and we cannot have them with us. In my opinion, the favorites in this league are teams that come from the strongest competitions such as the Spanish or the Russian League, but like I said, every day it gets tougher to play in the Euroleague. I always say that if I have to choose between the NBA and the Euroleague, I prefer the Euroleague. It is a richer game, more interesting, more intense and with great responsibility. Some players go to the NBA without having a good career in Europe, with their talent not at full potential. Players don't enjoy and instead leave too early, and it's a shame. It is a problem that European basketball and the NBA must solve, but I prefer the Euroleague compared to that NBA, where serious basketball is not played until it is playoff time."

Players

ALVERTIS, FRAGISKOS
Panathinaikos
"First of all, I want to welcome everybody to our city. I think you will have the opportunity to enjoy a well-organized Final Four. In all these 17 years, I never felt the need to move to another team. I believe that the conditions to play basketball in Panathinaikos are the best for any player to do his job. Not only as a professional, but because of the relationships with everybody in the team. I like to stay in here, and also I like Athens!"

"I don't know what little secrets make you better in this game, but after so many Final Fours, I would like to say what changed during those years since we started to face Olympiacos in Final Four situations in the mid-90s. We had pressure from the media, fans and ourselves. W have gone now to a state where we enjoy the Final Four as a real basketball celebration. I enjoy every moment, from the beginning to the end of the event. There are no secrets, you have to work as hard as you can and play the best way possible. Thank God, so far we made it, and it remains to be seen if we will win the title once again."

"Coaches Maljkovic and Obradovic are sitting next to me and it is a great honor to share this table with these two people with whom I share such a great past. Every coach I had made a mark on me. The most important thing is the relationship left behind after every collaboration, to be able to see them and remember those feeling of joy and happiness."
PLANINIC, ZORAN
Tau Ceramica
"It is a good feeling to be here, I am very excited and honored to be there. This is my first Final Four and I hope it will not be my last. I was chosen as the MVP of a Euroleague Opening Tournament and my team, Cibona, won that event. I just hope it will be the same thing now."

"About the NBA issue, I think it is a different situation for every player. For me, it was good to go, I didn't play a lot of minutes but I played behind one of the greatest point guards in Jason Kidd. I wanted to come back to Europe and show what I can do. I am still young. I am here in Tau with a good coach and I can still learn. For every player it's different. Some go [to the NBA] and do well; Some fall. So I cant say anything about that."

Mike Batiste - Panathinaikos - semifinal - Final Four Athens 2007
Panathinaikos advanced to the Euroleague Final for the first time in five years by downing Tau Ceramica 67-53 Friday night in the second semifinal of the 2007 Euroleague Final Four at Athens Olympic Indoor Hall (OAKA) in the Greek capital. To the delight of their many fans in the sold-out arena, Sani Becirovic and Mike Batiste scored 15 points apiece to lead the Greens, who led from start to finish. Panathinaikos, which has not been to a final since winning the 2002 title in Bologna, Italy, will face defending champion CSKA Moscow in the championship game here on Sunday evening. The win is sweet revenge for coach Zeljko Obradovic's side, which saw its bid to reach the 2006 Final Four ended by Tau at OAKA in Game 3 of the Quarterfinal Playoffs last season. The result also sends Tau home empty handed in its third successive trip to the Final Four. Tau was in the game more than the final score would indicate, clawing its way back to a 6-point deficit late in the fourth quarter. But when coach Bozidar Maljkovic's club lost star power forward Luis Scola to his fifth foul and with his shooters all struggling, Panathinaikos was able to claim the victory. Batiste added 12 rebounds to his tally for an impressive double-double, while Ramunas Siskauskas finished with 11. Tau, which scored 15 points fewer than its previous lowest scoring effort of the season, got 11 from Serkan Erdogan. Tau finished 4-for-24 (16.7%) from downtown and despite 19 offensive rebounds, wound up with only 12 second-chance points. Scola finished with a season-low 6 points.

Luis Scola - Tau Ceramica - semifinal - Final Four Athens 2007Dimitris Diamantidis just needed 15 seconds to bury the first basket of the game with a three-pointer, while Becirovic added a driving layup for a 5-0 Panathinaikos lead. Tau needed more than a minute to score before it found a go-to guy in Luis Scola. He nailed a mid-range jumper, but missed free throws in the following play. Tau's perimeter players were off-target in the opening minutes, and a layup-plus-foul by surprising starter Dimos Dikoudis gave the Greens a 8-2 lead. Pablo Prigioni beat the shot clock buzzer with a big three-pointer, but Becirovic answered with a smooth jumper. Tau kept looking for Scola and he fed Tiago Splitter for a huge dunk. A red-hot Becirovic buried a triple for a 13-7 Panathinaikos lead. Both teams kept playing tough defense without many fouls, but the Greens were at a different level of intensity now. Tau committed too many turnovers, forcing coach Maljkovic to call timeout after 7 minutes. Panathinaikos coach Zeljko Obradovic decided to use Fragiskos Alvertis at power forward and passing big man Dejan Tomasevic at center to open the court. Tau tried to get back to track with Zoran Planinic at point guard, but the visiting side simply could not score against the Greens' outstanding man-to-man defense, while Alvertis made 5 free throws to boost his team's lead to 18-7. Foul shots by Scola brought Tau within 18-9 after 10 minutes.

Sani Becirovic - Panathinaikos - semifinal - Final Four Athens 2007Tau opened the second quarter with a 24-second violation, but soon got back on track. Igor Rakocevic scored in penetration, while Tau finally managed to lock up the defensive rebounds and start playing its usual game. Scola and Splitter had already picked up their second foul, however, and Panathinaikos started to get Kostas Tsartsaris and Mike Batiste involved. Tau opted for a small lineup with Sergi Vidal at power forward, so coach Obradovic responded by bringing in Milos Vujanic for Tsartsaris. Batiste missed a couple of shots, which allowed Kaya Peker to bring Tau within 18-13. Nikos Hatzivrettas stepped up with a wild three-pointer, which Planinic answered with a driving layup. Diamantidis fed Batiste for an alley-oop layup off a Panathinaikos timeout, while Vujanic fired in one from downtown to make it an 11-point game, 26-15. Planinic tried to change things with consecutive driving layups, but Becirovic provided a highlight with a huge triple. Panathinaikos seemed comfortable playing with a small lineup, while Tau had trouble getting Rakocevic and House involved. Siskauskas took Peker one-on-one and buried a three-pointer, but Peker responded by scoring in the low post for Tau. Scola returned to the floor in the final minute of the half, but a free throw by Becirovic and a buzzer-beating tip-in by Siskauskas gave the Greens a 35-21 halftime margin.

Zoran Planinic - Tau Ceramica - semifinal - Final Four Athens 2007Tau needed a quick comeback in the opening minutes of the third quarter to keep its chances alive, but missed three consecutive shots instead and saw Scola pick up his third foul. Erdogan finally found his first points of the night on a driving layup and soon added a three-pointer to get Tau within 35-26. Panathinaikos slowed its offense down and used enough patience to find good shots and get second-chance opportunities. Dikoudis scored in the paint, while stopping Scola with physical defense on the other end. Tau was facing severe foul trouble, as Prigioni, Planinic and Splitter joined Scola with 3 fouls each. House drew a foul and hit a free throw, but a corner triple by Siskauskas boosted the Greens' lead to 40-27 after 24 minutes, as a majority of Green fans exploded when Tau called a much-needed timeout. The visiting side adjusted its defense, but problems kept coming at the other end, with missed free throws and another 24-second violation. Vujanic and Rakocevic traded free throws, but Tau missed one shot after another despite its good defense. Free throws by Fred House and a put-back basket by Peker gave Tau some hope, 45-34. Batiste set the crowd on fire with a big dunk before Splitter hit a free throw to fix the score at 47-35 after three quarters.

Panathinaikos - semifinal - Final Four Athens 2007Splitter stepped up with a tip-in at the start of the fourth quarter. Still, Panathinaikos shined on defense, but it struggled to score now with Vujanic and an unexpected Tony Delk at both guards. The Greens were getting to the foul line often and Batiste hit free throws for a 48-37 margin with less than 8 minutes remaining. Dikoudis took over with a wild fast break dunk, as the Tau shooters remained off-target down the stretch. Thousands of Panathinaikos fans had already started to celebrate, especially when Batiste stepped up with a one-handed put-back dunk. Tau did not give up however, as Prigioni fired one in from downtown and Erdogan added free throws for a 53-42 deficit. Scola shined with a put-back layup off a Tau timeout and by the time Erdogan buried a three-pointer Tau finished a 0-10 run and was back in the game at 53-47 with 4 minutes to go. Obradovic called a much-needed timeout and Batiste made a free throw on Scola's fourth foul. The Tau star fouled out right after that, but Planinic got his team within 54-48. Panathinaikos kept using the shot clock and carried on drawing fouls to keep its lead alive. Becirovic made free throws only to see Splitter erase them with an easy layup. Batiste was next on the line and did not miss either, but Erdogan only made 1 of 2 for Tau. Vujanic sealed the outcome with a three-pointer that broke the game at 61-51 with 1:41 remaining. Tau still franticly tried to make something happen, but it was to no avail as the Green crowd began to celebrate a spot in Sunday's final.
Friday, May 04, 2007
Javier Gancedo, Euroleague.net
Referees: LAMONICA, LUIGI (ITA), BELOSEVIC, ILIJA (SRB), RYZHYK, BORYS (UKR)
Attendance: 18363
By Quarter1234
Panathinaikos18171220
Tau Ceramica9121418
End of Quarter1234
Panathinaikos18354767
Tau Ceramica9213553
Head coach: OBRADOVIC, ZELJKO
Panathinaikos
# Player Min Pts 2FG
M-A
 3FG
M-A
 FT
M-A
 Rebounds As St To Bl Fouls PIR
O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv
4 ALVERTIS, FRAGISKOS 7:15 5 0/1 0/1 5/5           1     2 3 3
5 DELK, TONY 7:00   0/1 0/1         1 1            
7 BECIROVIC, SANI 25:15 15 2/3 2/3 5/6   1 1 1   2     4 4 12
8 BATISTE, MIKE 28:15 15 4/8 0/1 7/8 4 8 12 1 1 2 1   2 5 25
9 SISKAUSKAS, RAMUNAS 30:00 11 1/2 2/4 3/4 3 2 5     1     2 4 13
10 HATZIVRETTAS, NIKOS 20:00 3 0/1 1/2   1   1     1     3 1 -1
11 DIKOUDIS, DIMOS 20:30 7 3/5 0/2 1/5 2 5 7 2 1 2     1 4 10
12 TSARTSARIS, KOSTAS 2:45   0/1 0/1                   1 1 -2
13 DIAMANTIDIS, DIMITRIS 29:45 3 0/1 1/4   1 5 6 4 1 3     5   2
15 TOMASEVIC, DEJAN 8:45   0/2     1   1   2 1     3 2 -1
18 VUJANIC, MILOS 17:30 8   2/5 2/2       1   1     1 1 5
19 JAVTOKAS, ROBERTAS 3:00                   1 2   1    
Team           1 3 4               4
Totals 200:00 67 10/25 8/24 23/30 13 24 37 10 6 15 3 0 25 25 70
40% 33.3% 76.7%
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
Head coach: MALJKOVIC, BOZIDAR
Tau Ceramica
# Player Min Pts 2FG
M-A
 3FG
M-A
 FT
M-A
 Rebounds As St To Bl Fouls PIR
O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv
4 SCOLA, LUIS 25:30 6 2/5   2/4 5 2 7 1 2 4     5 5 7
5 PRIGIONI, PABLO 25:00 6 0/1 2/8   3 2 5 2 2 1     3 2 6
7 CILLA, JESUS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
8 RAKOCEVIC, IGOR 26:00 4 1/4 0/2 2/2   6 6     1   1 1 3 5
9 VIDAL, SERGI 9:30 2 1/1               1       1 2
10 PLANINIC, ZORAN 20:00 7 3/5 0/1 1/3   2 2   1       5 3 3
11 ERDOGAN, SERKAN 21:45 11 1/1 2/7 3/4 1 1 2   1 6     2 3 3
12 TELETOVIC, MIRZA 0:15                              
14 PEKER, KAYA 24:45 7 3/6   1/2 4 4 8   1 1   2 4 2 7
20 ESLAVA, ARIEL DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
21 SPLITTER, TIAGO 22:15 7 3/5   1/4 4 2 6     3     3 3 5
32 HOUSE, FRED 25:00 3 0/5 0/6 3/4 2 2 4   3 1     2 3 -2
Team             3 3               3
Totals 200:00 53 14/33 4/24 13/23 19 24 43 3 10 18 0 3 25 25 39
42.4% 16.7% 56.5%
This game is not yet played

Head Coaches

OBRADOVIC, ZELJKO
Panathinaikos
“I think we win first of all because of defense. We prepared the game to play hard defense against key players for Tau. But it's true it was not such a good game. I am not satisfied with how we played offense. We have players with the talent to play better and I hope that in the final we play better. Without question, Scola and Rakocevic are important player for them, but also Prigioni and stopping the pick-and-roll. Today, every small detail is important. It's a big tartget for us to play the final against the champion. I promise that we will fight.”

"The truth is I never saw the game in doubt. We dominated from the beginning. Only when Erdogan made that basket with about 4 minutes 30 seconds left, cutting the difference to six points, did I wonder. But we recovered quickly and that was it. One thing I am sure about is that we have to play, and we can play, better on offense. I have not doubt about it, and I am going to talk to my team about playing, above all, faster on offense."

“We prepared to play good defense against Tau's important players and I think my players did well. One of the problems for us was Tau's offensive rebounds. We prepared for that, but we also knew it could happen because of how we prepared to play defense. I think my team has the quality to play better offense. I am pleased for our fans, who helped us very much. I want to say congratulations to Tau Cermaica, which played very well all season.”

“For the final, I don't think tricks exist in this game. It's a very difficult job this game. I didn't see [CSKA's] game tonight, but everyone knows what kind of quality CSKA has.”

“I think that most important is how the team plays and I'm very happy as a coach to have these players. All my players played good and even I have three players that work very hard all season and could not be on the team tonight. I'm very happy that none of my players think about statistics. They are very good people.”

“Normally we score more points. We focused on defense and that's why the game had a low result of a defensive game. There was a lot of pressure on the players on both teams and often they passed the ball instead of taking chances to do something.”
MALJKOVIC, BOZIDAR
Tau Ceramica
"What we saw tonight was not the same style of play that we showed many times during the season. Why? Because we started the game with decisive errors. We failed in a lot of one-on-one defensive situations and our help defense was slow instead of fast. Sometimes, we confused our positions and a team like Panathinaikos that has quality and offensive talent always makes you pay for that. At the same time on offense, we had two main problems. We made turnovers playing hastily and without logic. We had worked on trying not to do that. And second, against a team as important as Panathinaikos, you cannot miss 10 free throws. Even missing 2 or 3 would make it tough against them. This was a night I would call bad. In the last quarter, we improved our defense, played pick-and-rolls better and controlled the rebounds despite them having a height advantage at all positions. We got within 6 points, but again made errors and Panathinaikos has won thanks to our defensive defects and important players like Luis Scola fouling out. It seems we didn' t stay calm. Some of our important players lost their calm and for that reason we didn't play as we should have. From the first day I arrived and analyzed Tau two months ago, I said an important game would come and it would be difficult. This is not like against Maccabi, trading basket after basket until someone wins. I said there would always come a game when another team wouldn't let you play like you want, and in that way we have not improved."

Players

TSARTSARIS, KOSTAS
Panathinaikos
“Panathinaikos has indeed never lost a final, but we are talking basketball here, not tradition. We have a very difficult game in front of us against CSKA, and we must give 110% to lift the trophy.”
HATZIVRETTAS, NIKOS
Panathinaikos
“We controlled the rhythm and placed tremendous team defense. We kept Tau’s offensive weapons to very low standards. We knew, though, that Tau is a very strong team and could come back any time in the game, so we tried to concentrate in all 40 minutes. In the end, we found the solutions we needed, we made the free throws we had to and locked the win. As far as the final is concerned, we have time to prepare it.”
DIAMANTIDIS, DIMITRIS
Panathinaikos
“The key was our tough defense, and the fact that we managed to control the pace during the game. We knew that TAU has the quality and players able to give them a lot of points, that’s why our main plan was to keep them low. Even when they closed the gap to 6 points near the end, we reacted calmly, created good plays on offense and made our free throws. The presence of the fans, even if we thought that it could mean some pressure to us, eventually gave us a big push to give 100% of our energy in the defensive end. Now we have the defending Euroleague champion to beat, and again we must focus mainly on defense. All we have to do is improve some parts of our offensive game.”
DIKOUDIS, DIMOS
Panathinaikos
“It was a really tough game, but I think we were very well prepared for it. We followed our coach’s instruction to the point and everything went as planned. We didn’t let TAU run, and emphasized very much on the inside game. We took their big guys out of the game and kept all their quality offensive players at bay. Of course both teams struggled offensively, so we couldn’t run away and they couldn’t get closer either. For the final, CSKA’s only advantage is that they are defending champions and have the experience. Now I will find on my way my friend Papaloukas, with whom we have shared great moments. May the best team win.”
JAVTOKAS, ROBERTAS
Panathinaikos
“I am so excited. I have waited for this for a long time. You never know what can happen before the game, but we did exactly what we worked for in practice. For me, I don't play a lot, but I love it and this is a very good experience. You have to make the most out of the time you have on court. That's my job. We knew who to stop and our coach knew everything about them. We had done our homework and that gave us our result."
VUJANIC, MILOS
Panathinaikos
“I feel great, because I scored a lot of points and beat a very tough team like Tau with very strong defense, especially in the first half, when they only scored 21 points. I think that is the key for the final, to play at the same defensive level. I had some bad luck in the past but it is all gone. I don't think about injuries anymore, but only about basketball."
TOMASEVIC, DEJAN
Panathinaikos
"I am happy, that's for sure. I think we played a good game, especially on defense. We managed to stop their fast break chances and above all, we managed to shut down Scola and Rakocevic, their best players. Without them, Tau doesn't play at the same level. You have to play physical against Scola, I know him very well and he is probably the best power forward in Europe. We knew that if we stopped Scola, 50% of the job was already done. We got ready for the game and everything worked out well. CSKA won't be an easy opponent, but we have two practices to get ready for this game."
SISKAUSKAS, RAMUNAS
Panathinaikos
“I feel great, but the job is not finished. We have one more game and it is the most important one. There is no time to celebrate now, we only did half of the job. CSKA is probably the toughest opponent in Europe, but honestly I can't think about it now, since I am tired and very excited. We worked a lot before facing Tau, watched a lot of videos and analyzed them very well. We knew what we had to do."
BATISTE, MIKE
Panathinaikos
“What we've been preaching with one week to prepare for Tau is defense, defense, defense. Our offense will take care of itself because we have pretty good weapons, but when you want to play defense, everything is possible. We knew Tau likes to run and set picks for their pure shooters, so we made sure to get a hand out and to automatically switch with the big men an trap the guards outside and on the inside we had to play tough one-on-one defense and we were able to get it done today. I think we and CSKA are the best teams in Europe, hands down, and to me, CSKA is still the best team until we take it from them. The same way we played today is the same way we will play on Sunday. We're gonna give it 110 percent.”
ERDOGAN, SERKAN
Tau Ceramica
"The easy way is to put the blame on the referees, but I won’t do that. We are the only ones that should be blamed. They played their hearts out and we were just looking at them. We played like we didn’t care. We started the game terribly, tried to stay close, but again we didn’t have the energy and heart needed for this kind of games."
RAKOCEVIC, IGOR
Tau Ceramica
“They played great defense, we didn’t find any easy shot for the whole game as we are used to. They switched on every pick and made us struggle. We wanted to win this game. It was a bad night for many of our players and if you want to beat Panathinaikos, you must have at least eight players at a high level.”
PLANINIC, ZORAN
Tau Ceramica
"That’s life, sometimes you lose, sometimes you win, but Panathinaikos were better. They altered our game plan, because Luis Scola was trying, he tried everything he got, but they were better, they played better than we did. We have to have our head up and look for a win in the Spanish championship."
VIDAL, SERGI
Tau Ceramica
"There is nothing to say. I think the home-court advantage was not so important, because it’s great to play in such atmosphere, but they were better and that’s all. Sometimes things don’t go as expected . We knew that, even playing bad, being 12-14 points down, we could come back. But we committed some mistakes when we were 6 points down and that killed us. It’s pretty hard to get in here, so being stopped once again is a hard blow."
TELETOVIC, MIRZA
Tau Ceramica
"Of course I feel terrible after the game we lost tonight. We didn’t play the way we planned before the game. They were better, they played better and they defeated us. There is nothing much to say. Panathinaikos did a good job, they ran for every ball, they jumped for every ball and they played at their home court, so we had to respond and do the things better than we did in order to be able to win. It’s a very big pity."
PEKER, KAYA
Tau Ceramica
"I feel so sad because we came here to win the tournament and we couldn’t play our basketball. They switched on every pick and we didn’t continue our system as we made quick shots. That’s why we lost the game in my opinion. I think home-court advantage was not important; Tau beat them last season. If you play good it doesn’t matter, but when they play good and you play bad, home court becomes big. They put us in trouble on offense, because when there are so many switches, you have to make something extra and maybe we shot before ending our systems. Most of the time we struggled on offense, because I think our defense was not so bad."
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