Ataman before Panathinaikos – Virtus: “The holiday party is over, now the real Euroleague begins”

He will welcome Virtus Bologna on Friday night (03.01.2025, 21:15, Newsit,gr, Novasports Prime) for the 9th race in Euroleague and he expects his team to enter with a victory in 2025. Erkin Ataman spoke about Panathinaikos – Virtus Bologna, said that now there should be the maximum of concentration and effort, both by the players and by the fans, stressing that from now on the difficulties begin in Euroleague. CORVERSE “Virtus is not the team that was at the beginning of the season. Coach Ivanovic won a lot of important games both off-site and off-site. He plays more aggressively, in the attack he uses Will Clyburn and Isaiah Cordinier more, while Akile Polonara is more active. We should be careful in defense, be aggressive and find points on the open court at our headquarters,” Erkin Ataman first said. To renew Matias Lesor’s contract: “We have a very important game. We can’t focus on a contract or the next season. Tomorrow the fans and the team will have to focus on the game with Bologna, which is very difficult. We are now on the second part of EuroLeague. We have to win, it’s a must win game. That is why I would not like to comment on the contracts.” The fact that Panathinaikos wins every time he plays the defense he wants to see: “Of course! Especially with the new player we have. Defense is the key, we can find extra points in surprise and transition on our field. This is very important and we will focus on tomorrow’s race.” For Panathinaikos’ consecutive victories in EuroLeague : “We are in a good position in the ranking now. But if you remember, four weeks ago we were in a tragic state. Each race is important, as it is also important to protect this position in the rankings and try to climb up, stay in the first four. Of course, the world and the atmosphere in OAKA are important. I don’t want people to come to OAKA to enjoy and watch the show, but to support us from the first to the last minute and show everyone that OAKA is a difficult seat. Fans should focus on the team and give it extra motivation. Because when they give us extra motive, the team is more aggressive in defense. The party’s over, I told my friends. The holiday party is over. The real EuroLeague track starts now and all fans should help us win the games.”