Ataman Praises Nan After Olympiacos-Monaco Win: ‘One of the Best Performances in Euroleague’

Olympiacos triumphed 88-76 on the court of Monaco in their 33rd competitive match, with center Nick Calathes scoring an impressive 37 points and earning the admiration of his coach, Ergin Ataman. In post-game statements after the Monaco-Olympiacos clash, Ataman highlighted the exceptional first half played by his team and praised the performances of both Grande and Nan, especially the latter for his standout game. Ataman’s comments included: ‘Incredible performance, congratulations to my players. In the first period, we played perfect basketball both offensively and defensively. We faced some defensive issues in the second half against a very dangerous team. It was a team effort, but Nan’s performance was unbelievable in a game that felt like a final for us regarding home-court advantage. Grande also had an incredible game, but Nan’s showing is one of the best I’ve seen in the Euroleague so far. Securing home-court advantage was our primary goal. There’s still another match ahead, and we’ll aim to finish in the second or third position. With home-court advantage secured, it’s very challenging for any opponent to beat us in the playoffs.’ During the press conference, Ataman also addressed Nan’s playing time and the changes in his marking strategy. Regarding Nan’s playtime: ‘He’s lucky because he only played 35 minutes (he actually played 39:15). If you ask Larkin, he’d tell you he played 40 or 45 minutes per game. That’s basketball. When a player performs well, you let them play. He wasn’t tired; if he was, he would have told me. So why rotate him out? Why not give him the time?’ On the marking changes for Nan: ‘Diawara is one of the best defenders in the Euroleague. He didn’t stop him, and then they tried Kalai and James afterward, but it was his day. In an unbelievable day like this, when you play at such a level, it’s hard to stop you. Especially when your teammates help you defensively. Today, I had assistance from Yurtseven, who after 2.5 months played significant minutes and provided help both offensively and defensively.’