Ataman: ‘We’re Like a Team of Veterans, If We Don’t Win One More Game, We’ll Be in Play-Ins’

The coach addressed the competitive challenges faced by his team due to numerous injuries, following their defeat against Paris at OAKA in the 32nd competitive Euroleague game. Ergin Ataman, the Turkish coach of Panathinaikos, clarified that if his team does not secure one more win against Monaco (away) and Red Star (home), they will end up in the play-ins, meaning they will need to play games to qualify for the playoffs with a home-court disadvantage. In detail, during the press conference, he stated: ‘From the first minutes, Paris deserved the win; they played exceptional basketball. Congratulations to Theo Maledon, who showed why he’s the best point guard in the Euroleague. It’s extremely difficult to stop him. In the first half, they had 12 three-pointers with 60% field goals. When we started playing their game, we tried to come back with Juancho at center and Osman at power forward, but some wrong choices cost us. They found some gaps, played better, and deserved the win.’ Regarding the team’s slow starts and stronger finishes, Ataman added: ‘This is our biggest problem. We don’t play good basketball; we play like a team of veterans. I told this in the locker room—it’s also my fault that we don’t play well. Everyone on the team is a star, but we’ve shown that stars don’t always win. We have a big issue. Everyone believes we’ll be in the playoffs, have home-court advantage, and attend the Final Four in Abu Dhabi. But if we don’t win another game, we’ll be in the play-ins. It’s my mistake. I can’t train them properly. Every day, someone is injured or tired. We’re like a team of veterans this past month. In basketball, you must fight, play defense. We only play well in the final periods, as seen against Olympiacos, Maccabi, and tonight. It’s my responsibility, what can I do? Everyone is either injured or exhausted. After the game, they all tell me “I can’t practice, I’m too tired.” With this mindset, we won’t go anywhere. Don’t think about the playoffs or Abu Dhabi. If we don’t win one more game in our two tough matches against Monaco and Red Star, we’ll lose our playoff spot and end up in the play-ins. I’ll try to focus, but if they keep being in the medical room, I can’t prepare matches there.’