Zeljko Obradović called for more focus on ball handling and Real Madrid’s fast breaks as Panathinaikos departed for Madrid ahead of tomorrow’smatch for the 10th round of the EuroLeague.
“If we want to play a good game, we have to stop their transition offense and their three-pointers. It’s a matter of defense. It’s a matter of everything. We’ve discussed this many times. I believe we need to control their offense and not give them the chance to run. That’s what happened, for example, in our last two games, against Efes and Aris, where our mistakes led to them scoring very easy points. We’ve discussed this issue, we’re trying to correct it in practice, and we hope things will be different tomorrow,” emphasized the Serbian coach.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
As for whether there’s pressure on the team after the two consecutive losses to Efes and Aris? “They also say there’s pressure in home games. People talk about the result. It’s always a matter of character. In the game against Aris, we played well, and I congratulated my players on their performance. It was a close game; we have to keep fighting. We made a lot of mistakes in that game, and we need to reduce that number. Beyond that, everything else is just part of basketball. It’s not that simple to talk about whether a team has character or not.”
Regarding Facundo Campazzo’s absence and how it affects the game, he said: “I’ve heard the news about Campazzo, but their roster has the quality to play well and make up for the absences.”
Finally, he mentioned the absence of Nikos Rogavopoulos, who, like Lefteris Mantzoukas, was left off the roster. “He’s not yet allowed to train with the team. We have to take it step by step, and we want to be sure he’s 100% ready before he returns to practice and games. As I’ve said many times, the players’ health is more important than anything else.”
*photo source: KYPE
