Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 29 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.
Pregame quotes hub: 'Every game against Panathinaikos is a different game'
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Friday, March 14
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (20:15 CET)
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach
"Every game against Panathinaikos is a different game. That’s how basketball goes. The result depends on your condition, your opponent's condition, the momentum, the motivation, and the players' health… Everything matters. It is going to be a tough game. Panathinaikos is a talented team, and they are in good shape. On our side, we must have patience and be focused on our game plan. I believe that we have an advantage since we play on our home court. We are motivated, and we want to finish the regular season with as many wins as possible. Players are aware of the importance of these kinds of games. And I believe that if we stick together on offense and defense, we are unbeatable."
Evan Fournier, Olympiacos Piraeus guard
"It is a very important for us, for our fans, for the administrators, for the whole club. We need to step on the court and fight for the win. It does not matter our position in the standings. The most important game is always the next game and our next game is the one against Panathinaikos. We do not think of the future. We are focused on what it is ahead."
FC Bayern Munich vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul (20:30 CET)
Gordon Herbert, FC Bayern Munich head coach
"We've made progress defensively in recent games and have been defending better as a unit. That will be crucial: our team defense and one-on-one matchups. Efes is one of the best offensive teams in the league. Their talent on offense is incredible, and they have great size and physicality. But we also need to play our game and make sure Efes has to adjust to us."
Luca Banchi, Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach
"Numbers talk about the clear characteristic of Bayern Munich, one of the most productive teams in EuroLeague this year. They are actually playing a very efficient basketball, especially at home, because of their creativity and versatility. We need to be conscious that such a game imposes a very strict plan, great discipline from our side to control emotionally and technically this game for 40 minutes."
Dan Oturu, Anadolu Efes Istanbul center
"The game on Friday will be a tough game. They play well at home so we have to come prepared mentally to compete if we want to win and take another step in the right direction."
FC Barcelona vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (20:45 CET)
Joan Penarroya, FC Barcelona head coach
"We have an important game against Partizan, a very attractive game for fans to come to Palau, against an opponent that is one of the best teams in the EuroLeague in the last 10-11 games. They are playing really well and getting a lot of wins. It will be a game featuring two teams with the same record in the standings. For us, a victory would give us a one-win lead with five games remaining, plus the tie-breaker, as we would have beaten them twice. In such a balanced competition, it is obvious that it would be very important to win. After this game, there will be five more game left and anything can happen. There will be a lot of teams fighting, and after all we went through, we are in a position to fight for everything. We are in a good position and our next three EuroLeague games are at home. I hope our fans' help will be a key factor for the team to get an advantage which we will need, for sure, in order to get the wins that we need."
Joel Parra, FC Barcelona forward
"I think the team is aware that we are going to play six 'finals', especially our four games at home. If we win all of our four games against four direct opponents, I think we will have a chance to make it to the playoffs. We are aware of this and the team is feeling well. Since we came back from the [FIBA] window, the team is competing well despite the players we are missing. Like I said, our next game is a final. Both teams have the same record in the standings and if we win, we would have one win more than them plus the tie-breaker. We know the kind of team Partizan is and the fans they have, they always bring a lot of fans to all games. Being a critical game for both teams, I am sure they will have even more fans in the stands. There will be a nice atmosphere at Palau and our fans will push for us, too. We play on the court, but fans will also play their part in the stands. People at Palau have always shown that they are with us. It will be a nice game. I used to watch these Euroleague nights on TV and wanted to be there. It will be cool place to play and enjoy."
Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade head coach
"An extremely important game for us, as will be every next one. What is interesting is that in the next six games we play with five direct opponents as far as the final standings are concerned. Barcelona have certain problems but, on the other hand, they look good in the sense that they fight and play every match until the end. In these practices, we worked a lot on increasing aggressiveness, which is a very important item both for this and for every next game. A very demanding period awaits, but we must find strength and play the best possible match."
Sterling Brown, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade guard
"It’s going to be a good game. They will come out and play hard, and we’ll do our best to win. It’s a playoff situation, and we need to secure the best possible spot in the standings. I expect it to be a tough, physical game for both teams. We’ve had a couple of good practices over the last few days, so I feel pretty confident that we’ll go out there and perform well."
Thursday, March 13
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (18:45 CET)
Saras Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach
"ASVEL is always a very difficult team to play against. They have a lot of size. They present many problems playing with two very big fives and fours. It was not easy for us in Lyon. We're gonna have to have a good game to beat them."
Bonzie Colson, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul forward
"We’re expecting a hard-fought game. We’re focused on ourselves and what we can do to continue playing at this high level. We know it’s not gonna be easy. Asvel are a very aggressive team offensively and defensively. We got to focus on our principles on both sides of the floor; offensively and defensively, and get the win. We’re excited. I feel like we haven’t played here in so long. It’s gonna be fun playing with all of our fans cheering us on and giving us the momentum that we need. So we’re all excited. We can’t wait to go out there and play."
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (19:00 CET)
Ioannis Sfairopoulos, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade head coach
"We are playing against a very good team, which has quality. They are the third attacking team in the EuroLeague and as we have seen in the last two games, we have not been good defensively and we have to face a good attacking team. That's why we have to be effective defensively. That is our priority."
Ognjen Dobric, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade forward
"We have a tough job ahead of us, every game is important and more important because the end of the season is approaching. There is less and less room for mistakes. We were in a bit of a bad period, but I hope that the team will overcome it. I can't say that this game is the most important, of course it is. When we look at the table, and how many teams are fighting for the top six or top 10, there is less and less room for mistakes. We have to play serious, tough basketball against everyone."
Ettore Messina, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan head coach
"We meet a very athletic team, with efficient shooters, and a lot of depth. As a consequence, we need to play a high-level game in Belgrade, perfectly aware that rebounds, as always, and guarding well their pick and roll plays, which they use very often, will go a long way in determining the outcome."
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Paris Basketball (19:00 CET)
Andrea Trinchieri, Zalgiris Kaunas head coach
"After the break, we are playing with good consistency. We had a chance to win in Belgrade, we should have won at Baskonia, and we want to prepare for tomorrow's game. We are focusing just one game at a time. Our effort is condensed for tomorrow's game. We don't have too many thoughts on the long term, it's now and here. We're playing against a very specific team, they play with a lot of energy. It's something that we know and we need to display a very energetic and a very smart game."
ALBA Berlin vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (20:00 CET)
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Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs. AS Monaco (20:05 CET)
Oded Kattash, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv head coach
"Monaco is in good form and has strengthened with a dominant big man. They are a very talented and athletic team. After receiving the news about [Jasiel] Rivero's injury, we will be significantly short-handed, especially in our frontcourt, and it will be very challenging. We will need to compensate for the absences and control the rebounds. We will be using slightly different lineups than what we are used to."
Jimmy Clark, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv guard
"I don't look at it as a challenge, I just look at it as another opportunity. It's another opportunity to display what I bring to the team, so that's what I want to do: go out there, play hard, and follow the game plan. We need to be disruptive on the defensive end; I don't think we have too many problems on the offensive end. I just feel like if we can be disruptive end and follow our game plan on the offensive side of the ball, we'll get the win."
Vassilis Spanoulis, AS Monaco head coach
"Last week, we played as one, together, both offensively and defensively. We need to keep up these efforts. Every EuroLeague game is a battle. Even if they're no longer in the playoff race, Maccabi is still a dangerous team. It's a very special situation, not playing at home and without a crowd. We'll have to be ready.”
Elie Okobo, AS Monaco guard
"There are still six games to go to get the best possible EuroLeague ranking. We had a very good week, and everyone played their part in the team's success against Paris. The ball was moving really well, we were making the effort and communicating well. We need to keep up this momentum. Maccabi are always dangerous, and they've just beaten Fener. We'll have to play hard and be very focused, and keep our identity.”
Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. Real Madrid (20:45 CET)
Dusko Ivanovic, Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach
"We play against Real Madrid, which is a team that wants to win and wants to get into the playoffs, but we also want to win because I consider my players and my team a winning team. We want to fight until the end to bring this win home."
Toko Shengelia, Virtus Segafredo Bologna forward
"Very important game tomorrow because we know Real Madrid will come here to try to play the best game possible. I think we right now are trying to build something special and winning this game could be an important step to continue in this direction."
Chus Mateo, Real Madrid head coach
"It's an important challenge ahead of us. We have six games left, but obviously we are only thinking about tomorrow's game against Virtus, a team that is not in the top positions in the EuroLeague but in the Italian League is fighting to be champion. I am sure that, on their court, they will be strong. We have a challenge ahead of us, an opportunity to play a good game away from home and that's how we are approaching it: as something that could be the beginning of a good end to the regular season."
Andres Feliz, Real Madrid guard
"We head into tomorrow's game with a lot of responsibility because we all know the importance of the game against Virtus. We must be prepared to play a tough game in which, obviously, our physical level and our defensive level must be very high if we want to achieve a victory that would be very important for us. We have to be more than ever a team, stay together and believe until the end. I believe we can do it and, as I say, we have to believe until the end."
