This is what the protagonists had to say after the Round 33 showdown between Panathinaikos OPAP Athens and Real Madrid.
Post-game quotes: Panathinaikos vs. Madrid
Dimitris Priftis, Panathinaikos OPAP Athens head coach:
“It was a good night for us. A good win. Congrats to the players. We had a good mindset. It was very important that we had the 5 turnovers to 18 assists ratio. That is a very good ratio for our offensive game. In some moments we had good defenses. It’s nice that we got this win in our last home game in the EuroLeague. It’s a pity that we didn’t get more wins like this one during the season. But that is a long story.”
Pablo Laso, Real Madrid head coach:
“We started with no concentration. We let them get into the game. They got a quick lead. We fought the rest of the game to get back. They played very good. But I think the worst thing was our beginning of the game. We didn’t understand anything and we let them get the lead - not just on the scoreboard but also on defense and offense. We fought so much to get back into it but it was not enough.
"Congratulations to Panathinaikos for the victory. In general, they played better than us. Sometimes basketball is as simple as that. I think the game for spectators was very nice to watch: good percentages for both teams. But for me, I think we can play much better as a team. I’m not worried about one guy not hitting shots. As the Real Madrid coach, I think we can play better. I don’t want to take away credit from Panathinaikos. Because I think they played very good. For sure. But I think we can play much better than we did today.”
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Georgios Papagiannis, Panathinaikos OPAP Athens center:
“Against Maccabi, I didn’t do a good job but today with the last home game of the season I wanted to give my best from the beginning until the final buzzer sounded. I’m really happy that we beat Madrid here because we have lost many games to them. We have two more games away and want to finish the season successfully... I got motivation every game, but especially tonight against Edy [Tavares]. He’s a really good player and I think it was a great matchup for both of us.”
Ioannis Papapetrou, Panathinaikos OPAP Athens forward:
“I am happy to be back. I tried to contribute for a good 20 minutes. I am very tired. The fatigue got the best of me. I think I need to work a little bit more to be back and 100 percent. I don’t feel near 100 percent yet, but I am happy we got the win. I am happy for these fans because they came to watch a good game and I think it was a fun game against a very good team. I’m happy but we need to keep improving. We need to play these last two EuroLeague games hard.”