Kevin Pangos, Milan: 'We were having fun out there'

Ettore Messina, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan head coach
(On finding energy in defense through the opening three quarters): “We found energy there, but we played much more balanced offense from the middle of the third quarter until the end. Brandon Davies gave us the presence inside and we were disciplined in trying to find Billy Baron.
The two point guards [Shabazz Napier and Kevin Pangos] controlled the tempo and that was a big key for us, but yes, but we can’t imagine winning a EuroLeague game without playing good defense. Probably [Partizan] played a little below their usual standard, while we played a good game and came out with the win.
“We are all extremely happy because we beat a tough team that plays defense with great discipline. You could see how Coach Obradovic has kept improving his team throughout the season. After a slow start, when we missed shots because we weren’t competing, the team reacted extremely well. We stepped up the defense and we were very disciplined in looking for [Billy] Baron’s shots. Brandon [Davies] had a very good game together with Kyle [Hines] and Nicolo [Melli]. The two point guards [Shabazz Napier and Kevin Pangos] controlled the tempo and that was of big help to us. We will keep trying to improve and go game by game, so we’ll see what happens. Let me also thank the fans again, who were challenged big time in the fans’ contest by this incredible crowd of Serbian people who came here. It was a great game for both sides as it was really hard-fought by all players on the court.”
Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade head coach
“We didn’t play well offensively at all. First of all, because Milan was aggressive while we were very slow. They deserved to win the game.
"I want to congratulate Milan for their victory – they deserved to win the game because they played very aggressive. For us, it was the worst game offensively because of Milan’s aggressiveness and because we were very slow. It was impossible to win the game as we had 8 assists and 18 turnovers. The opening three quarters were very close, but the last quarter decided everything and, once again, congratulations to Milan. They played a very good game. We were without energy and played very slow on offense."
Brandon Davies, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan center
“We played great as a team, everyone shared the ball and was looking for each other. The point guards we have, I get spoon-fed and it makes my job easy. We did it collectively. We were all helping each other and taking care of our duties defensively. We made mistakes but we played hard and that made the difference.”
Kevin Pangos, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan guard
“I thought we played well today. We had some lapses; we weren’t making shots, but overall we were having fun out there. When we’re having fun and playing together, we are at our best. I missed basketball for three or four months and it was really difficult, I missed that competitiveness. I just wanted to be out there and compete again, there is nothing like it.”