Here are some insightful comments about the game from the protagonists themselves.
Pre-game quotes: Fenerbahce vs. Panathinaikos
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach Aleksandar Djordjevic:
"I am sure that the right motivation for this game can be the way we lost in Athens and how we played the last 15 seconds of the game and the mistakes we made, how we actually gave a gift to the Panathinaikos team, which I do highly respect. Their motion game, which is based on the creation of their guards, is one of their biggest strengths with their big men, who can take advantage of those creations. Panathinaikos is a team who plays uptempo game. We have to be ready to match-up their transition game and definitely use our strength, use our concentration and way of thinking in order to develop and grow our organization. And it is a game that needs this play making level in general to be lifted on our side. We are still working on some guys coming back from a long period of injuries and they are slowly getting back into their game shape. This is our biggest goal right now together with getting a win, for sure."
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul player Metecan Birsen:
"Our last two games in EuroLeague and we want to finish the season with wins. Although we were far from our playoff goal, we played well against Bayern Munich and won the game. And now we want to play good for 40 minutes and get the win against Panathinaikos."
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Panathinaikos OPAP Athens head coach Dimitris Priftis:
"This is the last game of this year in EuroLeague for us. We want to finish the season as well as possible, so we will try to play for the win. We still have some issues that we need to manage but we will do our best to be competitive."
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens player Ioannis Papapetrou:
"Against ALBA Berlin we tried, but we were not exactly as we would have liked. We received a lot of easy baskets, as a result of which we were left behind in the score and we lost. In this particular game, we had Nedovic's injury, a fact that saddened us all. We hope to have him with us soon. Against Fenerbahce we want to give 100 percent, especially defensively. Rhythm control is important in away games."