Kattash on being fired from PAO: 'I still don't understand why I left' / News - Basketnews.com

Oded Kattash still wishes he had been given some explanation for being let go from Panathinaikos in the summer of 2021.

Credit: Vangelis Stolis Credit Vangelis Stolis

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv put up a fight at OAKA, turning a nine-point deficit (74-83) into a one-point lead (86-85) in the last minute, but ultimately lost 86-88 to hosts Panathinaikos in Athens.

Player of the Game EFF 23 Derrick Williams Points 17 Accuracy 6-9 Rebounds 5 Assists 1

Bonzie Colson's career record 29 points was not enough for the Israeli powerhouse, who dropped to a 10-9 record. On Monday, Maccabi will host Bnei Herzliya at home for the quarterfinals of the State Cup.

On the other hand, Panathinaikos overcame a bad momentum and a six-game losing streak, forcing the guests to their 8th loss in a total of 10 away games. Conversely, Maccabi are 8-1 in Tel Aviv, which basically explains why they haven't been able to find some consistency.

However, for PAO to win, Derrick Williams needed to hit a tough 3-point shot that largely decided the outcome. On the other end, Wade Baldwin misfired from the top of the key, as time ran out.

"Obviously, when games finish like that, everyone's thinking about the last shot," coachOded Kattashreflected in the postgame presser.

"We started the first quarter really flat. We weren't aggressive enough and let them run their system easily. We didn't bother them," he added.

Panathinaikos were up by seven and eight points at different times during the game, but Maccabi came up with a way to reduce the deficit, and even take the lead.

"In the second quarter, we made a better effort," Kattash continued. "Some of their big players made big shots. To win an away game in EuroLeague, you have to be consistent for 40 minutes. We missed a big opportunity tonight," he lamented.

Looking at the EuroLeague standings, it's clear that things are quite complicated. The distance separating the leaders from the lower-placed teams can be easily covered.

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv / Schedule

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade90-81 Panathinaikos Athens Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv88-86 Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv ALBA BerlinThu19:05

"This year is something special," Kattash thinks. "The EuroLeague is really competitive, with no easy games. We have some surprising results. It's challenging for us, but I like it," he added.

Although Alex Poythress followed the squad in Athens, he'll most likely be sidelined for several months with a torn wrist ligament. Before the game, Kattash confirmed that the team is out on the market in search of a big man.

"I already said that we are looking for, need, and want a player. I hope we find the right player for us. The entire organization has been mobilized. Compared to the other EuroLeague teams, we are lagging behind in that part," Kattash pointed out.

After Maccabi's loss at OAKA, the 47-year-old tactician admitted that Poythress "is a very big part of our team and we're missing him a lot."

Kattash believes that his team has found a way to get good results under the circumstances, even though he repeated that they're looking to get another player as a replacement.

For Kattash, who played for Panathinaikos in the 1999-2000 season winning the Greek league and the EuroLeague title before also coaching the Greens for six months in 2021, it was his first return to Athens as an opponent in an official game. Maccabi participated in the 2022 Pavlos Giannakopoulos tournament but didn't get to play vs. the host team.

In some previous statements, Kattash had expressed his disappointment with the way Frangiskos Alvertis and Dimitris Diamantidis, the club's GMs at the time, had handled his case. The Israeli coach still can't figure out why he was let go in the summer of 2021, despite winning both domestic titles (Cup and league) with the team.

"In a way, I've put it behind me," he commented.

"The situation with me leaving Panathinaikos wasn't easy because I didn't understand why. Until now, I haven't really understood [why I left]," he argued.

"But I've put it behind me. That's the coach's life. We have to move on," Kattash stoically remarked.

"Tough loss, we fought well," said Bonzie Colson, who broke six career records in the loss to PAO. The former Milwaukee Bucks forward netted 29 points on an astounding 12/13 from the field, plus 14 rebounds for a PIR of 41. But his show wasn't enough.

"We got some stops, but we need to learn from it and get better. Basketball is a game of runs and we couldn't get stops when we wanted to. PAO deserve the credit," Colson pointed out.

"It was a very difficult game, both teams played hard and fought. They just scored one more shot than us and that's what was decisive," said Josh Nebo, who appeared optimistic ahead of the next game.

"We came back, we gave ourselves a chance and that's what we have to take with us to the next game," the athletic big man thinks.

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