Dimitris Itoudis gives props to Panathinaikos, breaks down Hayes-Davis' contribution / News - Basketnews.com

After a fierce 45-minute battle, Fenerbahce left the OAKA arena victorious, prevailing over Panathinaikos. Dimitris Itoudis lauded his former team on its effort and analyzed how Nigel Hayes-Davis became the catalyst for the Turkish side.

Credit: Vangelis Stolis Credit Vangelis Stolis

Panathinaikos Athens have played four overtime games in a total of 18 EuroLeague contests.

While their first two were accompanied by wins (Virtus Bologna, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan), the next two were a failure as Valencia Basket, and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul got the best of them.

In a peculiar game that somewhat resembled last year's showdown at OAKA, the winner was different this time around.

Fenerbahce managed to take advantage of Panathinaikos' mistakes in the closing seconds of regulation, found a steal and a big three-point shot by Marko Guduric, and forced the overtime.

The hosts did almost everything wrong, as Paris Lee gave Dimitris Itoudis' team a chance to tie the contest at 78 apiece before both Dwayne Bacon and Mateusz Ponitka missed the potential game-winners.

In the meantime, the referees had turned a blind eye to a foul committed by Devin Booker on the Polish forward with five seconds left on the game clock.

The non-call made Dejan Radonjic and the less than 4.000 home fans angry, but ultimately, PAO wasted too many opportunities to clinch the win that could have ended their five-game losing streak.

Conversely, that was exactly what Fenerbahce were asking for. Five straight losses had put the 2017 EuroLeague champs at a disadvantage, but not too far from the top of the standings.

Fenerbahce are 11-7 and can hope that better days will come, even though - as Itoudis admitted - their performance in Athens doesn't deserve much praise.

"The way the game went, if Panathinaikos had won, it would have been well-deserved," the Greek coach said in the presser.

"They controlled the game due to their aggressiveness on the boards, hustle plays they had. It wasn't the day we could grab rebounds off the glass or the rim. But you can have another translation - that we had good defensive plays and forced them to miss shots, which we couldn't capitalize on.

But in the end, we made some huge plays. Congratulations to my players because they never stopped believing and kept fighting, even though Panathinaikos were ahead and could have won the game," Itoudis went on to say.

"Both teams were pretty nervous. The EuroLeague is relentless, especially when participating in one of the most competitive European leagues, such as the Turkish BSL. Both teams were under pressure due to consecutive defeats," he stressed.

Itoudis translates the 13 steals his team made into a good overall defense, but he also congratulated Panathinaikos "for backing their missed shots with offensive rebounds."

In fact, the Greens collected 26 of them, a new club record and EuroLeague's second-best all-time performance.

Mateusz Ponitka grabbed 10, showcasing his all-around game, but Fenerbahce scored 43 points in the last 15 minutes (fourth quarter and overtime).

No matter how many more possessions the hosts had, it's impossible to beat anyone anywhere when you concede almost three points per minute.

Fener's input late in the game brought to mind their 107-point feast in the first round. It had been quite some time since the Turkish champions saw so many of their players (Carsen Edwards, Johnathan Motley, Marko Guduric, and mostly Nigel Hayes-Davis) score so much. Yet, Itoudis stressed his team's achievements in the rear part of the floor.

"We are a team with an identity, which can lead the opponent to turnovers. I'm not saying we weren't energetic in rebounding the ball, but Panathinaikos have players like Ponitka and Gudaitis, who are constantly pursuing the offensive boards," he explained.

He then broke down how Fenerbahce erased a five-point deficit (73-78) in less than a minute.

"We made a great defensive play with the trap as we drew it, and Marko [Guduric] tied the game. This win gave us some boost, although it wasn't our best performance. We hustled in the key moments, using some tactical fouls," Itoudis argued.

"I like that our players say that team comes first. We had some players coming off the bench and making huge plays. The EuroLeague is a marathon, and every game matters, despite the standings," he added.

The 'team-first' mentality is perhaps personified best in Nigel Hayes Davis, who returned to his early season glory with big plays, crucial shots, and 24 points (8/12 FG). 19 of them were scored after the first half, 10 came in overtime, while seven in a row turned 85-85 to 87-92. Guduric tied it, but the former FC Barcelona power forward won it for Fenerbahce.

"He's a player one could call a catalyst because he can play two or even three positions, from 3 to 5," Itoudis said of Hayes-Davis.

"His mission is to lock down the best player on the opposing team. One of them was Bacon, whose job -as we all know- is to score. He had a period where he wasn't so aggressive.

Today, he went to the low post and made critical shots. It's not easy to have both. He's mostly an off-ball player, but he brings the right mentality.

That's why he waves his index finger showing the number one. It's because he wants to show that his team comes first. It's a blessing that we have him," the 52-year-old specialist commented.

As he had done in the flash interview, Itoudis wished his former team good luck.

"I would like to say a big 'thank you' for the applause, and it's always special to come over here, where we spent 13 amazing years," he concluded.

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