Ergin Ataman comments on Monaco's chances to win EuroLeague title / News - Basketnews.com

Ergin Ataman says that now it's very difficult to say whether Monaco will be a candidate for the 2022-23 EuroLeague title.

, Reuters-Scanpix Credit BasketNews/D.Repečka, Reuters-Scanpix

AS Monaco forced defending champions Anadolu Efes Istanbul to their first defeat in the new 2022-23 EuroLeague season winning an overtime drama.

Player of the Game EFF 25 Alpha Diallo Points 15 Accuracy 5-10 Rebounds 9 Assists 7

Following a loss, Ergin Ataman was asked if Monaco's statement win shows they might be title contenders this year.

"It's only the second week, so now everybody can beat anybody," he said. "But Monaco is a strong team. This year they build a competitive squad. It will be very difficult to win in this gym for everybody.

"The season is long, and now it's very difficult to say that they will be candidates for the title. But they're a good team and they'll for sure fight for the playoffs or the Final Four," Ataman added.

Meanwhile, Sasa Obradovic named Anadolu Efes as the title favorite.

"I think it was a great basketball promotion for our fans who came to support us. We played a team who are title favorites again for a reason. When Shane Larkin is back, they will have even more quality," the Serbian specialist pointed out.

"On paper, it's visible we can play anybody and we can have all our hopes," he later commented on his team. "But okay, it's early in the season. We have guys who are taking over different roles with time. We're expecting some other guys like Jordan Loyd to find a rhythm. All in all, it's good to win. It's good to analyze through wins. But it's still a very long way to go."

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