Ergin Ataman: 'Two more wins and we'll be champions' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: imago images/Seskim Photo-Scanpix Credit imago images/Seskim Photo-Scanpix

The reigning Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champs Anadolu Efes Istanbul slipped by AX Armani Exchange and advanced to their third consecutive Final Four.

Player of the Game EFF 37 Tibor Pleiss Points 25 Accuracy 8-9 Rebounds 6 Assists 0

The head coach of the team Ergin Ataman was ecstatic with this huge achievement.

"First of all, big congratulations to my dear best friend Ettore Messina and his team," the Turkish mastermind said post-game on EuroLeague TV. "It was a great series. We had more luck, especially. All four games, the same kind. We won the game in the last 2 minutes. They also played incredibly.

It is not easy to play in this atmosphere," Ataman continued. "I want to say one more time: great atmosphere, one of the best atmospheres in the world. I am happy for my team, for my players because this team deserves to come back to Final Four.

Two more games for the title. I said last week that we will win again. We will go back-to-back. Now everyone will see that we will be in the Final Four and we will win again!"

Anadolu Efes will meet either Olympiacos Piraeus or AS Monaco in the EuroLeague semifinals. The Greek powerhouse is leading the way in that series 2-1.

Subscribe to BN+ and get access to exclusive content.