Ataman: 'At half time, I never thought that the game would turn like this' / News - Basketnews.com

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It was Anadolu Efes Istanbul game like a summary of the entire EuroLeague season in a nutshell. Ups and downs, erratic movements, great excitement, and a not so predictable comeback.

Player of the Game EFF 16 Nicolo Melli Points 10 Accuracy 4-8 Rebounds 6 Assists 1

But in the end, it was AX Exchange Milan who won their first game away from home in 20 days and earned a huge advantage for the Top 4 finish.

"It was two different games. In the first half, we played especially, and on the court, we put our aggressive defense, rebounds, and transition offense," said Ergin Ataman.

"At the half time, I never thought that the game would turn like this," he admitted.

Indeed, it did not look like a game that could turn like this after Efes' offensive bonanza for 20 minutes. 51 points scored, 15 points differential, 10 made threes signaled even a renewal of their own record in this category.

Milano could not bite by any means; Efes only committed 4 fouls.

But starting with the 2nd half, Anadolu Efes found themselves in dire straits when it comes to offensive efficiency. They missed 5 field goals in a row and could not score until 3:30 left in the 3rd quarter.

All of a sudden, we almost travel in time to go back 3 days ago, to the beginning of the Real Madrid game, where Tavares and Poirier switch on Larkin and Micic to stop them pretty well.

Only 10 points in a quarter were way below Efes' superior offensive capability.

"Milano started to make a switching defense and broke our offensive rhythm," Ataman explained.

"We got demoralized and started to commit bad turnovers and missing free throws. In defense, all possessions were one-on-one, especially with Shavon Shields and Sergio Rodriguez. It was a strange game for us. Milano played very smartly in the 2nd half."

3-pointers this season

37%10,1Points made:10,1Accuracy:37,3%Place in standings:1Record max:22Record min:4Most made 3FGs:Shane LarkinTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Was this a problem only today, a double-game week thing, a temporary collapse that does nothing to do with the structural solidity? Or were Efes exposed for a potential deficiency that could be attacked in the playoffs?

"Time to time, it is true that opponent manages to break our fluidity in the offense with the switching scheme. They could slow us down," told Ataman.

"The problem is, we cannot bring the ball into the paint in these situations. Today, the same problem arose again with turnovers when we were trying to get the ball to the bigs.

But there is no reason for this. Our guards like Vasilje Micic, Shane Larkin, or Rodrigue Beaubois have no reason to stall against rather slow legs of Nicolo Melli, but this did not work tonight," Ataman said.

On the other hand, Ettore Messina credited his players for the comeback. Things could have gone worse after the heartbreaking loss came at the hands of Maccabi in Tel Aviv.

Instead, five players finished the game in double-digits (Datome, Shields, Delaney, Rodriguez, Melli), and things were not even that close in the end. It was a clear victory.

What did Messina possibly tell his players during halftime?

"Nothing special. This is a team composed of people who are very responsible. They found a way somehow to correct their mistakes," he revealed.

"Very important win against the reigning champions and one of the favorites of this season's Euroleague, too. We had a fantastic second half. I believe not the coaches but the players win the games. Today, it was really the players who won the game. We finally got our confidence back again after a couple of losses we did not like," added Messina.

After all, Milan took a big step for a Top 4 and possibly Top 3 finish. Efes were aiming the same, but now, they will lose all their home-court advantage chances if Olympiacos win only one of their remaining games. Besides, Ataman clarifies that even 5th place is not guaranteed.

"We were expecting Olympiacos to lose against Barcelona, and then in our minds, if we could've won our remaining games, we could clinch the home advantage with Top 4. Our chances for the 4th place was beyond 50% if we would have won tonight, but now, it is below 10%," Ataman admitted.

"We need to win two more games to guarantee the playoffs. We need to win against Bayern. Our concentration is to make sure that we are in the playoffs, targeting the 5th place," concluded Efes' head coach.

Efes' next game is against Bayern on the 29th of March at home, while AX Armani Exchange Milan will play against Bayern in five days in Milan.

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