Priftis: 'We handled the last possession in a silly way' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Valery Sharifulin/TASS-Scanpix Credit Valery Sharifulin/TASS-Scanpix

Panathinaikos had their back against the wall once more, being down by two points in the final seconds of a closed game, but ultimately UNICS Kazan came out with a win at OAKA, the Russian squad's first away from their home court in the EuroLeague season.

Player of the Game EFF 16 Lorenzo Brown Points 13 Accuracy 5-10 Rebounds 8 Assists 2

In the post-game press conference, Dimitris Priftis addressed the reasons for his team's seventh loss (2-7). The Greek coach made reference to the last possession and also to Yogi Ferrell's DNP.

"Unfortunately, it's a bad result for us the way it came. We tried, according to our abilities and our condition. We handled the last possession in a silly way. We had the chance to find a better shot. We've got to move on," Priftis said in his opening remarks.

Asked about Yogi Ferrell not suiting up for the game, he replied: "UNICS played with big bodies. We are a short team overall, and I had to make a choice on who I was going to use. Perry found some rhythm towards the end. I also gave a chance to Nedovic to play some minutes," he explained.

Papapetrou had been 2-of-10 on three-point shots until the last possession, with 19 seconds remaining on the clock. He didn't manage to hit the game-winning shot; yet, that was not what Priftis had planned.

"I am responsible for the way our last possession ended up. The ball arrived at Papapetrou's hands, and he took the responsibility, but our plan was for Macon to execute. That's why Ioannis ended up shooting a very tough three," Panathinaikos's bench boss said.

"Lorenzo Brown made a basket he can make. Some moments were crucial, like Papapetrou's foul on Hezonja behind the backboard. We didn't handle the small details the right way and shot poorly from behind the arc."

Referring to the problems that the Greens are dealing with, Priftis added:

"I want us to mesh. We are not playing well and the way I would want us to. It's obvious. We're trying at practice and in games, but we need to work more.

Our problem is 100% mental because we come off of consecutive losses which have taken a toll on us", the 54-year-old coach concluded.

On the other end, Velimir Perasovic emphasized luck as a factor for his team's "escape" from OAKA.

"I'm very happy because it's always difficult to win in OAKA. We know that for Panathinaikos, victory was very important after their loss in Belgrade.

We started very bad, but finally found a way to stop the creation from their outside players. In the final minutes, we were luckier. Our shots went in, theirs didn't, and victory went our side", the Croatian coach commented.

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