Ergin Ataman after Maccabi loss: 'If we don't reach Final Four, I won't coach PAO next year' / News - Basketnews.com

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens head coach Ergin Ataman had interesting remarks to share after an 87-91 loss to Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in Game 1 of the EuroLeague Playoffs.

Credit: Vangelis Stolis Credit Vangelis Stolis

Ergin Ataman and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens suffered an upset defeat at the hands of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in the Playoffs Game 1 with a score of 87-91.

In the post-game press conference, the Turkish coach shockingly stated that he would leave PAO if they were not able to reach the Final Four this year.

"I believe we are a much, much better team than Maccabi. 0-1 is not very important for us. We need to come back to our shape and game," Ataman said. "I promised all the people here that we would go to the Final Four. My promise is that 0-1 is not important. If we don't go to the Final Four, I will not be with Panathinaikos next year," he said before quickly leaving the hall without any further elaboration.

Another topic on Ataman's agenda was the officiating, which he also criticized in his immediate post-game remarks.

"We didn't play well but two fouls on 3-point shots. Ridiculous. I don't understand. This is not fair for basketball to give six points to Baldwin every time in that position," Ataman critiqued the fairness of referee decisions. "So, this is not fair."

"Anyway, so we didn't play well. In any case, we had a chance to win the game. We missed a lot of open shots, and we made a turnover on the last ball [and] Maccabi won the game," he then explained about how they let the game go Maccabi's way.

Despite the unexpected loss, Ataman made one of his trademark bold claims and expressed his firm belief that they would be able to reach Final Four glory.

"Just 0-1. We will win this series."

The next game of the series will be on April 25 at 20:15 CEST at the OAKA Arena once again.

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