Serelis comments on decision to bench Dwayne Bacon and his future / News - Basketnews.com

"The team is above everyone else," Christos Serelis emphasized.

Credit: Vangelis Stolis Credit Vangelis Stolis

Panathinaikos Athens overturned a 16-point deficit with a huge second-half performance to take down Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 75-66 on Friday night. The Greens ended a six-game losing run, while head coach Christos Serelis got his maiden victory in the EuroLeague competition.

Player of the Game EFF 22 Georgios Papagiannis Points 17 Accuracy 7-10 Rebounds 7 Assists 2

Despite Serelis' achievement, the main focus of the post-game conference was his decision to bench Dwayne Bacon and leave the PAO star out of the 12-man roster for the Round 28 match vs. Red Star.

Serelis emphasized that no one is above the team regarding the decision to sit out Bacon.

"We are working, we are a team and we have to understand that the team wins, not individuals. Basketball is more interesting than Bacon or any player. I have nothing special to say about Bacon. He did not play a game, as other players had not played at other times.

I think the most important thing is the team, and those, who understand this [vision], will always play. The team is above everyone else and the only way for the team to win is the one you saw in the second half," the 48-year-old said, via Gazzetta.gr.

Bacon has been in a slump recently, averaging just 1.7 PIR in the last three games.

"I'm not downplaying the issue at all," Serelis commented on Bacon's future. "It's our first win after six straight EuroLeague defeats. There are some guys who played and only conceded 24 points in the second half, we have to talk about them."

Finally, the Greek coach answered the question of whether he feels vindicated about the decision to leave Bacon out.

"I didn't say those things. I feel neither justified nor unjustified," he underlined.

With Friday's victory, Panathinaikos improved to a 9-19 record and currently ranks 16th in the EuroLeague standings.

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