Tomorrow afternoon, the Panathinaikos team will depart for Abu Dhabi to compete in the Euroleague Final Four, where they aim to defend the title they secured in Berlin last year. A significant focus among the European champions is the status of Matías Lesor.
After suffering a surprising injury in the match against Baskonia, the French center is eagerly anticipating his return to the game. Coach Ergin Ataman, during his latest remarks on Skweek, confirmed that Lesor will travel to Abu Dhabi and participate in the competition.
Ataman expressed, “If Matías also joins the team and plays, I believe we’ll have the same chemistry as last year, and the semifinal against Fenerbahçe will be a fierce contest,” stated Ataman initially (around the 3-minute mark in the video). In a later interview, he was clear about Lesor’s participation.
When asked, “Will Matías be with the team?” (at 4’20” in the video), Ataman affirmed, “Yes, Matías will play with us.” When pressed about Lesor’s actual involvement, he confidently stated, “He will play, why not?”
Furthermore, the seasoned coach discussed previous matchups against Turkish teams and the fresh challenge ahead…
“Anadolu Efes is a strong club, having reached the playoffs following an incredible finish to the regular season with eight consecutive wins. Many of their players have EuroLeague championship experience, making this matchup very challenging, both mentally and physically.
I have close ties with everyone at Efes, including their president — we consider ourselves family. My closest friends work there, and so does my staff.
The pressure was immense; I even silenced my Turkish phone for two weeks due to the barrage of calls from journalists,” Ataman shared, adding:
“Our squad includes two players from the Turkish national team. It’s not easy for them, as people believe they’re more motivated to win against Turkish teams, but that’s not accurate. It was a tough series, but we managed to triumph in Istanbul and secured our home advantage in the fifth game, which had an incredible atmosphere.”
In regard to the semifinal against Fenerbahçe, Ataman commended their coach, Jasikevičius:
“They have an experienced coach and talented players, especially with the addition of veteran Eric McCollum. They have improved significantly, especially offensively, with Nigel Hayes-Davis being a key player. I also hold great respect for Gündoğdu’s game,” he elaborated, highlighting:
“We defeated them twice during the regular season. We’re gearing up to fight for victory and advance to the final. Fenerbahçe had a great season, finishing second in the standings, while we came in third with one fewer win.
We managed to beat them in both Istanbul and Athens. It will undoubtedly be a challenging game for both teams.”
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