By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Ergin Ataman said it all along the season and he doesn’t have any problem sticking with it. Anadolu Efes still has a monkey on their back, after last season was canceled due to COVID.
Efes was having a spectacular 2019-20 season but ultimately couldn’t compete for the trophy. One year later, Efes is ready to go in the final and Ataman hopes that his team finally gets what they deserved.
You have said all season long that there’s something that it’s owed to your team. Do you think it’s time to take it?
“I hope so! It’s been two years that we talk about this. We deserve it. We played our best basketball, the best basketball in Europe and now it’s time. We lost in 2019 in the final, last year we didn’t have the chance to compete for the title due to the pandemic, and this year we are again in the final. Maybe it’s time. On the other hand, Barcelona after many, many years will be playing in a final. So we will fight.
What’s your plan in order to release some of the pressure before the game?
“I don’t intend to do anything special. Every game in Euroleague is important. Just on Friday, we had a semifinal. And we showed at the beginning of the game that we are ready to play and we played perfect basketball. In the last quarter when we lost our concentration, it was not because of the pressure. We just had an off game in the last quarter. So also in the final, we are going to play our game. Of course, we want to win, our supporters want the same, there’s a big emotion in Turkey for our tea, but we know that on the court we must do our job without any pressure”.
Do you expect that Nick Calathes will play or not?
“That’s maybe a question for Saras (laughs). But anyway, we are ready to play against Calathes. We faced them also in the regular season with Calathes on the game so we are ready for everything. We will not make any plans for facing a team without Calathes”.
Do you have any explanation about the fact that your team seems in the last crucial games to shut down without any reason?
“Maybe we have a short rotation, maybe we have to use more players when we get to a 15-point difference. We gave to some of our bench players only a couple of minutes and maybe that’s not enough for them, in order to give their full effort. Maybe we need to rest our starters a bit more in order to return and be fresher in the last quarter”.
Do you feel that no matter what happens in the final, there’s a sense that a circle is closing?
“I really don’t know, I don’t know what the future may bring. But I know that we will do everything to win this cup”.