By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
After leading Anadolu Efes to the EuroLeague Final Four for a third consecutive time, Ergin Ataman explained how proud he is for both the accomplishments of his team and the way these successes have inspired people in Turkey.
“I’m proud of this team,” Ataman said after the win of Efes over Olimpia Milano in Game 4 of the playoffs. “We are all proud. Because this team has made people in Turkey love basketball again. We’ve been playing sold out for the last 9 – 10 games. Even I couldn’t provide tickets to many of my friends and colleagues for these two games. People enjoy watching Anadolu Efes, coming here, and watching the team on a screen. Children and youth… we are proud that a Turkish team has achieved this success. I think that this is the biggest success of this team.”
Efes will defend its title in the Final Four after a regular season of some major ups and downs. There were some big issues for the Turkish powerhouse, particularly at the start of the campaign but nothing that could shake Ataman’s confidence.
“Of course, there were times when we had difficulties,” Ataman said. “In the first half of the season, we thought: We were at the top three years in a row and then after we became champions, we had a saturation. Maybe we could call it overconfidence. We didn’t start well, the opponents fought hard against us because we are the championship team. This added some extra level of competitiveness in every match. We experienced some uneasiness there but we didn’t panic.”
Ataman said that he looks forward to a rematch of last season’s championship game against Barcelona and recalled a controversial move he made when he was ejected in Palau Blaugrana during the regular season.
“You remember, there was a game in Barcelona where I was kicked out and got very angry. I raised my fists because I thought I was ejected unfairly. I got a lot of criticism after that match. Everyone said, ‘Is this the way it’s done? Can the fists be lifted like that?’ But no one understood that message. That message was for today. Now let Barcelona wait for us. I hope we meet Barcelona in the Final.”