By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Following Panathinaikos’ defeat against Real Madrid with Rudy Fernandez’s game-winner, Rick Pitino commented on the outcome of the game in the post-game press conference.
“It was a heart-breaking loss. We allowed luck to become an element in the game with our shot selection down the stretch. I don’t think we could’ve run our offense any better in the first quarter. We blew a golden opportunity and we have no one to blame but ourselves”.
About whether he considered a foul in the last position, Pitino was clear. “We played good defense. The guy threw up the ball like that, you can’t ask a question about fouling. I was very happy with that defense. It was outstanding. We let luck, a lucky shot become an element.”
“If you’re up by three, you foul. You gotta understand the game. The game was lost because we had 4-on-1 breaks, got the ball rejected, didn’t get the rebounds when we had the ball on our hands. Those are things you can control. Shooting an airball, missing a shot, you can’t control that. But taking a smart shot, that you can control”, added Panathinaikos’ coach.