By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Olympiacos beat Panathinaikos to begin the Greek League Finals, winning 89-84 in OAKA.
In the closing minutes of the encounter, Ergin Ataman was ejected with a second technical foul and couldn’t finish the game on the bench.
In the game’s aftermath, the Turkish head coach was furious. “Now I understand why Greek referees are not calling big football games in Greece”, he said about the refs near the media, which were interviewing players.
Per FIBA rules, Ataman was not present in the press conference after being ejected.
The series will now move once to the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus for Game 2 on Friday, while Game 3 will be played once again in OAKA.
Olympiacos and Panathinaikos also went all the way until the end of the season in the EuroLeague, playing the Final Four in Berlin. The red-and-white side ended with the bronze medal, while the Greens won the 7th EuroLeague title by beating Real Madrid.
Ergin Ataman after Game 1 of the Greek Finals: “Now I understand why Greek referees are not calling big football games in Greece” pic.twitter.com/zSlIUKp7di
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) June 5, 2024