By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Following huge summer signings for Olympiacos and Panathinaikos Aktor, the first collision of the 2024-25 season delivered several controversial moments and overall intensity across the 40 minutes.
The head coach of the Greens, Ergin Ataman pointed to the referees missing a goaltending violation early in the second half of the Stoiximan Super Cup Final in Rhodes on Sunday. Heated complaints led to a technical foul issued against him.
“The game was intense but the quality was not good. We did not play good basketball. Anyway, we hustled for the win. We lost the game by one point. If you consider the play with Mathias Lessort, they did not award us the points and the technical foul. It is too much in this kind of a game,” the Turkish tactician said in a postgame interview with ERT, the state-owned public station of Greece, “They played much better than us, especially in the power forward position.”
“Who remembers which team won this Cup one year ago,” he wondered and continued promising similar developments to the 2023-24 campaign with the Greens winning the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and Greece’s Stoiximan GBL after falling short in the preseason Super Cup, “Be ready for the EuroLeague and Greek League titles. In the end, we will win.”
“We will be better”
On the winning end, Giorgos Bartzokas guided his side to a third consecutive Super Cup in Rhodes.
“For this point of the season, we had a solid game. Panathinaikos is very strong,” he noted, “Every title is important. We do not overlook any title. As noticed, this was not a relaxed game. So, we are happy.”
“[Moustapha] Fall, [Shaquielle] McKissic, and [Nikola] Milutinov are important players for us,” Bartzokas referred to members of the injury list, “When they are back, we will be better.”