Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 34 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.
Pregame quotes hub: 'Our goal is to win the game and clinch the playoff spot'
Makale
8 Dk okuma
Friday, April 11
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (19:30 CET)
Luca Banchi, Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach
"So another crucial game, as expected in this very frenetic end to the regular season. We expect a team that for all season long proved to have all the potential to compete at a high level. We really respect the individual quality of their players and the organization of their game. That's why we need to be very accurate the way we handle the emotion of such a game typology and how we try to express the best continuity for 40 minutes long because I'm pretty sure that Zalgiris Kaunas will be capable to stress our team for all game long. So I really wish that we will finish this regular season with a great performance as a statement of our growth as a team and to prepare the best way possible our post season."
Vincent Poirier, Anadolu Efes Istanbul center
"It will be a big last game at home in the regular season. We need to be concentrated for 40 minutes and play aggressive as we did last week. They have a great transition game and fast players. We have to control the rhythm of the game and dictate our own game. Our goal is to win the game to clinch the playoff spot and finish the regular season in the best way possible at home in front of our fans."
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (20:15 CET)
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens head coach
"We lost the last game on our home court, here against Paris, so before the playoffs start and we have home-court advantage, it is important to keep our home-court aggressiveness, our home-court confidence and to play good basketball to win the game. Crvena Zvezda are a dangerous team, they have dangerous players like [Nikola] Kalinic, [Filip] Petrusev, [Yago] dos Santos, [Codi] Miller-McIntyre, Isaiah Canaan is a very good scorer, so we need to have a good defense everywhere and to attack with balance on offense."
Omer Yurtseven, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens center
"We're prepared. We've been working really hard. These last few days have given us the time to rest and also to prepare, so I don't think we're nervous at all. We're ready. We've got to attack them a bit more inside because they're undersized and we've got to be ready for when their bigs pick and pop, and when their guards get aggressive; they've got a few talented guards. We lost our last game at home, we want to get this one."
Ioannis Sfairopoulos, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade head coach
"A very good team that already has home-court advantage for the playoffs. They've only lost three games at home, so our task won’t be easy. They’re a quality team, but we want to play a good game – on both defense and offense. We have to stay consistent for all 40 minutes, stay in the game, and fight until the end. That’s our goal."
Filip Petrusev, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade forward
"We all know what kind of team they are, what the atmosphere is like over there, and that we’re in for a real test. We’ve been playing well on the road this year, so we definitely have a good chance in Athens. I personally know what to expect there. They have a great crowd, they understand basketball, and they know what their team needs. But honestly, we’ve had a strong record on the road this season – it’s like we come together more, knowing we don’t have the support of our own fans. We’re extra focused. I can’t wait to play there."
FC Barcelona vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna (20:30 CET)
Joan Penarroya, FC Barcelona head coach
"Virtus is a team that is low in the standings, but in the last four games is playing great basketball. They have recovered players and are playing very well. Let's focus on winning tomorrow and we will have more information on how we can finish, but it is impossible to know now. I don't have any certainty. I hope that we finish fourth."
Tomas Satoransky, FC Barcelona guard
"Obviously there are 100 options about how things might turn out, but the most important thing is to focus on winning tomorrow's. Winning this game gives us a lot more options, maybe even getting into the playoffs, but losing the game would mean finishing ninth or 10th. Virtus is playing good of late, not only in the EuroLeague but also in the Italian League, and we just have to focus on them for now. Then we'll see what happens after and we'll prepare for any eventuality."
Dusko Ivanovic, Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach
"Tomorrow we will play the last game of this EuroLeague regular season, where we have not done a good job this year, losing the chance to achieve good results. Tomorrow we have the last chance to do well, trying to get a win. We will play against a team that is playing really well, fast and confidently, and we will have a chance to play a game that will be crucial for them."
Momo Diouf, Virtus Segafredo Bologna center
"Tomorrow's game, despite the standings, will be a tough one from a physical standpoint but also from a mental standpoint because we want to end the EuroLeague season on a positive note and take advantage of that to then dive into the championship with confidence and energy."
Thursday, April 10
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. AS Monaco (20:00 CET)
Vassilis Spanoulis, AS Monaco head coach
"It's such an important game for us. We're up for the challenge. What's the key against ASVEL? Defending well against their creators, having a lot of energy because they run a lot at home, also knowing how to read because they change their defense a lot, you have to be ready to adapt. We need to get a result. The fact that this final round is being played over two days? No, that's not normal. In the future, we'll have to change that."
Nick Calathes, AS Monaco guard
"It's a big game for us, and we're aiming for the best possible playoff position. We need to come in with the right mental approach. Defense will be the basis of everything. After Pana, objectively speaking, we need to show a reaction, it's a must-win game. There are always ups and downs in a season, for every team. What we want now is to show our best basketball. ASVEL? A good team, worth more than their place in the standings. They've got very good guards, like [Nando] De Colo, and solid big men. We have to be ready, and we will be."
FC Bayern Munich vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (20:00 CET)
Gordie Herbert, FC Bayern Munich head coach
"We need to come out from the start with everything we've got and embrace the battle. They rebound extremely well, but tomorrow we need to be better. It’ll be like a boxing match – we have to be physical right away."
Johannes Voigtmann, FC Bayern Munich center
"They’re a very physical, tall team – that’s their DNA. They’ve been playing at a high level recently and rightfully sit at the top. But we want to protect our strong home record and, ideally, qualify directly for the playoffs with a win. In the first leg, we were missing [Vladimir] Lucic and [Niels] Giffey, so we were playing very small. This time, we want to bring our strengths to the table – with all the physicality we’ve got."
Saras Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach
"Bayern is one of the best offensive teams in the EuroLeague this year. Their guard play is unbelievable. They are the number one shooting team in the league. It would be very important to guard the three-point line. Just to understand what we can give up or not because when they play with five players who can shoot the ball, it's very difficult to play defense."
Devon Hall, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul guard
"We've got a good few days to prepare for them. The team has been playing well and obviously got a lot of offensive explosion. So we have been preparing well. We're thankful for our fans who will be able to come out there. With you, we will hopefully feel like a little bit of a home game so we're thankful for them."
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (20:15 CET)
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach
"Maybe in the old days, the first-place ‘curse’ was something that I thought about. But not now. It is important for us to finish first in this very competitive season, where so many teams fight for a spot not just for the playoffs but for the play-ins. I believe that finishing in first place will be a big reward for all the effort we put in from the beginning of the season. But regardless of what will happen, we have confidence and trust in our team. As far as it concerns the game against Maccabi, they have a good roster and a coach, which I sincerely appreciate. Oded Kattash has a more difficult job than any other coach in the EuroLeague. Now that the regular season is coming to an end, we feel tired from all the traveling. Imagine how tired they are that they have to travel, even for their home games in the EuroLeague. That’s why I feel the need to give credit to Maccabi's coach, who, as I have mentioned before, has excellent ideas about the game. It is remarkable that they fight all the games until the end, and they have had some big wins lately. I am sure that tomorrow will be very competitive, as they were in the previous games."
Giannoulis Larentzakis, Olympiacos Piraeus guard
"We want first place. It reflects our effort and the consistency we had during the season. In our minds, there is only the game against Maccabi. Nothing else. They have a good roster, they fight hard in every game, and we must stay focused on our game plan to get the win."
Oded Kattash, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv head coach
"It’s always disappointing not to reach the Play-In or the Playoffs. Under these circumstances – without a home, without our fans, constant travel, changes, and injuries – it's almost unreasonable to expect different results. I don't think any other team would have survived this. I have to give credit to the players, the staff, and the club for surviving this better than could have been expected. And still, assuming we’re not there, we want to focus on the goals that remain."
Levi Randolph, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv forward
"It was a long season – it felt very long – but it also ended abruptly. As a collective, we didn’t achieve the goals we set out for, but I think we showed a promising second half of the season with how we competed and managed to win games. It’s a fitting way to end the season. We started against them and we’re finishing against them. We just want to compete. We showed what kind of team we are and what we’re made of in the second half of the season. We showed fight, character, and continued to improve – which is the main goal. I don’t know what more we could’ve done. Everyone worked hard – the staff worked hard. Despite everything that was against us, I feel like we tried to make the most of what we had – a lot of moving parts in the roster, and it became hard to stay consistent. The main goal was to keep improving – every day, every game, every practice – and I think we did that in the second half of the season. We showed that when we compete, we can win games."
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. Real Madrid (20:30 CET)
Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade head coach
"The last game awaits us in front of our fans, we have an obligation to ourselves and to them to play the most fair and give the maximum. We prepared like for every game so far. Their team managed to stabilize, some players returned from injuries, while others improved their form. They have tremendous quality and lately they have been playing their best games since the beginning of the season. A very demanding game awaits us and we will do our best to play the best we can."
Isaac Bonga, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade forward
"We want to win this game as it’s our last one of the season in the EuroLeague. It means a lot to us to finish it the right way. We need to be mentally prepared, because even after this game, we still have many obligations ahead."
Chus Mateo, Real Madrid head coach
"It has been a very tough regular season in which we have had to fight until the end to try to reach the playoffs. We always try to be as high as possible in all the competitions in which we participate, but, in this case and this year, it has been very difficult for us from the beginning because there has been a huge equality and, in fact, until this last round there is. We are ready to play a good game against an opponent like Partizan, which is very strong and solid in Belgrade and very difficult to beat. We will try to play a good game to have a chance of winning because we know that it is not easy to win there."
Sergio Llull, Real Madrid guard
"We head into tomorrow's game with a lot of excitement knowing that it is very important and that it is the last of the regular season. We can finish in several positions and we have to fight until the end to see where we are in the standings. We expect a very tough game, as always in Belgrade, at a full court with a dedicated crowd and a Partizan side that will play without pressure as they are eliminated, something that makes them more dangerous. We have to try to play a very solid game during the 40 minutes and try to take it to our ground to have a chance to win. It will be important to match their toughness, as Partizan presses a lot and puts a lot of hands, control the rebounding and, on offense, move the ball well and impose our rhythm."
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (20:30 CET)
Ettore Messina, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan head coach
"We are closing a very difficult EuroLeague season. Unfortunately, we had the entire roster available for the first game and one more time early in the season, only. We have won some good and important games and we lost some of them, and ultimately the last few losses doomed our chances to clinch a playoff or play-in berth. We are aware of how much we disappointed our fans, our ownership and, more than anybody else, ourselves. The team will keep working hard. Our goal right now is to regain confidence and recover players to get ready for the Italian League playoffs. However, we fully intend to finish the season on a good note before our people in Milan."
Paris Basketball vs. ALBA Berlin (20:45 CET)
Pedro Calles, ALBA Berlin head coach
"In our last EuroLeague game, we want to compete as hard as we can in order to continue growing as a team. Defensively, we need to be more consistent. We've already taken a step in the right direction, but defending Paris is a tough challenge for any team. They create an environment most teams aren't used to, due to the speed at which they play and the sheer number of three-point shots they take. Controlling TJ Shorts alone is difficult, but we need to keep an eye on every player on the court. It's going to be a tough test that will show us where we stand as a team."
Justin Bean, ALBA Berlin forward
"We know we're going to finish last in the standings – but that doesn't mean we're going to give up on the final game. It's a matter of pride, and we want to end our EuroLeague season on a positive note. Paris is a great team. For us, Thursday will be all about strong communication on the court. We need to defend as a unit. When TJ Shorts drives to the basket, we have to stop him, but at the same time, we need to be aware of where the shooters are at all times, waiting for the pass."
