After Olympiacos won against Panathinaikos (89-94) in the first EuroLeague derby of the season in the packed O.A.K.A, Nikola Milutinov, the best player on the court, was more than thrilled to talk to the Serbian media representatives.
“This game was the big deal for all of us and we should play like this in every game. We have winning streak now, we won some big games but in the beginning of the season we lost some important games. The biggest lost was against Panathinaikos in the Greek League. We played bad in that game and after that one we discussed together as the team. After that match we found our game. In my opinion we are on the right track, but it is still early, there are lot of games ahead of us”, said Milutinov.
Milutinov was injured at the beginning of the season, but he is slowly returning. In the last EuroLeague derby, when Olympiacos was the host, Nikola was injured as well, but this night he was the one of leading players of Olympiacos.
“I din’t play in the last EuroLeague derby in the previous season, but I was in the roster for the Greek League against Pao, so I have experience playing in these kinds of games. It was always good to play in these kinds of atmosphere. The fans were amazing, not easy for us, but it is always better when arena is packed. That is what makes it more special, especially if you win here”, Milutinov mentioned Panathinaikos’ fans who witnessed the highest-scoring non-overtime Greek derby in the modern EuroLeague.
Nikola Milutinov managed to use Panathinaikos’ miss-match in the defense especially with the players who were guarding him. He managed to escape them and score, or while they were chasing him, they lost the track of other Olympiaco’s players who use that crack in the Green’s defense.
“I managed to escape them, but really, to be honest, I was just trying to do some small things for the team. As you all know, I was out for month and the half after my injury and now I am trying to get back on track and same as I was before the injury. These kinds of the games helps me a lot, especially if it is derby and if I can be the big part in the win of my team”, said Milutinov who revealed what city he would like to be the host of the Final 4.
“Belgrade, of course!”
