Anadolu Efes head coach, Ergin Ataman, wasn’t very pleased with the referees, following his team’s loss to Real Madrid (82-84).
Here is what the experienced coach said in the post-game press conference:
On his players’ performance: “We played a great game. I’m proud of my players. I think we dominated the game. We were spectacular. After we got a 14-point lead, we lost our respect in the last quarter.
We made too many mistakes. In the last 5 minutes, we didn’t make the shots we made in the first 35 minutes. I remember only once that Madrid had the lead, at the beginning. They got the lead twice and won the game.”
On the referees: “We showed everybody that we could be the EuroLeague champions. Once again we showed it. I want more respect. We’ll talk with the management. I think the referees have made very critical and important mistakes.
They made a rule mistake. After Bryant Dunston‘s technical foul, the shot clock had to start at the remaining time. There were four seconds left, but they started with 14 seconds.”
On whether they will request from the EuroLeague to repeat the game: “We objected to this 2-3 times. They said: “No, No.” What no? That’s a rule. We will go to the EuroLeague and ask to repeat the game.”
On whether Anadolu Efes can challenge for the EuroLeague title: “When you open and check Ataman’s biography, you can see 16-17 trophies. Only the EuroLeague trophy is missing and it will come this year.”
