Anadolu Efes’ head coach Ergin Ataman said the semifinal game against Olympiacos was a difficult victory to qualify for the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague final.
Reigning champions Anadolu Efes Istanbul qualified for the final Thursday after beating Olympiacos Piraeus 77-74 with Vasilije Micic’s last-second three-pointer in the semifinal round.
“We started with stress. They started playing hard. Shane Larkin put the team together with a great performance and we came back to the game. We played very well in the second half, but we couldn’t break it. We wasted 3-4 positions easily until the last ball. On the ball, our plan was to keep the draw and attack in the last 5-6 seconds. Vasilije Micic shot, got it, and we are in the final,” said Ataman.
Ataman said Elijah Bryant is the second hero of the game.
“Elijah Bryant is the secret hero of the match. They locked Larkin and Micic at the beginning of the match. We couldn’t use James Anderson there and we turned to Bryant. We started to score with his creativity. (Chris) Singleton is great in defense too. He did a great job. I would like to thank the fans who came here. We will bring another trophy to Turkiye from here,” he said.
Ataman also expressed his happiness in celebrating Turkiye’s May 19, 1919 Commemoration of Ataturk, Youth and Sports Day more with their victory.
“I am very happy. Today is the Youth and Sports Day, gifted by Ataturk. I said that I wanted to contribute to this holiday. I am sure that many people all over Turkiye are experiencing great happiness. There was a challenging atmosphere,” he said.
Micic after the game told Anadolu Agency that he hopes the Turkish people will enjoy the May 19, 1919 Commemoration of Ataturk, Youth and Sports Day even more with their victory.
Turkiye on Thursday is celebrating the Commemoration of Ataturk, Youth and Sports Day, a milestone day for the beginning of the country’s War of Independence.
”I want to congratulate the Turkish people on the holiday. We all feel part of the Turkish nation because we represent Turkiye as a country and we are very proud of that. I hope that the Turkish people today feel good about our victory and enjoy it more,” he said.
Micic also said that the support from Anadolu Efes’ fans at the game was felt by the players.
”Amazing game, an amazing atmosphere. Whoever watched the game enjoyed it. Our friends from Turkiye were not as many as Olympiacos’ fans, but still, we felt enough support from them. Beautiful game. The last time out was very similar to the previous game where the coach also called offense for me, but I attacked too early. I had an opportunity to attack back. Today I played smarter. I didn’t rush. I stayed until the end very focused, and if I missed again, we would go into overtime. But I scored, and I am very happy,” he said.
Shane Larkin said Micic “wrote a story” in his homeland Serbia.
”Micic made an unbelievable shot. It is like a story. You come home, you should have set back three to take it to the final. I am very happy for him, I am very proud of him,” he said.
Larkin said that overall, throughout the season, Anadolu Efes stayed focused and confident.
”I am very happy to be here and very grateful for this experience. It has been a great, long tough year. I don’t think a lot of people would be expected to be right here from where we started. We as a team stayed together and stayed confident, and now here we are with another chance to be a champion,” said Larkin.
He added that the next opponent does not matter — they will play hard.
”The next opponent does not really matter. If I say Barcelona, it’s a tough team. If I say Real Madrid, it’s also a tough team. So at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who we play against. They are both in the Final Four for a reason. We are going to focus, play hard, and it will be alright.”
Shane Larkin dropped 21 while Elijah Bryant added 16 in the win at the Stark Arena in Belgrade.
The game was Anadolu Efes’ third straight qualification for the EuroLeague final.
In the final on Saturday, Anadolu Efes will take on the winner of the Real Madrid-Barcelona game, which will be held later Thursday.
Source: Anadolu Agency