PAOK head coach Pantelis Boutskos stated after the game against Karditsa:
“I must give a lot of credit to our players. They gave everything they had—it was very difficult to stay focused after the huge effort against Murcia. We essentially prepared for this game only through video, without any on-court practice.
We were facing a very experienced team that reached the Round of 16 in the BCL, with a quality Greek core and well-established foreign players. Our lack of energy was evident, especially in the rebounding. This was our sixth game in 18 days, played at such high intensity. It’s a difficult situation because we need to manage both the workload of our players and the risks involved in such a competitive league.
I want to salute the effort and heart shown by the players. The support we received from our fans when we made the comeback was crucial. Nothing would have happened without the energy they gave us.
We take the win and now focus on the very important game coming up on Wednesday. Before coming to ‘Palataki’, Murcia had 10 wins in 11 games and had only lost to Valencia, while their last defeat in the competition was back in October. We need to make adjustments to our game plan, as we expect a very tough atmosphere there.”
On the difficult decision regarding Tyree:
“It was definitely a difficult decision. Tyree was questionable even before the Mykonos game. He had a strong desire to play then, just like today. We had to manage the risk—his determination and willingness to play were incredible. That says a lot about his character, but all our players are like that. Each one sacrifices for the teammate next to him.
I’m very proud to coach players like this. There is no concern regarding his availability for the Murcia game. There is, however, significant fatigue. We tried to give him some rest because the schedule is extremely demanding. He also sacrifices a lot on the defensive end.”