PAOK head coach Pantelis Boutskos stated after the game against Murcia:
“I am very proud of my players. We were hungry. We knew that Murcia is an excellent opponent, with great quality and athleticism. We came in with the mindset to be competitive in every possession. On every rebound, we went as if it was the last one of our lives.
We dominated the rebounds because we played with heart and sacrificed ourselves in the game. We had that fire to secure qualification. We dedicate this qualification to the entire PAOK organisation. It’s the 100th anniversary of our club, we have a new owner with a great vision, and a legendary president like Mr. Vezirtzis, who will be part of another final with the team.
These moments are for all our people and the entire organization. I am proud of how our players represented the black and white colors today, and very proud of our fans who were here again and gave us the energy to stay competitive.
We knew the level of Murcia’s athleticism is incredible. They are very strong at home, especially in their domestic league. It was important for us to enter the game with the mentality of sacrifice. Every rebound, every loose ball belonged to us. We said it in the locker room: we had to do the dirty work with self-sacrifice — and that’s exactly what we did.”