PAOK head coach Pantelis Boutskos, speaking after the game against Peristeri Betsson, stated:
“Congratulations to the players for their effort in today’s game. It was a difficult match for two different reasons. First, we had to manage all the emotions and the mental exhaustion from the Final. Secondly, we were facing a great opponent that plays very good basketball. It wasn’t easy to handle the emotions from the Final. We had to approach the game mentally and understand that we need to look forward.
If you don’t suffer, you can’t truly experience it, learn from it, and grow as a player and as a person. It was a Final where we demonstrated ethos and sportsmanship. That makes us proud, but from there on, we must focus on the next day. It’s time to look ahead, because what lies ahead is more important than what has already passed. The past is the past, and what matters is what’s in front of us.
We want to write a great basketball story in the playoffs. Peristeri is a team that plays excellent basketball and is very physical on defense. We expect a tough game in Athens. Since mid-March, we’ve been playing every three days. The only loss that truly cost us in this period was the Final. Even Bilbao had a full week of rest before that game, and it showed in their energy in the second half—the same applies to Peristeri. We must manage things properly to be ready for a big battle on Wednesday.”
When asked about handling the team’s emotional fatigue, a visibly moved Boutskos added:
“We capitalized on the communication channel we’ve built with the players. We are very close to each other. In the most difficult moment, we are united.”