Anadolu Efes head coach Igor Kokoskov, who lost 79-69 to Fenerbahçe Beko in the Turkish derby in the 6th week of the Basketball Europa League, said that they lost by not being able to respond to the physical play shown by the yellow-dark blue team.
The Serbian head coach answered the questions of the press members after the match played at Turkcell Basketball Development Center.
Kokoskov stated that they were disappointed with the result and said:
“It was a very long night. I did not expect a press conference that would last 40 minutes. We should not forget that we all have a life outside of basketball. Thank you for your patience and for being with us later in the night. We must not forget that a basketball match lasts 40 minutes. Playing well in 30 minutes is not enough. Our opponent put up a tough fight. What we are talking about is that our legs are not going well, fatigue is showing, and we want to reflect on the field.” We had a match in which there were parts where we could not reflect what we wanted. “We have a bitter taste in our mouth at the end of the match.”
Stating that they put up a head-to-head fight in the first half, Kokoskov continued his words as follows:
“It was a match that we could win. Melli, who is an extremely experienced player, showed a good performance. It was a match where small details made a big difference. Our percentage of free throws made us quite a headache. Fenerbahçe showed serious physical aggression. Sometimes they were aggressive, even hugging and holding. Of course, basketball is a sport where there is contact. We responded to the harshness that the referees allowed in some positions We couldn’t give it. We couldn’t get enough contribution from the sidelines. This is Anadolu Efes. “Whether you’re playing for 30 minutes or 30 seconds, you always have to be ready to play your best game.”
Emphasizing that injuries are a part of sports, the 53-year-old head coach said, “The fact that the situation is like this does not cause us a situation that other teams will be upset about or say ‘oh no.’ One positive thing today was that Poirier was in the gym. He is not in a position to play yet, but he is gradually recovering. While Smits is a player we prepared as a long forward, we see that he has to play in the center position. We have to find a way to win. Dessert is more a rookie player. He is a player we consider as a project. We need to recover as soon as possible and focus on the next match. “It is also true that the problem we experienced in number 5 led to this result.” he said.
Kokoskov concluded his speech with the following words:
“If I had won by one point, maybe you would have declared me a genius. When I lose, I can be in a position to make a stupid decision. This was my decision. When we were shortened, I made Dozier play number 4. Saras made the Melli decision. This is a game of chess. You are good when you win, you are bad when you lose. I stand by my decision and I love all my players.”