Sergio Scariolo exults but doesn’t forget the usual flaws

Virtus Segafredo Bologna – Panathinaikos Athens 74-64 (18-11; 43-30; 55-51)

Virtus beats Panathinaikos and stays clinging to the Euroleague playoffs. It was definitely a game with two faces. After a brilliant first half the bianconeri were up +13, and seemed to be in control, with excellent defense on bomber Bacon, held to 2/11 from the field. In the third quarter, however, Panathinaikos got back into the game, even as Virtus collected a remarkable series of turnovers and bad shots. In the last quarter the Greeks even made the overtaking move, and at the Segafredo Arena the spectres of the game against ASVEL were seen. At the most critical moment, however, Virtus shifted gears and posted a 14-0 partial run that was worth the victory, even as the guests ran out of gas, making all kinds of mistakes. Teodosic, who for the first 25′ had been practically deleterious, was most important in the finale, with heavy points and assists.

After the game, the coach of the Felsinei Sergio Scariolo spoke in a press conference. Here are his words, “I am very happy, it was a good win in front of our fans after last week’s defeats, one deserved and one not. We defended very well, especially on Bacon and Williams. We had a bad third quarter, but we didn’t get nervous, we stayed there with our heads. The whole first half was excellent, especially defensively. Then I want to point out the 22 assists made in a low-scoring game. The worst moments, as usual, came when the ball stopped, when we did not attack the area vertically, it is a defect we have and we know we have to improve. Being able to not have to experience a point-to-point finish was definitely a positive,” he began.

“Health for us is crucial, the fact that some players are recovering condition is vital. Credit must be given to Milos, he is very tried, it showed at the beginning of the third quarter. After a long rest, in which Iffe (Lundberg) performed well, you saw the help he gave us at the end. The problem comes when you have two, three or four players injured, or completely out of condition. But now there are 13 of us and we hope to be caught in 14 active ones,” he concluded.