Olimpia Milano Loses Again; Peppe Poeta Complains: “We Deserved the Win”

Peppe Poeta analyzes the away loss at Oaka with pride, but also with a touch of regret. The coach praised his team’s performance, noting that they fought until the very end against a top-tier opponent, even though they were unable to secure the win.

“I’m proud of the guys for how they fought. This is the second game this week we’ve lost on the last shot, and I think we deserved the win. They were more clinical than we were, but kudos to Panathinaikos and Obradovic,” said the coach, emphasizing just how narrow the margin was that separated his team from victory.

The coach then focused on one of the main issues that have emerged over the course of the season: a lack of consistency over the full 40 minutes. This is an issue that, according to Poeta, is weighing on the team’s results and one they’re trying to correct: “That’s the issue, and we’re trying to fix it. I think consistency over 40 minutes is what we’re missing to win. We’ve played excellent 25- or 30-minute stretches, but never the full 40, and we’ve lost many games because of this,” he explained.

Despite the loss, the coach highlighted his players’ ability to adapt to different tactical situations, alternating lineups with two big men and lineups featuring smaller players. This flexibility allowed them to give a strong opponent a run for their money and keep the game close right down to the final possessions: “Today we fought hard, playing with either two big men or smaller players, and we gave a strong team a run for their money, even having a couple of chances to win. But unfortunately, it wasn’t enough,” Poeta concluded.