By Alex Molina/ info@eurohoops.net
Following an exhausting overtime defeat to Rytas in the championship game of the Basketball Champions League Season X, powered by Ameresco SUNEL, AEK’s head coach Dragan Sakota reflected on the conclusion to their European campaign in Badalona on Saturday evening. Despite controlling much of the contest and building a 20-point lead, the Greek side saw a late lead evaporate, ultimately falling in the extra period.
The 73-year-old tactician offered a pragmatic but somber evaluation of the game’s closing moments during the postgame press conference. “They played until the end. That’s the point of basketball, playing for 40 minutes. Sometimes 45, if necessary. They did it better than us in the end. Of course, for us, coming in the Final Four, our season was very successful, and reaching the Final even better. But when you lose in this way, you cannot be happy,” he remarked. He further noted the physical demands of the tournament’s concluding stages, adding, “When you play in the Final Four, you have to be ready to have more players in the rotation.”
When questioned about the decision-making in the final seconds of regulation, specifically regarding Lukas Lekavicius taking the final shot, Sakota expressed intense anger and shifted the focus toward his team’s defensive execution. “I never comment on the last shot, never in my life. You have to have the guts to take the last shot. If you want me to comment on the last defense. We have a three-point lead, and we know we are playing switching defense and can also foul, and we concede a three-pointer. That hurts, not that last shot,” he explained.
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