Ataman: We have not just found the same level as last year, we are better than last year

Anadolu Efes coach Sergi Ataman talks after the 100-70 win over CSKA Moscow.

“We played another perfect game. The last three or four games we have played perfectly. We have not just found the same level as last year, we are better than last year. About the game, we started excellently. We scored more than 30 points in the first 10 minutes. We built a 20-point lead. After that, we tried one of the biggest challenges in the EuroLeague – to beat them by 35. Earlier in the season we were missing many players and had many problems and we lost by a huge difference. We didn’t stop playing – that was important for us. To reach 35 or 36 points, that was just a challenge. But it was important for us to not stop playing because in the EuroLeague there are many games when a team leads by 20 or 25 and the other team comes back. We talked about this challenge with the players at halftime. And everybody played great basketball and great defense. On offense, we moved the ball. We showed great character tonight. We had a very bad time in Moscow three months ago when we lost against them. But we had a two or three-hour meeting in Moscow after the game and I saw that character tonight. It’s very important for our future, for our goal this season in the EuroLeague.”

The turkish powerhouse is fourth in the Euroleague standings with 17 wins in 27 games.