Alimpijevic: The atmosphere in the arena was a strong message to EuroLeague

Beşiktaş lost to Olympiakos, which it hosted in Round 8 of the EuroLeague, and started the double-game week with a defeat. Head coach Dusan Alimpijevic, who spoke at the post-match press conference, evaluated the game and his team's situation.

Alimpijevic spoke with great praise about the atmosphere in the arena. Saying the fans once again showed why Beşiktaş is among the best in Europe, the coach stressed that this picture was a strong message sent from Istanbul to EuroLeague. He said he felt sorry for his players but that they did not give up.

Saying the team took the court with five players out and that one more player was unavailable from the roster, Alimpijevic noted that six players were missing in total. The coach explained that Wenyen Gabriel picked up his seventh foul after running into foul trouble, and said mistakes were made in the final period due to fatigue. He noted that with the score at 68-68, the game could have gone either way.

Alimpijevic pointed out that Olympiakos, even without Milutinov, has strong big men such as Donta Hall, Tyrique Jones and Bryant Dunston. He said he called a timeout to rest his players in the final period, and that because there were not enough alternatives on the roster, the players who stayed on the court were overworked. For this reason, he said he understood the mistakes in the final period.