Anadolu Efes suffered a tough loss to Baskonia, and Head Coach Igor Kokoskov did not hide his frustration with his team’s performance. In his post-game comments, he was direct about his disappointment, pointing to a significant lack of energy and physicality from his players.
The main issue for Kokoskov was the clear difference in intensity between the two teams. Baskonia played a more aggressive and determined game from the start, while Efes failed to match their energy. This led to a breakdown in their game plan, as they struggled on both offense and defense throughout the match.
😞 A Disappointing Performance
Coach Kokoskov began by congratulating Baskonia, acknowledging they were “much better” and played a “tougher” and faster-paced game. He explained that Efes had a specific plan to protect the paint, but they failed to execute it. The team also struggled with transition defense and couldn’t create scoring opportunities inside, which went against their strategy.
💪 Lacking Physicality and Energy
Kokoskov was especially critical of his team’s lack of physical effort. “We probably played harder in our last training session before the match,” he said, highlighting how unprepared his team seemed for the contest. He noted that while they expected a physical game from Baskonia, Efes simply did not bring the same level of intensity to the court and couldn’t recover after being challenged early on.
🧠 A Call for Better Decisions
According to the coach, the lack of energy led to poor choices on the court. He reminded everyone that Efes is an experienced team that “needs to make better decisions.” Turnovers and a failure to stick to the game plan were direct results of not bringing the necessary focus and energy.
🤕 Injury Update on Nick Weiler-Babb
During the game, guard Nick Weiler-Babb sustained a knee injury. Coach Kokoskov provided a brief update, stating, “We don’t have any information about his injury at the moment. I hope it’s not serious.” He mentioned that the medical team is assessing the situation and more details will be available once the team returns to Istanbul.
