“Spanoulis is not only a good coach technically but also very smart psychologically. In the past, we talked a lot; I think he learned some psychological strategies from us—or maybe he already had them. In Cyprus, he said that Giannis takes fewer free throws compared to Doncic, Sengun, and Jokic, and I saw yesterday against Lithuania he attempted 16 free throws. Smart move. In the NBA, there’s a lot of space on offense, and Giannis is the best at exploiting it. In European basketball, it’s different. There are no defensive rules, and I saw him commit many offensive fouls. Referees can call fouls against him, but they must also carefully check when he drives if there are offensive fouls. Because I saw many in the previous games. This is my psychological strategy,” said the Turkish coach, starting the mind games early.

Spanoulis did not leave that unanswered:
“Of course, we expected him to say that. Ataman is a very good coach, and he’s been doing this for many years—trying to influence people’s minds. I don’t believe anyone’s mind is being influenced. I didn’t say what I said to affect anyone; I said it because I saw reality. And if we rewatch the games, we’ll see how many fouls Giannis doesn’t get, how many are unsportsmanlike, and how many offensive fouls he has actually committed. I don’t think he’s committed many in this tournament that weren’t called. Those he has made were called—and even many that weren’t. We saw against Spain, for example, a crucial play where he was inside the restricted area. He’s being whistled for more offensive fouls than he should, while not getting the calls he deserves given his style of play. He’s the most aggressive player, constantly attacking the basket, with two or three defenders pulling at him.”

On the semifinal against Turkey, the Greek national coach added:
“You already know their profile. We know their players and how they play. Beyond that, this is a game that leads to medals and to the final. There’s no other player in EuroBasket like Giannis Antetokounmpo. I believe he’s the MVP of the tournament. I think it will be a very good and competitive game.”

He continued:
“It’s a way of life. We won’t collapse with one loss, nor will we fly to the sky with a win. We play basketball, and we want to lift Greek basketball higher. We’re at the right timing. I believe we’re the team that has improved the most during the tournament, from where we started and what was being said about us. With our style, we’re playing good basketball. From there, I think focus and humility in pursuing the next goal are key. There are no secrets—whether we play Israel, Turkey, or Lithuania, it’s the same thing. We approach every game with the same seriousness. But the thirst and motivation grow. The appetite opens, and the team feels more liberated. That will help us play even better—because we have to play better.”