THE Panathinaikos hosts at OAKA the Zalgiris for the 21st matchday of the Euroleague, wanting to return to victories in the top European competition.
THE Marius Grigonisguard of the “greens” but also a former player of the Lithuanian team, referred to the difficulties of the specific game, the quality of Zalgiris but also to the difficulties faced by Panathinaikos throughout the season.
What the Lithuanian guard said in detail:
For the match with Zalgiris: “Zalgiris plays very nice basketball, they are all together in defense as well. They have some problems now without a pure point guard, so we will have to push the ball throughout the game. At the same time, they also have tall players that we can attack from the perimeter. Every team has its weaknesses and we will have to focus on them and we will see how the game will go. During the season we often lose our concentration so every day we have to try to get better.”
On whether Zalgiris felt extra pressure because the Final 4 will take place in Kaunas: “I know most of the people at Zalgiris, from the management to the players. They’re always looking at the next day, the next game, they try not to think about the Final 4. Low-budget teams have to think about the next game. If you want to set some goals, you first look at entering the playoffs and then the final 4. Zalgiris is a team that doesn’t get there often, but if they keep playing like this, anything is possible. But for extra pressure, I don’t think so.”
For the general situation at Panathinaikos: “We are going through a difficult season as I told you. It sounds like a lot, but you should always be ready. Our fans are not happy. It would be a lie to tell you that everything is fine and we are happy. It’s not like this. But we are here and we must keep trying. Trying to change, we can’t promise anything except that we will give everything, 100% of ourselves at least to what we can control. For the rest, other things play a role.”
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