Kastritis: “We only had a few good periods”

Yannis Kastritis emphasized that Aris only had a few good moments against Cluj, he emphasized that the opponents had a better pace and were better offensively and they could not have demanded anything better in the development of the match, he focused on the energy that Cluj had and that is why they accepted 90 points, he analyzed the way the two teams played and did not want to analyze the scenarios and the chances of qualification, giving the signal for the championship match with Karditsa.

Analytically: “Cluj were much better than us, they showed that during the game. They were better offensively, but also in possession. They had a better pace especially in the middle of the second quarter and deserved today’s victory. We had some good periods during the match, but they were short-lived. We couldn’t have asked for more with the performance we did today. Congratulations to Cluj and I’m sure we’ll bounce back in the next game.”

On the 90 points conceded by the team today: “It’s about Cluj being more dynamic on both sides of the pitch, they played with more energy and that helps a lot for a team to find a rhythm during the match. Cluj has plenty of quality and great attacking talent. It has EuroLeague level players and five excellent guards. At home, if you give them the right to feel comfortable and find a rhythm, they will find the solutions offensively, especially if they score easy points either in surprise, or from second chances in the offensive rebound and the score will rise dangerously.

It is no accident that he is in the position he is in with the course and the victories he has made so far. We are not worried, we have shown who we are, what our identity is and, as I said before, I am sure that in the next game against Karditsa we will be the ones we should be”.

On whether he feels optimistic about the team’s chances of qualifying: “Honestly, I haven’t even looked at the other results yet. The game in Karditsa is 100% priority for us, that’s all we have in mind. It will be a huge ‘trap’ if we start thinking about anything else. I understand the question, but obviously when the time comes again we will assess the situation and, even if our competitors lost, nothing has changed dramatically.

At the end of the day, we had one defeat away from home, already the boys have made an extra effort in the EuroCup. I think we have reached a point where we have achieved much more than many would have expected at the start of the season. We have brought the team to this position, first of all we ourselves have created expectations of ourselves and we will claim our due until the end, game by game.”