Katsikaris: “Maccabi wants a lot of attention for Panathinaikos – Olympiakos’ series might go too far”

Her playoffs Euroleague they start, with so him Panathinaikos AKTOR as well as him Olympic wish to qualify for the Final Four.

THE Fotis Katsikaris was hosted on EOK Web Radio and commented on the pair of “greens” with Maccabias well as that of the “red whites” with the Barcelona. At the same time, he mentioned the Final Four of the BCL for the Pigeon bwin.

In detail what he said:

For Olympiakos’ series with Barcelona: “Barcelona started well, getting good results, with a new coach and through the difficulties they finished high. There were many doubts how he would fare, both due to Grimmow’s inexperience as a coach at this level and the roster. There was the addition of Rubio which confused Satoranski and Jokubaitis a bit, but Grimmow has done a good job of managing that. The signs of Olympiakos should be clear. Number one is Laprovitola, who is a scorer-manipulator and gives them something extra on the attacking side. It is the play of Vesely and Willy who have a very high efficiency index with the minutes they both play on the floor. He certainly has players like Abrines who is a shooter and on his day can “open” the game, or Kalinic with the inside-outside and low-post. Barcelona’s main defense is with changes in the pick-and-roll and there Olympiacos knows how to attack against changes, with Fal as the main pole, who should be in very good condition. Parker will be a “key” player for this series, more in the attack part. And the situation Olympiacos is in plays a role, because it has various problems it is facing. Maybe this series will go far, because there are some fine lines.”

For Panathinaikos’ series with Maccabi Tel Aviv: “Maccabi is at its best I think. She is very aggressive in her defense, they try to play aggressively on the first pass, forcing the opponent to make quick decisions. There, Panathinaikos should not make hasty decisions and the situations should be measured correctly. They are also a very athletic team in all positions and have the ability defensively with the changes they can make to cover spaces. She is very strong on the rebound and offensively has two very good handlers in Brown and Baldwin along with Blatt. It’s a dangerous perimeter and has players who can do damage like Colson, Webb and Nimbo who are in very good shape. Although Panathinaikos is the favorite, against a team that has had a difficult time, Maccabi is a very dangerous opponent and needs a lot of patience. Certainly the boost he will give to OAKA is very big, especially reaching a series of play-offs. He needs a lot of attention, because Maccabi is very dangerous.”

On the promotion of Juancho Hernangomet: “We’ve been saying all year that he’s an important player, very different, who can provide the spot-up, which can be another pole in Panathinaikos’ attack that relies heavily on guards. It is very important for Panathinaikos to have another player with the characteristics of Juancho. The timing is very good for Panathinaikos who has another important player, because he is also good in defense, rebounding, assists, he has size. He has another “weapon” in the attack.”

For Monaco’s match with Fenerbahce: “For Monaco, “reading” is the least they can have as a team, but with this individual talent and athleticism, they have managed to be where they are and good on them. I would give Fener a little more chance, because they have a fuller team, their game is more systematic and they can make it difficult for Monaco defensively. In this series maybe the players will make the difference. Fener might have an advantage in my opinion, but you never know what day the players will be. We know very well that if James is on his day, no one can stop him.”

For Real Madrid’s series with Baskonia: “Real knows how to control their pace from October until now. They know how to rest or use players, they know how to deal with injuries and they peak at critical moments. They also have some surprising defeats, like with Manresa. It’s a packed team, one that definitely has the upper hand in the series. Baskonia is probably the most unpredictable team in the Euroleague with the way they play. He’s got a player that we’ve seen a long time with the way he scores, Howard. It’s worth noting that, while Ivanovic made a career out of his defense and how tough his teams were defensively, now Baskonia wins with attack. She is so unpredictable that even in the same game she can be 10-15 points up or down and lose or win accordingly. You can’t be complacent about anything with the way he’s playing.”

For the BCL semi-final between Peristeri and Tenerife: “Peristeri deserves many congratulations for what he has achieved. Tenerife is the most experienced team in the BCL, with the same coach, the same team. It is the oldest group in average age in all of Europe. They have an automated system led by Huertas which they play very well. Peristeri has the experience, has played two matches with them and knows them well. Tenerife go in as favourites, so there is a must for them, although they have the experience to handle it, while Peristeri doesn’t have that pressure. Peristeri has had a very good year playing a very good basketball, the players “read” their opponents and the game. It’s a 40 minute match. Peristeri has nothing to lose. It will be of great importance to be accurate, because as Tenerife defends they leave open shots, and of course whether they will be able to deal with the duo Huertas-Sermandini”.