In a few days from now, Mr Olympic will be present for the third consecutive year in the Final 4 of the Euroleague, aiming to win the 4th trophy in its history.
After statements by Giorgos Bartzokas at the Media Day of the “red and whites”, the players were represented by Nigel Williams-Goss, who emphasized that the only goal is to win the precious trophy!
At the same time, the experienced guard referred to the match between Piraeus and his former team, Real Madrid, in the semi-finals of the competition, but also in the fact that in these types of games the more important is the spiritual part and not so much the regular one.
Nigel Williams-Goss’ statements in detail:
On how he feels about reaching the Final Four: “It’s an incredible feeling. It is an achievement and an honor to reach the Final Four, especially this year with so many good teams, that were competitive, but also the difficulties we faced. You know, with the injuries, new players coming in mid-season. We won this and it feels special.”
On whether he has exchanged any messages with his former Real teammates ahead of the semi-final: “No, I haven’t exchanged any messages. To be honest I have been talking to them for a long time. The last person I spoke to was Eddie (s.s. Tavares) after our win in Game 4 (s.s. against Barcelona), who sent me congratulations.”
On whether he feels weird facing his former team: “It’s not surprising at all. They want to do the repeat and we want to go to the final. It’s not weird. I’m focused on what we have here and I’m looking forward to the challenge ahead.”
On the fact that last year he was crowned European champion with Real and how he will manage this game because he wants to win the trophy with Olympiacos: “Our goal is the EuroLeague. Olympiacos came close to this in the previous two years. The goal is to win. We are two games away. We have to be focused to get the semi-final. OK, it’s against my former team, but it’s just the semi-final. Then we’ve got one more game so it’s going to be a nice weekend and I’m looking forward to it.”
On the fact that Olympiacos and Real know each other very well: “The thing about the Final Four is that it’s a completely different game compared to the regular season. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. It’s 40 minutes and everyone has their chance to win. Keeping your cool is key because emotions are obviously running high. This is No. 1 and the second is the effort. Control the rebounds and be the toughest team.”
On whether he has a rival player in mind ahead of the semi-final: “It will be great just to win. Let’s get one step closer to the title.”
On the fact that last year with Real – against Partizan – he went to the Final Four with an upset and this year he did the same with Olimpico against Barcelona and if he feels that this helps a team to go to the last games in the best possible condition: “I think it matters. Last year the fact that we played three games in a row with our backs against the wall and went to the Final Four to face a Barcelona that had qualified with a “broom” played a role in the semi-final.
I think everything we faced this year and the fact that we had to beat Barcelona in Game 5 to qualify for the Final Four was a good test for us. Maybe that’s why he’s never won the No. 1 title in the regular season. Maybe it has played a role. I find that to be a crazy statistic. The regular season doesn’t matter in the playoffs or the Final Four and it’s a unique experience.”
On whether the spiritual or the tactical approach is more important: “I think the spiritual. Because you can be even regularly, but if you’re not focused it doesn’t matter. I think the spiritual part comes first.”
Source: Sport Fm
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