His third defeat in this year’s Euroleague was suffered on Wednesday night (29/10) by Olympicwho lost me score 92-87 from Monaco at the Peace and Friendship Stadium for the 7th matchday of the event.
The central figure of the match was none other than him Vasilis Spanouliswho after the end of the match referred to great difficulty that always faces Olympiakos as an opponent and especially within the SEF, while he also stood on the “key” points that brought victory to the Monegasques.
His statements in detail:
“It was an excellent game. We are coming from a game against Hapoel where we did not play well. So we worked a lot, talked a lot, watched a lot of VIDEOS. Today we were much better than the previous game. Tactically, I think the players executed our plan perfectly. They circulated the ball very well. We could have had more than 21 assists if we had hit more shots.
You know, that’s part of the game. It was a great game. Against a team that, especially here, is very difficult for me to face. I spent more than half of my career here. I have amazing memories. A field where I spent countless hours training. It’s very difficult for me, but for 40 minutes I try to contain my emotions and be professional.”
On whether it helps him against Olympiakos, how well he knows the DNA of the team: “Not at all, emotionally, they are very difficult games. I try to prepare properly because it’s really difficult for me.
From there, every game, I respect the organization I’m in. I will give everything for 40 minutes so that my team wins. I don’t play basketball. The players are playing. But sometimes we get the plan right, sometimes not, but today they were excellent and they deserve congratulations.
Olympiacos is an excellent team. He is one of the favorites for me, if not the absolute favorite to win the Euroleague. For another year he has an excellent team and I wish him the best from the bottom of my heart.”
On whether last year’s final changed his team’s mentality and saw such improvement in the second half: “The shots we created were from excellent ball movement. I think our guards read the game very well. They took advantage of their teammates and the defenses of Olympiakos.
We were focused and calm when Olympiacos came forward to play our game. SEF is always very difficult to play. I tried to prepare them to be focused and calm and I think we put in a great performance. It’s still October, we see teams have ups and downs.
I don’t know where this system leads, but in Europe when you play every game to win, it’s not NBA to spend a lot of games like that. There is pressure of the result and we also see too many injuries which reduces the quality of the teams. We’ll see how this year goes, because it’s really a test for all of us who are unusual.”
On his future in the National Team: “You’ll find out soon enough.”
On what changed after Monaco’s previous mediocre away performances: “In the game against Hapoel in the second half we missed too many free kicks. I think that’s where our psychology fell somewhere. We were turning the ball over extremely well and missed all the shots. From then on, however, we didn’t play the game I wanted.
In the two bad away games, we were coming off a two-game winning streak. As I said before, it is too early for teams to go on consecutive winning streaks. There is definitely a mental fatigue all the time. There are too many games. Whatever you say to the players, I’ve been a player, it’s hard to convince him every time to be over there. We try to do the best we can.”
For the defense of Olympiakos: “Olympiacos is an excellent team, I said it before. I believe all teams have ups and downs. We tried to attack the weaknesses of Olympiacos, as we also have weaknesses, and Olympiacos went to attack us. In the end I think that at points we were better. I think we played better today and I believe we won this game.”
About his feeling when he returns and deifies himself in SEF: “I cannot describe the memories I have of this stadium and the world. I believe that I am blessed to have lived to have lived in this stadium, with these people. What we went through, what we experienced, the good, the bad. How we bonded. These have been amazing years of my life and I feel blessed. I am truly blessed and with the relationship I have with the people over here, with the world of Olympiakos, with the administration, I am truly very proud and blessed.”
For what the game was judged: “I think we were very focused and very good at physicality. I believe we had no gaps in our defense. We were very focused. Many times we also played individual defense, we didn’t give too many assists. We knew that Olympiacos is a team that creates free shots. It has very good circulation, very good spot up and we were very good at it.”
On the dialogue he had with George Bartzokas during the tension created between Strazel-Dorsey: “I have great respect for coach Bartzokas. He is a coach with whom we won the Euroleague together in 2013. We have been through a lot together and I think there is always tension for 40 minutes. Everyone wants their team to win. There’s respect, there’s appreciation, and really it’s just the competitive element of both of us. From there, there is nothing else.”
On whether at the end of the day the offensive or the defensive part is more important: “Both. I believe in a balance of both as multi-possession basketball goes. So fast that it is without scouting, without training.
I believe that no matter what you do in defense, you have to be focused, if you don’t score, you can’t win. You have to attack as well. In other words, what happens in the NBA also happens in Europe. All the coaches in the NBA have a doctrine of “put more than you. I’m not of that doctrine, but I believe that if you don’t put and you don’t have good percentages, you hardly win a basketball game at this level.”
Source: Sport Fm
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