Blatt: «We need to control the rebounds and the turnovers»
A few hours following the victory against Baskonia, the 'reds' delegation left for Spain, where tomorrow (10/01, 21.00 CET), will be playing against Real Madrid, for the 18th round of the Euroleague.
"I can't say that the victory against Baskonia gives us an extra push for tomorrow's game. I can say however, that it was a very important victory for us and the consistency we want to have throughout the season", David Blattcommented.
And he went on say: "I don't expect that Milutinov is going to be with us. Obviously, the great positive of our win last night is that we succeeded at beating a very good team like Baskonia without one of our key players, whose game is decisive for this season. So this is a good sign for us".
Asked if the tempo is what will determine the result, he replied: "Each time you play against Real and especially in Madrid the tempo of the game is an important part of its dynamic. However, our team also plays up tempo and has played one of its best games this year this way. For me, the important part is to be able to control the things that we can and control the rebounds and turnovers for example. These are the most important things, more important than the game tempo. Real Madrid is an extremely high quality team and they have proved that, not just this year, but for a series of seasons. Coach Lasohas been doing an excellent job and he has a great group of players. But Olympiacos has also shown its quality and competitiveness, so we'll have to go with the right approach and attitude to do the best we can".
«We are not afraid…»
GiorgosBogris also talked about the absence of Nikola Milutinov: "First of all, we wish him to get well soon. We know how important he is for us, but we are all ready to step up and cover for him. Tomorrow we have a very hard game in a very tough court, but I believe the team has both the mentality and the momentum to go for a positive result. It's undisputed that Real is very talented team. However, I think that because we have had a lot of guys who did not play according to their standards in the last game, they'll step up in the next one and lead this effort to win, just like we did last year".
Commenting on the big players of the opponent, the 'reds' center stressed: "All the teams have good front lines, it's not something that scares us. I think that the biggest weapon of this team are its guards, not its front line. I think that if we go there focused and follow the plan, we're going to have a lot of chances for the best outcome. We are looking forward to a great game".
Asked on whether he thinks the tempo is going to be the key, he replied: "It is certainly a tempo issue. Real tries to play very fast and relies a lot on its players' talent. It's a team that has nothing to do with Baskonia, despite they play in the same League and are ambassadors of the same school of basketball. Baskonia plays a more targeted game, reads it. Real tries to play fast and relies on one on one at the end of its offensive plays. So I think that individual defense is going to be very important and then team defense as well, contrary to what happened last night. From that point on, we will have to control the game and force their key players to foul in order to win".
Finally, when fatigue was addressed, he said that… "I don't think that fatigue is that important at this level. We were both playing last night, all the more, Real's game ended later than ours, so we begin from the same starting line. In games that important, the mind gives you what you need as well as the adrenaline needed to win. Usually, it is with games we consider to be 'easy' ones, that fatigue plays a role. It is in those games that you start kind of loose and you allow it to play a role with your subconscious. I don't think that in a game like tomorrow's fatigue is an excuse".