By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Olympiacos and Monaco played an epic Turkish Airlines EuroLeague quarterfinal series last season, and this time, they will be facing a Final Four in Kaunas (Friday, 17.00 CET).
Last year the Greek team prevailed, but during the regular season 2022-23, Sasa Obradovic beat them on both occasions. Still, the Serbian coach assures everything will be different now.
“Tomorrow’s game is different; it can’t be connected to the previous two. We have our hopes and confidence we can build up on those two matches, but we know that we will face a completely different team which knows how to play these games,” Obradovic said after the opening press conference.
What’s more important in these types of matches, offense or defense?
“Both. People who win titles always say defense, but our defense is really affected by our offense.”
Obradovic said Monaco is better than the last year and hopes to go all the way this time.
“It is obviously better where we are now. One more step, hopefully, two more.”
Interestingly, Monaco lost at the beginning of the quarterfinals against Maccabi Tel Aviv but turned the series around. This time, it all comes down to 40 minutes (plus potential overtime).
“As coach Jasikeviciu said, you need to do your own thing. You do your preparation; you know what you need to do. We played Olympiacos too often; we know each other very well, so small reactions and details will decide“.
Monaco will be going against 2022-23 EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov, but Obradovic believes the key lies in the hands of a different player.
“It’s not just Vezenkov; Sloukas will always be the key player. He knows how to play these games and is a great legend with a great personality. If you find a way to handle him, as we didn’t in a Game 5 the previous year, we will have a chance,” debutant as a coach at the Final Four, Sasa Obradovic, concluded.