By Vangelis Papadimitriou / info@eurohoops.net
After such an eventful summer which saw a lot of exciting moves in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Isaiah Canaan is ready to go to battle once again with Olympiacos, playing his second straight season with the red-and-white Greek powerhouse.
Talking to Eurohoops during Oly’s EuroLeague Media Day, he didn’t hide his excitement. “It’s gonna be a great year, a lot of teams improved this offseason, and a lot of new players in the EuroLeague this year. The season is gonna be very competitive”, the 32-year-old guard first commented.
Particularly, the opening game of their Regular Season will be played against the fiercest rivals of Panathinaikos, scheduled on October 6 at 20:15 CET. “I definitely like the situation”, he said about the Greek Derby. “Everybody loves those types of games, so why not start to open the night with Olympiacos vs. Panathinaikos? We all know about the new additions they had, everybody knows how big this rivalry is. I’m really looking forward to that game”, Isaiah Canaan added about the showdown.
Also, Olympiacos will play on the road, in OAKA. “Anytime you can go to opponents’ go, trying to steal the show, is always fun and exciting. I know those games mean a lot to my organization, I’m trying to do whatever I can to help my team win”, he said before touching on the green-and-white fanbase. “I don’t have anything against their fans. I love that their fans go against us as hard as they do, it makes the game more fun to me. It doesn’t bother me how they are, it only motivates me”, he also stated.
In last year’s Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, the former Philadelphia 76ers players averaged 6.3 points per game in 16:06 minutes on the court over 39 games. Playing only one of the two EuroLeague Greek derbies, he punished Panathinaikos with 17 points and 4/7 from beyond the arc. In the first game between the two in the 2022-23 season, the red-and-white side beat the opponents 75-51, and Isaiah Canaan contributed with 12 points and 5/9 from the field.