By Antonis Stroggylakis/ astroggylakis@eurohoops.net
Houston Rockets guard Dillon Brooks was a pleasant surprise of a guest in Game 4 of the EuroLeague playoffs between Olympiacos Piraeus and Barcelona in Greece.
Following the end of the game and after watching his friend Naz-Mitrou Long getting the crucial win with Olympiacos, Brooks had a Q&A with Eurohoops about getting the full taste of what the EuroLeague experience is like up close and the goals Canadian national team in the Olympics.
Eurohoops: What brought you here Dillon?
Dillon Brooks: I’m watching my boy Naz Mitrou-Long playing for Olympiacos. I always wanted to watch Euro basketball. I’m glad I’m here.
EH: How was it for you? Your first-time experience watching EuroLeague basketball up close, especially in this kind of game and atmosphere?
D.B: This is the playoffs. Everybody is into it. It’s amazing. I’m glad to watch. I’m glad to be around it. And just hang out with the family.
EH: Did you like the atmosphere? Do you wish you had this kind of atmosphere in the NBA?
D.B.: For sure. Playoffs brings the atmosphere out. But this is on another level. So passionate about their team. It’s just non-stop energy all the time. It’s kind of exhilarating to be around them. Happy to be here, happy to watch and happy to hang out with the guys.
EH: What do you think about the level of the game itself, the basketball?
D.B.: The basketball is great. Every possession counts. The harder team wins. Barcelona missed a lot of shots but then Olympiacos was just capitalizing on every single missed shot and every single turnover. I can’t wait to go watch Game 5 on TV. The series has been great.
EH: Did you like any player in particular?
D.B.: I forget his name… the one who hit all the shots. The leftie.
EH: Kostas Papanikolaou. The captain. He was injured and missed all the previous games. Also a former a Houston Rockets player.
D.B.: Really? That’s crazy. I didn’t even know that. I know about Isaiah Canaan, I played against him a couple of times. He[Papanikolaou] came in and gave good energy, hit a lot of threes. Changed the game.
EH: The first time we met was in the World Cup in Jakarta where you and Canada got the ticket to the Olympics and won a medal. What can we expect from Canada in the Olympic Games?
D.B.: We all think the goal and that’s to win the gold. We like to pull our end. We have a lot of guys playing right now. We’re not going to lose a step. We’re going together after another a season under our belt. Add a couple of players and do the thing again.