By Aris Barkas / barkas@eurohoops.net
PARIS, France – After surviving the Group of Death with Canada, Australia, and Spain, Greece will go up against Germany – which managed to advance after a perfect 3-0 run in Group B – in the Quarter-Finals of this year’s Olympic Games in Paris.
Before facing the reigning World Cup champions for a spot that will mean being in the Top 4 on the Olympic stage, the Greek national team’s head coach commented about the upcoming clash.
Vassilis Spanoulis spoke with confidence to the media. “The last practice went very well and the important thing is to be faithful to our plan. Let’s enjoy the game. There is no need to stress. Only motivation and excitement for this new challenge were presented to us”, he said.
“The most important thing, and what we have been saying since the beginning of the preparation, is that we put the mentality and culture back into the guys, the joy of the National team. I think everyone is having fun being here and enjoying it. These are memories that will last a lifetime”, he continued.
“Now, their appetite for good has been whetted. They understand that it is a big challenge because the Olympics are the biggest Games they can participate in”, the experienced basketball mind followed.
This will be the first clash between the two national teams since Germany took out Greece in the Quarter-Finals of EuroBasket 2022. ” I don’t want them to see the game as revenge. The word revenge does not exist in our vocabulary. We have to play our game, be serious for 40 minutes, follow our plan, and go winning the game”, Vassilis Spanoulis said.
The former Peristeri head coach also spoke about their opponents’ strengths. “Germany has great depth in all positions. They have chemistry like we have a very good team and chemistry. I believe we will play as we should. Since we were able to follow Canada’s tempo, we will be able to follow theirs. As with Spain and Australia. We played with great teams. It’s not about following their tempo or having that mindset. Let the Germans try to follow our own tempo and our own physicality”, he continued.
Greece could also write history, entering the Semi-Finals of the Olympic Games for the first time ever. “It is a very big challenge and a huge motivation for us, the fact that we have never played in an Olympic semi-final. Motivation is what keeps you going and pushes you beyond your limits. In the first year of this new program, we managed to reach the ceiling of the national team at the Olympics”, he ended.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIBA Basketball