Having returned from Athens where they lost the second road game of the EuroLeague regular season but still against a contender for the title, Olimpia is preparing to face Zalgiris Kaunas to get back on track and protect its home advantage. It will be a very tough game because, consistent to its tradition, Zalgiris is a hard team to die on any court, and is coming in with a lot of confidence having just won in Bologna. The most disturbing statistic is that Zalgiris have won all of its last nine games played against Italian teams, four of these against Olimpia. However, previously it was Olimpia who put together a series of four straught victories against the Lithuanian team. As usual, Zalgiris has a strong core of Lithuanian players to rely on and remarkable depth. Olimpia, still without former Zalgirs standout player Josh Nebo, needs to extend the minutes of good basketball shown in the three EuroLeague games – but it also happened in the Italian league – and eliminate the errors that led to negative runs or unnecessary risks like against Paris Basketball. Athens’ encouraging note was the ability to come back from ten points down to plus one in the first quarter; in the second from sevendown to two points down; in the third from a 15-point deficit early to within four in a matter of minutes. They are positive signals coming against that kind of opponent, but they must be extended. In a EuroLeague in which so far there have been six road wins out of 26 games played over three rounds, the home court factor is proving to be crucial. It is one more reason to capitalize on the first of four home games to be played over the next five, all tough games but still in Milan (Efes, Bologna, Real Madrid with the road Vitoria game in between). Tip-off time is tomorrow, Thursday, 17, at 20:30.
REFEREES – Emilio Perez (Spain), Igor Dragojevic (Montenegro), Huseyin Celik (Turkey).
COACH ETTORE MESSINA– “We face a team coming off a convincing road win, while we played a subpar game against a high-level team in Athens. We need to restart from the basics, defense, one on one, defensive helps, concepts we are far from executing the way we need to in order to restore the identity that we built over the course of the years. Starting with a better defensive game, we will have to play a better offensive game too, extending the time we will move the ball quickly and well and reducing the minutes when we dont’ play that well. Every one of us is called up to play the best game every one can play as of now, hopefully with our people support because the youger guys really need it.”
ZALGIRIS KAUNAS OUTLOOK – Zalgiris signed seven new players from last season’s team, including Ignas Brazdeikis who had already been in Kaunas before leaving for a season at Olympiacos. Another interesting new addition is the Lithuanian shooter Deividas Sirvydis, coming off a great season at Lietkabellis but with some NBA stints in his past. He is scoring 12.5 points per game generally coming off the bench. In the first games, Coach Trinchieri has started Tyrone Wallace at the points along four Lithuanians, Doyvidas Giedraitis, Brazdeikis, Arnas Butkevicius and center Laurynas Birutis. But in Bologna he changed the orders and moved to the starting line-up both Sirvydis and Dunston. Off the bench, the most effective so far has been Sylvain Francisco (16.0 points per game). However, the rotation is very deep and obviously includes the experienced Lukas Lekavicius, the new players Matt Mitchell, a small forward, and center Alen Smailagic. Edgaras Ulanovas and Bryant Dunston, two of the most experienced, as said, came off the bench during the first two games but were promoted to the initial line-up last Tuesday in the Bologna win.
