The road game against Olympiacos (Sunday 31/01, 18:45), was the pivotal issue of David Blatt’s Press Conference, two days short of the Game 14 of the 2009-2010 Hellenic Championships.
“This period of time is particularly tough and competitive for us. We have a full schedule and this will be the third consecutive game on the road. It’s very demanding, both physically and mentally, but we must find ways to make this work, because it’s a situation we will have to deal with for the next six weeks”, the American-Israeli coach said, before speaking on Olympiacos:
“Olympiacos is one of the best teams in Europe and I have a lot of respect for them. In the Hellenic Cup match, last week, we played great against them, but this time we will have to play even greater in order to stay in the game. Last week, we surprised them with our up-tempo game, but in fact they are the ones who play in fast pace. They are the leading scorers in Greece and one of the top scorers in the Euroleague, too. They are complete in all positions and they will definitely be the favorite for the victory. We will have to think carefully if a faster or slower pace fits us better in this match. In any case, our style of play must be a winning one. We must play to win”.
Mr. Blatt added that “We must have the willingness to do battle. This will to fight should be the basis of Aris. There’s a saying in America: It doesn’t matter the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog”.
The head coach of the “yellows” also made reference to the elements which are still missing from his team: “We are lacking consistency in certain parts of the game. It’s typical for a team with a new face on the bench. We need time, but we also need to understand better how to use the new things in our game and hold steady or change the rhythm, depending on the character of each game. This is something which basically has to do with me. After the game in Badalona I took responsibility of the bad first quarter we had, because it is my job to learn exactly the kind of players I have and to find the right combination I will have to use”.
