The victory against Ilisiakos gave David Blatt the opportunity to speak about the injuries his players have been having, the need for them to take some rest and also the need to have a packed gym in the forthcoming game against Alba Berlin.
The Press Conference:
David Blatt (Aris coach): “It was a pretty attractive game tonight. My associates were telling me what a great guy Ilisiakos’s coach is and they were correct. It was a very good game for them, but if you score 97 points, you’re not going to lose. We were very sharp offensive, very active and we had a good tempo, just as it should be in this gym. I’m also happy with my... young players Dikoudis, Kakiouzis and Chatzivrettas! They showed excitement for playing the game. They played with a lot of energy.
Jeremy Richardson has got an ankle problem lately, but still he makes no excuses, doesn’t cry or complain. He is struggling to help the team. Aaron Miles is suffering silently a knee injury, too. That’s why I sat him down in the last quarter against Panathinaikos. I wanted him to rest that day and today, because we have a difficult game coming up on Tuesday. We try to be careful with him and hopefully his injury won’t be too serious. It’s important for all players to have a day off. They need to rest, cool down from stress and hopefully come back strong for the game against Alba Berlin.
Given the opportunity, I want to ask our fans to do what they do in the game against Alba, to come help us on Tuesday. We really do need them. The fact that there were empty seats tonight didn’t bother me at all. I understood that there also was a football match today, our game was not the top game in the league, and maybe our fans were upset -rightfully so- because of Sunday’s result. Our fans will never let us down, I just hope that we don’t let them down”.
Jeremy Richardson (Aris player): “It was a must-win game for us. We had to play well and show that we are getting ready for the upcoming games. In the first half I was struggling, like in some other matches lately, but during half-time I said to myself that I had to come out aggressive and do whatever I could to help the team”.
Stergios Koufos (Ilisiakos coach): “When you have to play in front of the crowd of the so-called Emperor of the Greek basketball, it’s a very important test. And it was a good test for our morale. We made it 100% regarding the way we played and the passion we showed. I wish to congratulate my players and Aris, too, for the deserved victory”.
Leonidas Kaselakis (Ilisiakos player): “We expected to have a tough game. We tried to control Aris’s transition game, but we didn’t succeed in the major part of the game. In the first half we managed to show our good side, but in the end of it we were down by 8 points, a difference which was excessive for Aris to have. If we play just as good in the upcoming games, we will be able to make our goal and stay in the top division”.
