His first phase EuroBasket was completed, and since yesterday, Berlin has been attracting all the attention of world basketball. Today (21.45) there was a jamball in the 1/8 finals. National will face the dangerous Czech Republic in the first playoffs.

Panagiotis Giannakis, the “dragon” of Greek basketball and the protagonist as a player as well as coach in the national team’s four greatest moments (1987, 1989, 2005, 2006), spoke to K about the Greek team and its course in the tournament.

What is the strength of the Greek national team in this EuroBasket? “When a team seeks to control the opponent’s attack, then they can reveal their athletic qualities that give them an advantage. When we say to control the opponent’s attack, we mean to ruin his game. Most players, of course, in general, and not only in our team, feel good when the attack is at a good level. They get energy and mentality,” the coach tells us and continues: “Giannis is a kid who has the potential and the desire to help in defence. We have seen this at many stages of the game. Moreover, it created a feeling of insecurity among the opponents. They feel insecure when Giannis is close to the racket and he defends both low and far from the basket. They can and do spoil the easy finishing moves of opponents, which they can achieve in other matches. There is pressure on regionals to act faster, rush, or decide to change their mind at the last minute. When an opponent is pressed and there is still air defense, it creates a lot of pressure and difficulty in accuracy, in the correct execution. When we press well around the perimeter, then the tall ones, who have the ability to cut the air, also create suffocating conditions for the opponent.”

So what happens when Papagiannis enters this general equation? “When George, who is also very good at the height, is added to all this, there is good cooperation in the air. Not only in space, but also high. In attack, when we run and in rhythm, we are very good. These are two elements that we need to understand and that give us an edge over our opponents.”

However, the national team showed that it has problems in sets. “I think the team is ready for this. He needs to be patient, not to rush, not to be nervous about the fact that we are not imposing our game,” emphasizes coach Giannakis.

“This is John’s game. He did it all year in the NBA with the Bucks. He knows how to run in an open field and of course his physical data is such that when he meets an opponent on his way, he can overtake him, whether it be one or two. It can and does spoil their defensive balance.”

The national team is not only Giannis. Agravanis, for example, will pleasantly surprise you. “Yes, he helped the team a lot. When he came in, he gave decisions, as did Dorsey and Slucas, Papanicolaou… All the guys improved so that the team finished the first phase with five wins and no losses. Let’s not forget that in the first two matches there were moments when individual actions of the children took us out of the impasse, ”he emphasizes in his characteristic heavy voice.

“When a team seeks to control the opponent’s attack, then it can reveal its athletic characteristics.”

“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs in our defense and I think we’ve been rushed a lot of times for no reason.”

The Greek team has Kostas Antetokoumbo active again. What benefits do we get from its presence? “The depth and freshness of the composition. He has the ability to get in and keep the team on track. In a tournament like this, we need guys who have playing time to keep the team fresh. It is important to control the pace. Rhythm gives us solace. But we have to be ready to play without rhythm. I believe that the team is already preparing for this. They need calmness and patience, because such difficulties will arise in matches.

It’s a fact that the national team is… a difficult chapter because it’s a team of special circumstances. “It’s true,” says the coach. “It happens on most teams, with the exception of some that have had the same coach for years, and of course there is a backbone. Everything has pros and cons. Croatia, for example, has lost its freshness, although it has experience. Germany looked fresh and balanced.”

In this EuroBasket, we notice that with the addition of NBA stars, teams look like one-man sets. But is it? Panagiotis Giannakis disagrees: “Of course, these children add entertainment and interest to the sport, and it’s worth it, but in the end, the team will win, teamwork. You cannot win alone if the team does not work. In the past, there were high-scoring players, but if the team did not work, they did not reach the top. We are attracted to the ability of the player to do good things, but all this must be supported by the team.

In a few hours, the national team will play its first playoff against a team that traditionally worries us. “The Czech Republic played good basketball before the start of the tournament. When Satoransky got injured, he became disoriented and lost a lot of ground. The status of this player is questionable. Most teams have a weakness in defense.”

“I think not. Basketball is a sport for everyone. Short key. Teams must have, rely on ace and five. In recent years, a forward point has been added. In 1998, we had Nikos Oikonomou in this position. Then we basically singled out this role, but the ace and the five are positions that give a lot of strength to the team.”