On the penultimate day, Básquet Girona will travel to Vitoria to try to achieve their twelfth victory of the season (5:00 p.m. / Movistar Deportes 5). This supposed victory would mean the permanence of mathematical form and, the record of victories of Basketball Girona in the Endesa League. This record could be extended to fourteen wins in the event that all remaining matches are won.
The team from Girona can go to the Buesa Arena having reached the permanence mathematically if the results accompany. If Monbus Obradoiro loses in the duel against MoraBanc Andorra, the city of Girona will again have a team in the ACB or also, if Granada loses its match against Real Madrid.
“We have trained well and the team is fine physically, moreover, the victory against Bilbao I am sure will help us after the streak of consecutive defeats”, these were the first words of the coach of Basketball Girona. With our feet on the ground, but with the anxiety of wanting to improve the results.
“We have prepared the match against a very tough team, Baskonia is a team with many weapons. They have the ability to score, even if the opponent is defending them well”, this is how he defined the Basque team. The team led by Dusko Ivanovic, an old acquaintance of Fontajau, is in ninth position in the standings and, this same week, was eliminated from the Euroleague Play-offs by Real Madrid.
Continuing with the rival, Fotis Katsikaris explained the danger that the Blaugrana team has in offensive transitions, “The first thing we have to do is from our attack to control our defense, by that I mean that we have to take good decisions and have a balance. We will need to be right, otherwise it will be virtually impossible to beat.
Speaking of the defense, there is one opponent’s name that stands out above the rest, guard Markus Howard who has been shining since March in the scoring aspect thanks to his success from long distance, “We to do everything we can do. From the player who defends him and also from his teammates. But, hey, we have to be aware that he can score on us by defending the shot well, from a long distance, with several defenders on top of him. It will depend a lot on what day I have and the collective work we do.” However, the manager of Básquet Girona did not want to focus on a single name, “They have many players who can hurt us. Minus Kotsar, Baskonia’s pivot, they have a good threat from the three-point shot”.
There are three finals left
“Yes, of course it is. All the remaining matches are finals”, this is how clearly Fotis Katsikaris expressed the importance of the three remaining matches to end the season. “I want to continue to see the competitive spirit that the team has shown in Fontajau. I want the team to finish the season very well. We are not done yet and we are not yet saved. In addition, I see the team ready to compete and, I want to focus on the team, because I want to see the face they have in Fontajau when we play away from home. It’s something I don’t like and we have to make an extra effort. We don’t have the same attitude, confidence, I don’t really know what it is, but if we want to win the Baskonia, we have to make a greater effort than what we did in Fontajau”.
In this way, the Greek coach explains how he is working to reach the highest possible point, be it in terms of play, competitiveness or team philosophy.
Maxi Fjellerup
The Argentine winger spoke about how the team is doing after the victory against Bilbao, “The week went very well, we are in a situation where salvation is practically a fact. We are not relaxed, but we are calmer than last week. Now we are aiming for the European competition and we must take advantage of this challenge to have more motivation. We have to give our best in these three games.”
Maxi Fjllerup, in his third season at the club and second in the ACB, has not had an easy year, but in recent days he has emerged as an important piece in the rotation of Fotis Katsikaris, “I am very happy with this new role Fotis is giving me the ability to play, which is what I want. Trust me. My time on the court doesn’t depend on one or two plays, you can play calmly, you know he trusts you. I feel very comfortable in defense. In attack we alternate, one day it’s one’s turn and the next another’s, but the most important thing is to defend well”.
To the big question of how to stop Markus Howard, the top scorer of the ACB, the Argentine indicates without hesitation “We must try to deny him the exits, play with our physicality, so that he does not get the their spaces and, above all, defending in a choral way. Apart from Markus Howard they have a great squad, so in the end we have to do a great choral job”.
2024-05-04 11:49:15
#control #defense #attack
