By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
A good start to the competition and back-to-back wins over the last two games have put Olympiacos Piraeus in a good situation in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague – fourth place with a 7-4 record. Olympiacos bounced back from a home loss against Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv by defeating Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul and thrashing Unics Kazan in front of its fans. In both games, its top scorer and rebounder was small forward Matt Lojeski, who is having a strong season so far.
Lojeski is shooting better than ever; he’s made 64.3% of his two-point shots (18-of-28) and 48.8% of his shots outside the arc (20-of-41) and is averaging 10.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and a performance index rating of 12.3 in 11 games so far. No other player with at least 250 attempts has a better three-point career shooting percentage (44.2%) than Lojeski, who is in his fourth season with Olympiacos. Lojeski spoke to Javier Gancedo of EuroLeague.net about his and the Reds’ current run. “For the most part the team has been together for a while now. We know how each other likes to play and what each other is good at,” Lojeski said. “When you know the team for a while, you get more comfortable and more relaxed; they know how you like to play.”
Hello, Matt. Congratulations on beating Unics last week. How did you get such a convincing win?
“Thank you. After already losing two games at home, we really wanted to have a good start of the game. Basically, we played really good defense from the beginning and played together on offense. Almost from the beginning, we had at least a 10-point lead the whole game.”
No-one scored more than 15 points in Olympiacos‘s last two wins. Is that a good sign going forward?
“Yes; it has been like that since I came here. We always want to show that we play together and every single game it could be a different person who leads the team in scoring. For us, it is kind of how it has been for a while. Depending on the game, somebody can score 15-20 points to win.”
Olympiacos had a strong start of the season, just as always in the last few years. How is the team so ready to play when the season starts?
“I don’t why; we always had this character. In the past, with the other format, it didn’t mean as much starting out well. Now, with this format, is better because every game is more important, every game matters. We always had pretty good starts, but after losing against Maccabi, winning the next two games has been really important.”
You are playing really well this season, shooting the ball better than ever. Does that have to do with knowing some of your teammates for such a long time?
“Yes, for the most part the team has been together for a while now. We know how each other likes to play and what each other is good at. When you know the team for a while, you get more comfortable and more relaxed; they know how you like to play.”
You also seem to be in very good game rhythm. Does the new format, with more games, help you be ready to play at all times?
“Yes, I think we are adjusting to it; all the teams are getting used to the new format. There are a lot more games and less practices. That gives us a better rhythm for games by playing instead of having longer practices. It is always more enjoyable to play games instead of practicing, that’s for sure.”
No other player with so many three-point shots attempted has a better percentage than you in competition history. What does it take to be so effective from beyond the three-point line?
“Just being experienced and like I said before, knowing my teammates and where I can get good shots for good percentages. Being patient within the offense – Coach, Billy [Vassilis Spanoulis] and everyone else know how to make me get open looks and good percentages to score. The team structure has basically been the same and we have a lot of unselfish players. Of course, Billy has a lot of attention on him, so when I am in there, that helps me get open shots. Like I said before, most of my shots are with good looks, so percentages are high.”
This is your fourth season with Olympiacos, playing with two superstars like Vassilis Spanoulis and Georgios Printezis. How comfortable do you feel with them on your team?
“Oh, I am comfortable with them. Both of them are good people, they don’t have big egos and stuff like that. I know them well and just try to support them and help them. They won EuroLeagues before and now we are trying to get back to the Final Four. I want to win my first EuroLeague title. I have been to the final once a couple of years ago and lost to Madrid. I want to get back to it.”
You will face Zalgiris Kaunas on the road this week. How much are you looking forward to it – a new opponent in such a strong basketball atmosphere?
“For us, we know that a loss could hurt us moving forward. Just because Zalgiris is not one of the biggest teams, it doesn’t mean that it is not going to be a difficult game. I am sure we want to get payback for what happened there last year [Olympiacos lost in Kaunas, 75-55] and keep our momentum going in the EuroLeague.”
Zalgiris and Olympiacos are two of the best rebounding teams in the competition. What are the keys to the game, other than controlling the boards?
“Well, other than rebounding… I think that controlling the rhythm of the game is important. With our style now, being one of the top defensive teams, especially on the road, it helps our offense because we can run fast breaks, get confidence and shoot better during the game.”
Olympiacos is 7-4 and in a good position right now. What will it take to reach the playoffs and battle for a Final Four spot?
“Obviously, we will go game by game, but we are putting ourselves in a good position. Our first goal is to finish in the first four spots to get the home-court advantage in the playoffs. I know it is a long way away, so right now we are trying to finish off the first round of the competition in the highest position that we can. We have four games until it is over, so there are a lot of games we can win. So, one game at a time and try to see where we are in the end.”