By Semih Tuna/ STuna@eurohoops.net
Tbilisi, Georgia – Nobody expected Bulgaria to beat Spain, but on the other hand, neither a 114-87 defeat seems natural at the Eurobasket level.
Still, that was the case for Bulgaria and as Dee Bost admitted, things much change, even if Spain remains a powerhouse: “We came to play, but Spain is one of the best teams in the tournament. They played great and we have to make adjustments and try to be better. Spain is a great shooting team and not many teams play like Spain. We gave them a lot of wide-open threes and they killed us on rebounds and second-chance points”.
Speaking about his personal performance of six points and seven assists, while shooting 2/8 FG, Bost was also critical of his approach to the game and didn’t believe that the whole issue for Bulgaria was defense: “I wouldn’t say it was our defense entirely. I created shots for my teammates but maybe I need to be more aggressive and look for my own shots to make things better.”
After all, with Bulgaria returning to a Eurobasket tournament after 11 years, things are new not only for Dee Bost but also for the team: “It’s a big stage to be on and we have to get out and try to compete”.
Can this new start begin in the game against Turkey? Bost, a fan favorite in Galatasaray, admits that things will not be easy: “It’s the best players from Turkey, maybe more talent, NBA guys, it’s going to be different for sure. But we still have to compete”.