By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
Riga, Latvia – Greece finished the second day of action in the Round of 16 at FIBA EuroBasket 2025 in winning fashion, beating Israel to extend their stay.
After the game, Tyler Dorsey stopped by in the mixed zone. “[Getting the job done is] all that matters. No matter how many points you win, you just want to get the win,” he said.
It was once again a show provided by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished with 37 points and 10 rebounds. “Dominant, they couldn’t stop him tonight,” he said about The Greek Freak.
“We kept feeding him, he did what he did tonight. He’s one of the best in the world, so we’re glad to have him. Glad to get the win and get some rest and get ready for Lithuania,” Dorsey added.
“He’s unstoppable in both FIBA and NBA, but obviously, in the NBA they can’t sit in the paint as much, so he gets a lot more transition points,” he answered when asked which version of Giannis he prefers.
“I think we mesh well around Giannis, and we’re doing our best. I think our chemistry is growing, and we’re gonna have to get ready. We gotta step up. Some nights he’s gonna get 40 [points], some nights he’s gonna get 10 assists like the Spain game. We just gotta be ready to step up.”
It was also an important display by the 2005-born forward Alexandros Samorudov, who finished with 4 offensive rebounds, helping the team get more second-chance points.
“They were packing, staying on our shooters, and leaving him open. He made big plays. A lot of big offensive rebounds that gave us second-chance points, and that was really big. Obviously, he’s coming back from an injury, and we needed that,” he said.
“We need guys to step up, you know, every game. He has talent, so as long as he keeps working and keeps getting stronger, he’s gonna be really good,” Dorsey added when asked about the young gem’s ceiling.
Next up, there’s Lithuania for Vassilis Spanoulis’ team. “They’re fighters. You see all the games, you cannot sleep on anybody, any player can have a night, so we have to be ready for them,” he said.
“We knew it was urgent because any team can upset you any night. It got us on our toes for sure. We have to close games a little bit better, but we will figure that out,” he concluded.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIBA