By Michalis Gioulenoglou/ info@eurohoops.net
Riga, Latvia – With Lithuania and Greece set to face each other in the second game of the Quarterfinals at Xiaomi Arena, 6,000 “Lietuva” fans are expected to support the senior national team of their country, vastly outnumbering Greek fans on Tuesday evening.
Loyals are always there, especially in proximity to their home country, and in such a key game for a spot in the Semifinals.
Also considering host Latvia being eliminated, at the hands of their neighboring Baltic country on Saturday, the home-court advantage naturally increases for the team coached by Rimas Kurtinaitis.
During morning shootaround, a few hours before tipoff, 65-year-old Kurtinaitis opened up about facing Greece and Giannis Antetokounmpo in Riga, following a winning effort versus fellow NBA superstar Kristaps Porzingis.
“You want to know the secret? How will we face Giannis? You will see tonight,” mentioned the experienced tactician.
“Giannis goes inside, looking for the open shots. The team has a lot of good spot-up shooters. If some of them are left alone, they play very well like that, for sure,” he continued, describing his view on the team guided by Vassilis Spanoulis, “The passing game, assists, it’s not just what Giannis does. It’s strong. They usually have 23 or 24 assists per game.”
“One of our purposes is to control the game, but it’s not always possible. It’s a habit. It’s difficult to control our team, and it’s difficult to control the opposite team,” added Kurtinaitis to his preview.
The Quarterfinals matchup is scheduled for 20:00 CET.