By George Efkarpidis and Stefanos Tatsios/ info@eurohoops.net
Following the win against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and Olympiacos clinching homecourt advantage in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs, Thomas Walkup switched to the next challenges stressing his side is ready to deal with any team in the last step to the Final Four.
“We are happy to check this off the list,” he told Eurohoops about the homecourt advantage in the best-of-five Playoffs series.
The Reds are now seeking the best possible finish in the Regular Season and the respective seeding for the Playoffs. But three more regular-season games are left, including archrival Panathinaikos on Friday as Regular Season Round 32 concludes the last two-game week of the 2022-23 season.
“We are extremely focused on it, but only for the standings,” explained Walkup downplaying the unprecedented 12-game winning streak against the Greens between domestic and continental competitions, “Streaks are streaks. It’s not something we are keeping track of. It’s an important game for the EuroLeague standings. That’s where our focus is.”
Thomas Walkup: “We will play whoever we get”
Visiting Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet in Belgrade next week and playing host to Cazoo Baskonia on 13 April will wrap up the double-legged round-robin schedule of the Regular Season. Olympiacos will then focus on reaching the Final Four.
“We are not afraid of anyone. We will play whoever we get,” the Stephen F. Austin State product cleared up a question about the opponent in the Playoffs.
The Greek giant currently leads EuroLeague on the favorable end of a two-way tie with Real Madrid at 22-9. In third place, FC Barcelona carries a 21-10 record.