By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Greek sharpshooter John Poulakidas made his mark in the NBA on Sunday, scoring 10 points and adding three rebounds and a steal in just 15 minutes as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. The 6’6″ shooting guard, who recently signed a two-way contract from the Texas Legends after a standout career at Yale, bounced back from a scoreless debut against the Charlotte Hornets to record his first NBA points.
“It feels great. Just a dream come true. Worked very hard for it. And I’m just glad I could capitalize on my opportunity today and get the win,” he said in a postgame press conference. “I’ve been dreaming of having this kind of opportunity since I was very little. To be living it right now is just very surreal to me that I’m just trying to be grateful for every opportunity I get every single day.”
Poulakidas, a native of Naperville, Illinois, who takes pride in his Greek heritage, showed the efficient shooting that made him a legend at Yale. “Seeing that first three go down felt great. Obviously, I missed my first two, and I had, honestly, just been itching since the first minute I played against Charlotte to knock that first one down for us, and to see one fall, let alone two, was great,” he noted. “It’s just continuing to stay confident and shoot the next one. I take pride in being an efficient shooter. And, so if I miss my first two, I know one of them is going to drop pretty soon.”
The rookie’s contributions helped Dallas pull away mid-game. “We blew the game open in the third quarter, so that was the most important thing we did,” said the 22-year-old guard. After the buzzer, the significance of the moment was capped off by receiving the game ball. “Special. I can’t really think of another phrase to use. It’s a dream come true. I’m living my dream right now, and I’m trying to stay in this league as long as I can.”
On the other side of the floor, Germany’s Dennis Schroder provided eight points and six assists in 22 minutes off the bench. Other European players, Dutch Tristan Enaruna and French Olivier Sarr, did not see action.