Kostas Sloukas: 'The issue for us is certainly our defense' / News - Basketnews.com

Ahead of the EuroBasket 2022 quarter-final between Greece and Germany, the Greek NT's guard Kostas Sloukas talked about the upcoming challenge.

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Greece will face Germany in the EuroBasket 2022 quarter-final on September 13 at 20:30 CET.

Greece / Schedule

Greece Ukraine99-79 Estonia Greece69-90 Greece Czech Republic94-88 Germany GreeceTue18:30

Before the upcoming match, the Greek national team's guard Kostas Sloukas spoke about the challenge Germans will provide in an interview with Gazzetta.gr.

"It's clearly a very difficult game. Germany in Berlin will get more energy from its crowd. It is a team that has made it very difficult for the favorites of the tournament," said Sloukas.

"We are also waiting for luck to be on our side to win and be one step away from the medals. Yesterday's game is another story, just like the ones in Milan," Sloukas continued.

The Greek guard also touched on the round of 16 game, in which Greece won 94-88 against the Czech Republic.

"Unlike most, we expected a difficult game. A lot of people expected us to win 20 points, but that's not the case. The Czech Republic is a solid and very good team, who really made it difficult for us and they deserve congratulations," said Sloukas.

"I think it was good for us because it made us bond more as a team, which is our goal. We continue with an even more difficult task against Germany," Sloukas added.

The Olympiacos Piraeus guard has also talked about the difficulties the Greek national team is having as a team in the EuroBasket 2022 and what will be the important details in their upcoming match against Germany.

"It is key how we will stop their guards. But the Croatians also had very good scorers and creators, and so did the Italians," said Sloukas.

"The issue for us is certainly our defense because we have proven that by playing good defenses we can run to the fast break where we are strong," Sloukas explained.

"Pace control is important, while luck also plays a role in such games. The team must first pay attention to defense and rebounds, and play their game up front, because with Giannis [Antetokounmpo] we will reach 80-90 points," Sloukas added.

When asked which German national team's player is the most dangerous, Sloukas did not want to single out one player.

"Germany has a great team, with a lot of talent. I don't want to single out any player, because they have many with quality from the EuroLeague and NBA. We have to play well for 40 minutes," Sloukas concluded.

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