Thanasis Antetokounmpo explains the reasons behind the win against Croatia / News - Basketnews.com

In a post-game conversation with BasketNews, Thanasis Antetokounmpo explained some of the main reasons behind Greece's close success against Croatia.

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The game between Greece and Croatia was, as expected, a fierce battle. The two teams created a high-energy show for the fans, and the game was extremely close until the very end.

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Greece, though, was able to prevail and start their EuroBasket in the right way. Giannis Antetokounmpo, despite a difficult shooting performance, finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists, providing everything that Greece needed, especially in the last few minutes.

Tyler Dorsey went off with 27 points in 29 minutes, his new career-high with the national team. Despite multiple comeback efforts from Croatia, in the end, coach Itoudis' side was able to prevail, thanks to unmatched defensive energy and a level of physicality rarely seen in European competitions.

Thanasis Antetokounmpo provided his usual defensive effort and added 5 points in 17 minutes. After the game, the NBA champion answered a couple of questions made by BasketNews and explained some of the reasons behind the win.

"Just stay with it, you know. We kept pushing until the end, even when they were coming back, we kept pushing, and we never stopped," Thanasis explained to BasketNews.

Greece did an excellent job defensively, forcing 18 turnovers from Croatia. In the first half, the interior defense of coach Itoudis' side was impressive, double-teaming at the right time and just pushing Croatia inside to stop them at the rim.

When asked if it was something that the team prepared specifically for the game against Croatia, Thanasis smiled.

"It's a secret (laughs), but jokes aside, it's how we play, we help each other, we trust each other, we don't leave anybody alone on the island," Antetokounmpo told BasketNews. "We're a team, we don't leave anybody alone".

With the win against Croatia now secured, Greece will face the host Italy tomorrow in what it's probably the most anticipated game of the group.

The Mediolanum Forum will be completely sold out for the game, and fans, even the Italian ones, expect another big performance out of Giannis Antetokounmpo and his teammates.

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