Sasha Vezenkov on Mike James: 'I'm sure he'll want to score some extra points in Game 4' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Olympiacos BC/AS Monaco-Direction de la communication Credit Olympiacos BC/AS Monaco-Direction de la communication

Although Olympiacos Piraeus struggled, giving up on a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter, they escaped the Gaston Medecin with a valuable 87-83 win over hosts AS Monaco.

The Reds needed to change their approach in Game 3 to a certain extent, as coach Giorgos Bartzokas made some adjustments, limiting Monaco's offensive action.

In order for the Greek side to take back the home-court advantage and place themselves only one win away from the Final Four in Belgrade, cutting down on Mike James' production was pivotal.

When all was said and done, their mission had been accomplished since the American guard produced 13 points on a poor 1/9 shooting from the field and 1/6 three-point shots, going scoreless in the second half. James still managed to make all of his free throws (10/10) and dish out 8 assists, half of which came in the crucial last quarter.

Olympiacos' defensive direction was to send the charismatic scorer to his left hand and compel him to pass. In short, Bartzokas clearly chose to rid him of his scoring abilities.

James dealing with foul trouble from early on didn't help either. James was called his second personal after only two minutes into Game 3. Coach Sasa Obradovic kept him on the court, admitting later that he didn't want to sub him.

The Serb added that he usually does just that whenever a player collects two fouls early. James clocked in at 35 minutes and only visited the bench to catch his breath.

"I believe that he could find the way to stay in the game- and he did, although his fifth foul was unnecessary," Obradovic explained.

"I don't know if he killed the aggressiveness in him," Obradovic concluded.

Despite the fact that Mike James succeeded in reading Olympiacos' defense on several occasions, he felt trapped by not being able to take more shots. Even if Game 3 is over now, Monaco still have another chance to tie the series and pay a final visit to Piraeus.

"Mike is a player, who can do a lot of damage if he's given room and time," Olympiacos' forward Sasha Vezenkov told BasketNews after the contest.

"We knew we had to focus on him. He gave some more assists, but I'm sure he'll want to react and score some extra points on Friday."

Vezenkov knows first-hand that high-level players can work their way out of any scoring dead-end and be effective.

"In these games, every player knows very well what he has to do to have an impact on his team," the Bulgarian international went on to say.

"I've been studying how I can be more influential in my team's game. There's nothing that either team can do to surprise their opponent, which means that everything will go down to toughness, energy, and determination."

Vezenkov, who led all Olympiacos players in Performance Index Rating with 21, scored 17 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in Game 3. He also knocked down four free throws in the final stretch, securing the Reds' first away playoff win after April 2017 and Game 4 against Anadolu Efes.

Resonating with his coach, Giorgos Bartzokas, Vezenkov said game 3 was demanding, as it required a lot of energy because Monaco didn't give up, even when they were 15 points down.

"From January onwards, they've been playing amazing on their home court," he noted.

There are two sides to every coin, which means that not only Monaco but also Olympiacos and Vezenkov can play better in the game or games to come. One should only bear in mind that the three-time EuroLeague champs were held down to 71 and 72 points in the first two outings held at the Peace and Friendship Stadium.

"We knew that we were bad offensively in the first two games," Vezenkov admits.

"Everyone focused on the 96 points we conceded in Game 2, but we knew our offense wasn't good either. We adapted to some things and made changes, knowing that if we didn't score at least 80 points, it would be difficult to win.

We missed many shots and free throws, but we never stopped believing that we would be able to do what it takes to win. We played the way we wanted at the crucial moments of the game."

Leading the series doesn't secure Olympiacos a Final Four spot, but it might take some pressure off Bartzokas and his players. However, the Greeks weren't at all worried, according to Vezenkov.

"I don't think we felt any pressure before we came here," the 28-year-old holds, in contrast to the popular belief and Dwayne Bacon's quotes to BasketNews.

"This would have been the case if the score had been 2-1 for Monaco. At 1-1, we came here to play our style of basketball, trying to be better than we were in Game 2 in Piraeus - which wasn't so hard to do, actually."

Vezenkov says winning Game 3 doesn't make them feel more comfortable or self-complacent.

We won, and now there's only one thing going forward - keep our heads down and stay humble."

Like what we are doing? You can express your gratitude here.