Jasikevicius talks on Greek powerhouses, disgraceful windows system and Russian clubs / News - Basketnews.com

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On Friday, Sarunas Jasikevicius with FC Barcelona will meet Olympiacos Piraeus in his well-known and beloved Greece.

3-pointers this season

42%9,4Points made:9,4Accuracy:42,2%Place in standings:3Record max:16Record min:3Most made 3FGs:Nikola MiroticTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Before the match, Jasikevicius sat down for a conversation with Antonis Kalkavouras of Gazzetta.gr.

The Lithuanian mastermind touched on different topics, including the outgoing season, Greek powerhouses, Russian clubs, and the schedule crossing of FIBA and EuroLeague competitions.

Firstly, Saras talked about the 2021-22 campaign and the tough mission to keep the same game level, intensity in the crazy calendar.

"I think we had a very good regular season," Jasikevicius said. "To finish first in the EuroLeague, while playing in the ACB, is a huge achievement. At this point, we continue to get better. The most important thing right now is to come to playoffs as healthy as possible. We know we are not going to have Cory Higgins but everybody else - we are hoping to have them.

It is very tough (to keep the same game level). We are playing 17 games in 35 days because of COVID-19 and the canceled games. The schedule has been absolutely unbearable.

We are a little bit in the survival mode: just getting the games past the kind of mode. Of course, we are trying to win them but from the next week, we have to start focusing on the playoffs because this stage is very difficult."

As stated by Jasikevicius, he was not surprised by great Olympiacos Piraeus results in the EuroLeague regular season, as the Reds are back in the playoffs with a home-court advantage.

"I said very early in the season, before our first meet-up, that Olympiacos are back. It was very clear that they have a lot of guard play, they have a lot of different options, two different 5th position players, two different 4th position athletes.

FC Barcelona / Schedule

FC Barcelona Fenerbahce Istanbul88-67 Olympiakos Piraeus FC BarcelonaFri18:00 FC Barcelona Maccabi Tel Aviv04-0718:00

The 3rd position is covered, the creation is covered, shooting is covered, and these guys are playing together for many years. They have all ingredients, including the excellent home court."

The 46-year-old specialist expressed his thoughts regarding struggling Panathinaikos as well. The Greens are 13th in the EuroLeague standings with 8 wins and 18 defeats. The last time PAO entered the EuroLeague playoffs was back in the 2018-19 season.

"I feel sad, I feel for them. I know how much these fans love their team and how much they are loyal to this club. And to see them (at the bottom) is very difficult. Obviously, things change over the years. You lose the budget, you lose some kind of balance from the top level. Things like this happen.

Panathinaikos have to regroup and improve in all aspects. Obviously, there is a lot of love from my side there and I would like to see them back where they belong, in the Final Fours. For me, PAO is the most important team outside of my Zalgiris."

Credit AP-Scanpix

FIBA and EuroLeague calendars were another issue to speak about in the Gazzetta.gr interview. According to Saras, both organizations had to make decisions and actions much earlier, after colliding schedules.

"The time was 20 years ago. They still haven't done anything. I don't believe that they will do something. It's just a horrible situation in European basketball. The window system is an absolute disgrace and they have not been able to find any kind of solution. Hopefully, they will but I don't really believe it."

Last but not least, Sarunas Jasikevicius referred to the war in Ukraine and the future of Russian clubs.

"We grew up as children of the former Soviet Union. We know what's going on exactly. We, as Lithuanians, constantly feel threatened. There is no way to sit back and just take it. In some ways, we feel - we could be next. That's the most important thing.

To have this kind of situation in 2022 is absolutely horrible and we have to stop this guy. All the strength and power for the Ukrainians to try to survive. I hope the whole world continues helping them out because they deserved to have a place of their own and a country of their own," spoke the Lithuanian head coach.

He also added some finishing quotes: "The aggressive country should not participate in normal life situations because they are not giving the normal life situations.

As I said, I am Lithuanian and I have an extremely strong opinion about it and that's the way. It would be difficult to participate for them (Russian clubs) in the EuroLeague while their country is having a direct attack on a sovereign country."

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