Greek Coach Spanoulis Blames Referees for Physical Play That Fueled Canada’s Early Dominance Over Greece
Greek national team head coach Vassilis Spanoulis believes that the officials allowed Dillon Brooks and Luguentz Dort to play too physically, setting the tone for Greece’s early offensive struggles.
“Giannis was really good tonight. But the whole team reacted great in the second half. I think we had a lot of years [in the Greece national team] too, fighting even gold medal contenders such as Canada in a difficult game but showing our character and getting back to the games.
I remember the years when I played for the national team, and we won a lot of medals. So I’m proud of my team,” said Spanoulis.
Canada prevented Greece from scoring in their first five possessions, building a double-digit lead by scoring 26 points in the first quarter and 48 points in the first half
They maintained this lead until the final seconds of the game, although Greece managed to come within one shot on a few occasions.
Canada’s aggressive defense limited the Greek backcourt to a 5-for-25 shooting night.
“We tried to set a lot of picks. We tried to set a lot of early picks, so to avoid the pressure,” Spanoulis explained to BasketNews how he tried to open the change the offense.
“We tried to carry the ball with the opposite guy than Dort because he’s really good at pressuring the ball. I think we started the game a little bit under pressure, and I didn’t understand that. It took us one half to understand that we have to play great basketball, our basketball, and to show our character. This half that we missed was a lot.”
“For me, it’s no pressure. As I say, players don’t have to pay the bill for their homes, and they don’t have problems getting bread or milk. No pressure for basketball. I don’t understand this. We get ready 45 days for this stage, and we have to enjoy, and show our character.”
He also voiced concerns about the level of physical contact permitted by defenders like Dillon Brooks and Lu Dort.
In fact, both Brooks and Dort fouled out in the fourth quarter, allowing Greece to close the gap afterward. However, their defensive pressure posed a significant challenge for Greece.
“I think they fouled a lot, but they didn’t give them some of the fouls [they deserved]. They played a lot of times with two hands, and a lot of times, I didn’t understand how the situation on both ends was different,” Spanoulis said to BasketNews.
“But in the second half, we were more aggressive and got to the rim more. We played unbelievable defense. We received 38 points in the second half. So this is what we won.”