GRE - Papaloukas: "USA haven't played a good defensive team yet"
SAITAMA (FIBA World Championship) - Greek playmaker Theodoros Papaloukas knows avoiding turnovers and keeping Team USA off the offensive glass are keys to victory when the sides clash in the semi-finals of the FIBA World Championship.
The United States quick thrive on pressure defense, which leads to fast breaks, and they also kill opponents in the rebounding.
They grabbed 22 offensive boards in their 20-point quarter-final win over Germany.
"If they run, they are better athletes and it's a different game," Papaloukas said.
"We have to control the rebounds. If we don't give up a lot of turnovers and can control the boards a little bit, then I think we have a pretty good chance."
Papaloukas also was confident his team could find ways to score against a US defense which has allowed an average of just 65.3 points over the past three games.
Greece are the lowest scoring of the four remaining teams in the tournament at 81.7 points per contest while averaging 68.3 points allowed.
"I don't think the Americans have up to now played someone with a real good team defense," he said.
"We're not the best athletes, but I think we play a very clever team defense. We know when we should run and when we should help."
Papaloukas did admit the loss of Nikos Zisis to three broken bones in his face in a Group C game against Brazil was a big one - and not just on the court.
"He's a good friend of ours," Papaloukas said.
"The important thing is that his eye is going to be okay, and that he'll be back in one month. Sports is important, but it's not everything in life.
"More important is the health of our friend. Having him on the bench, we'll have even more motivation to play for him," he said.
Zisis is expected to be at the game with the Greeks.
Papaloukas, the MVP of CSKA Moscow's Euroleague Final Four win earlier this season, is widely accepted as one of the best Europeans not in the NBA.
"I talked to some (NBA) teams this summer, but I don't think they were very interested by the offers they made. But it's okay. That's life," he said.
"In the states, the mentality is different. They look at different things. I don't know if they have the chance to see the way I play.
"I'm not a stats player. I play to help my team win. I think I have a winning mentality. I don't care if I score one day and then don't the next day, and then play some great defense another day."
"The most important is winning. And in the past few years I've done that. I could understand if teams weren't interested in me if I didn't win the cups. But that's life."
Papaloukas is content with hiis professional life.
"I don't want to be greedy," he said. "Life gave me a lot of things. I think God has treated me very well.
"I know there are a lot of players with much bigger talent who are better than me. But they haven't used that to win with their national team or win with their clubs in the Euroleague, playing with a lot of good players and then getting the MVP.
"So I'm not greedy. I respect that. And I appreciate the way my life has gone."
By David Hein, FIBA
