Latvian basketball players won the victory over the Georgian national team with the result 84:55.
Rihards Lomaž spent 24 minutes in the game against Georgia, during which he scored seven points. He admitted that the feelings about the team’s performance are good.
“We wanted to set the tone for the whole tournament, not just this game. We showed how we want to play. We want to play defense. They scored 55 points. It’s clear why we won. Through defense, we also found offense. The shots started to fall and we got into a good rhythm “The tournament has only just begun. It’s a pleasure to win, but, as I said, the tournament has only just begun,” said Lomaž.
In the first half, the Georgian basketball players showed quite uniform basketball on the court, putting a huge emphasis on the game under the basket. Lomažs pointed out that Latvian basketball players had expected such a manner of play from their opponents.
“Yes, they play like that. We already studied before the game that some of their players want to play more one-on-one. We knew what to expect and we were ready. They also threw some difficult shots, but there are high-level players,” Lomage said.
He also agreed that it is nice to play in front of his audience. Almost nine thousand spectators watched this game in person. Lomaj wants to see a full arena in the next game.
“It’s always nice to play in the Arena. With almost full stands. People can still try. I invite them to do it,” said Lomaž with a smile.
Speaking about the offensive potential of the Latvian national team, Lomažs once again highlighted the team’s defense, which allowed for easy shots.
“Definitely we can play better. I can also play better and hit shots. The main thing is that the team wins. We won by almost 30 points. In this tournament, victories counted. You score one point or thirty – it doesn’t change anything. We have one goal – to get to Paris,” Lomage said.
Mareks Mejeris became one of the main heroes of the game in the ranks of the Latvian national team with his versatile performance and defensive struggles, and after the game he came to talk to the media with a thoroughly subdued voice.
“Everybody needs to be shouted at. Loudly shouted. Loudly in the arena. Thank you to everyone who shouted today. Our communication is secondary. The main thing is that they [fani] we are being pushed forward,” explained Meyers for the lack of voice.
The experienced forward returned to the Latvian basketball team after Banki did not include him in the squad for the World Cup finals. Mejeris spent the most time on the field in the ranks of the Latvian national team – 27 minutes and 40 seconds, but he admitted that before the Olympic qualification tournament he was not worried about his role in the team at all, because everyone must work together for the main goal, which is, of course, getting into the Olympic Games.
Mejeris also pointed out that the Latvian team expected pressure on the bottom of the basket: “They were not bigger, but, I don’t want to say that cool word, more manly. Such decent old men. But we can run around them. While they are pushing there, we run around them three times. Today I managed to impose my fast style. Everything is fine,” Mejeris looked back on the game.
Šmits, on the other hand, highlighted the physical basketball shown by Latvian basketball players after the game: “Good game. We played very physically aggressively as a team. We must continue to play like that, because that’s the only way we can win a lot. I knew that elbows would be in the air and it would be physical basketball. And so It was.”
Schmidt himself could not boast of good shooting accuracy in this game – five of 15 shots were hit, and all four long shots flew into the basket in a row. He believes today just wasn’t his best day in that aspect of the game: “I’d like to say I didn’t fall. The shots were good. The shots I have to make today didn’t fall.”
At the media day of the Latvian basketball team, which took place in mid-June, Šmits did not hide that at that time he was still troubled by the injuries he sustained in the final series of the Lithuanian basketball league. Now the situation is better.
“After the season, such fatigue has accumulated. There is no time to think about it now, because we have a very good chance to go to the Olympic Games. We have to forget about all that. The beginning, when I just joined the national team, was a little more difficult, but with each day and game I feel better and better,” said Schmidt.
The Latvian national team will play the next game on the evening of July 3 at 19.
Brazil, Montenegro and Cameroon meet in the second group in Riga. The Brazilian national team defeated the Montenegrin basketball players 81:72 in the first game on Tuesday.
The two best teams of both groups will continue the battle in the semi-finals on Saturday, while only the winners of the final game, which will be announced on Sunday, July 7, will earn a ticket to Paris.
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2024-07-02 20:32:23
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