Brazil proved it had “several players who can stop” Giannis Antetokounmpo when it beat Greece 79-78 in a thriller Tuesday at the FIBA World Cup, according to head coach Aleksandar Petrovic.
Antetokounmpo was limited to 13 points and fouled out late in the fourth quarter.
Anderson Varejao led the way for Brazil with 22 points and nine rebounds, and 39-year-old Alex Garcia improbably held The Greek Freak in check.
Per Eurohoops:
“Why this sport is wonderful? On the other side, you have a guy who won MVP, he’s 23 years old, and who stops him tonight? The guy who is 40 years old and kicks his ass. That’s basketball,” said the brother of the late, great Drazen Petrovic while slapping his hand on the table euphorically.
Coach Petrovic also mentioned that he wasn’t worried at all about Giannis; he was afraid of EuroLeague stars Kostas Sloukas and Georgios Printezis might do.
“We showed that we have several players who can stop Antetokounmpo. But yesterday I was more occupied with Sloukas and Printezis, and that’s what happened today. When I was preparing this game, a lot of people talked and joked about how to stop Antetokounmpo. I had for six months in my head, since the semifinals between Toronto and Milwaukee, how to stop Antetokounmpo. The problem tonight for us was Sloukas and Printezis.”
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