Olympiacos guard Isaiah Canaan spoke after the game against their biggest rival in the EuroLeague‘s first round.
Canaan played a significant role in his team’s victory over Panathinaikos, contributing 14 points, with a 4/6 three-point shooting, and was one of the key players in Olympiacos’ overtime win.
“It was an intense battle. They came at us hard, but we stayed together and responded. We played our basketball. Their fans are fantastic; the atmosphere was electrifying; they made everything difficult for us. It was challenging this summer when we lost two important players – Kostas Sloukas and Sasha Vezenkov. The organization did a great job finding players who fit into the team. With Olympiacos, I could go to war,” said Canaan.
The American player went on to comment about playing against Sloukas, his former teammate.
“We were rivals in practice last year. I’m a competitor. We’re no longer teammates, and we do what we have to do. Last year, I had to sacrifice some things to get to know the team, but this time, I feel better,” Canaan stated, as reported by Nova.
In the next round, Olympiacos will face another tough challenge as they host Barcelona, who previously had a convincing win against Efes.