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Coach Maksvytis: We're trying to figure out how to stop Spanoulis

Neptunas think Olyimpacos' top player will cause them trouble despite not being at his best level. The Lithuanians know that Olympiacos build their game around him. Another problem for Neptunas could be Greek team's frontcourt

Neptunas put an end to the tradition they set up this season to always have a good response following a bad performance. They did beat Siaulai, but the response was good only in very limited periods of time. The less than brilliant performance saw the opponent getting very close, but Neptunas pulled themselves together in the end to win.

The fact they were 17 points up and then almost failed to win could be explained by them meeting Olympiacos in Euroleague three days later.  Coach Maksvytis' team shifted their attention to that game before finishing the one with Siaulai and he was not happy with it.

- The only good thing from that game are the points, I can't be happy with our game. Everything came down to that one shot in the end and we had a 19-point advantage. I wanted to have my substitutes and players who don't spend much time in the game gain experiences and instead I got that finish. This isn't only the consequence of Siauliai's defense, out three-point efficiency is bad for the second consecutive game (3/17, 18% in the Siauliai game). That happened only because we don't move enough to get in the right position to shoot. We had only 10 assists against Siualia.

He knows that the kind of performance they had then would see them beat every Lithuanian club but Zalgiris and Lietuvos. But spot three is not in accordance with Neptunas' ambition. They also want to leave a trace in Euroleague, which is impossible, especially against teams such as Olympiacos, if their game doesn't improve. Their rebound was great in the Siauliai game (45-36, 16 offensive rebounds) but Siauliai are no measure of their value. Ever since Anisimov left, the center position has been a problem. Olympiacos, on the other hand, have Hunter and Dunston, Petway and Printezis at their disposal...

- We didn't have much time for preparation since we played Lietuvos and Siauliai. We watched their games and analyzed them. We'll do some more analyzing to try and figure out how to stop their leader Spanoulis. Everything on that team is about him. Printezis and Darden didn't play the first two games but they might play today and the two of them can cause a lot of problems for the opponent. We never met a club that powerful. They're the favorite, but we're playing home and we'll fight till the end. We want to win all the home games and put up a fight away - coach Makasvytis said. He doesn't have only center Sarakauskas, who will be out till December, at his disposal.

Olympiacos struggled early in the season but managed to win both of their Euroleague games and have only one objective ahead of the meeting in Lithuania - to keep the Euroleague run going. They played Laboral last week and struggled with offense, but the great defense performance resulted in a win. The championship game against Kolossos on Sunday was a bit more relaxed, but as soon as Olympiacos would get serious on the court, Kolossos stood no chance. The visitors were only 6 points down 7 minutes till the end but the game ended 93-65 for Olympiacos.

- We did good defense the second and the final quarter, leaving them some room in the third one. The players responded well, especially since the time for preparation was limited after the Euroleague game.

Olympiacos soon turned to their next opponent and the road trip to Lithuania. Neptunas beat Zvezda to prove they have potential, but the fact Olympiacos are a better-quality and a more complete team remains. Neptunas are very tough when allowed transition and more opportunity for three-point shots. Radonjic made the worst of mistakes last week playing zone defense and allowing Neptunas to take advantage of it, leaving Zvezda 15 points behind in the first half. The second half proved Neptunas struggle with tougher defenses and that will be a very important aspect of the game today. Olympiacos will put a lot of pressure Neptunas' forwards to stop their transition. If that happens, Lithuanias will be left with no chance. Olyimpiacos will dominate in the key and there is nothing the Lithuanian team will be able to do about it.

Darden is back on the Greek team, but Tomic said he won't play yet. Petway might not play either, while Papapetrou and Printezis remain unavailable.

- Neptunas are very energetic, especially home. They like to run into counter-attacks and go for a lot of three-pointers. I think we're well-prepared for the game. We want to control the shooting percentage and slow their pace down. I think everything will turn out fine - Tomic said.

Tomic will most definitely not make the mistakes Radonjic made a week ago. Radonjic was well aware that three-pointers are Neptunas' strongsuit, but tried to take advantage of his players' height to play the zone. Neptunas welcomed it and scored 9 three pointers in 14 attempts to take the 15-point lead by half-time. Zvezda tightened the grip later on, limiting Neptunas' shooting percentage and closing the gap. They equalized seven minutes before the end, but then made stupid mistakes allowing Neptunas to score without putting any effort it. Williams missed a shot for the win in the end an Neptunas recorded their first Euroleague win this season.

Olympiacos are more experienced, know what it takes to win games such as this one and won't be making the same kind of mistakes. They're definitely able to put a lot of pressure on Neptunas' forwards, which is enough to leave the Lithuanian team with no chance. Olympiacos will be the superior team in rebounding and the key. They will set the pace that suits them and try and score through transition. Neptunas don't have the quality necessary to deal with the top European teams. They lost to Himki in VTB League last season by 18 points home, to CSKA by 23 and I expect a similar outcome today. They are not doing brilliantly, having lost home to Lietuvos on Monday by 8 points and barely managing to beat Siauliai on Wednesday. Their performances diminish as the pace goes up and they won't be able to keep up with Olympiacos today. The Greek team have not had a game since Sunday and this one is in the center of their focus. Tomic said there should not be problems for his team today. He knows what they need to do to win and should be able to do so by at least 10 points.