Shaquille O'Neal previews Zalgiris vs Olympiacos
The NBA legend arrived in Kaunas ahead of Zalgiris's EuroLeague clash with champions Olympiacos, praising European basketball's intensity and season-long effort.
Shaquille O'Neal arrived in Lithuania ahead of Zalgiris's Round 2 EuroLeague fixture against reigning champions Olympiacos and said he expects a full house and a hard-fought contest.
"I am looking forward to seeing them play against the champions. I know there will be 15,000 people at the match. European fans really love basketball," O'Neal said at a press conference.
The former NBA centre said he has attended only one game in Europe before, and drew a comparison between how players treat regular-season fixtures on the two continents.
"I've only been to one match in Europe, and it was crazy. So I want to see how tense and crazy this game will be. I know that in the EuroLeague teams play 38 matches, and I know that European basketball is a bit better than the NBA. I understand I'll get a lot of criticism for saying this, but the guys there give everything in every single match. You know, in the NBA we have players who ease off a bit before the All-Star match, the play-offs or something like that. So I'm sure there will be a few fights in today's match. They're playing against the champions, and it's their first home game. So I'm looking forward to it," O'Neal added.
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