By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
Riga, Latvia – Some basketball games are just perfect, and this Round of 16 matchup against Serbia was indeed perfect for Finland. Probably, everybody didn’t expect such an outcome, but Sasu Salin.
“We did it. We expected that, but nobody else did, so we’re happy,” the experienced shooting guard opened after the craziest game in Finnish basketball history.
“Our energy in the past two games against Lithuania and Germany was terrible. We needed to step up and everyone of us did it today. It was a very collective team win,” he added.
When asked if this was the biggest win ever for his country, he didn’t deny. “Yeah, one of those. We’re planning to go forward from this; this was the first step,” Salin added. “It’s about will. I think so a lot. We have very athletic guys, but it’s about will. Everybody did a great job,” he said about offensive boards.
“We’re a good basketball country; it takes these moments to really make everybody else believe that too. And today we did that job,” Sasu Salin commented about what this says about Finnish basketball.
Elias Valtonen was the unexpected hero of his team’s victory, and he had crucial shots against a multiple NBA MVP as well. “That was the game plan against Jokic, you had to attack him,” he said.
“Elias has been struggling, maybe a little bit with his offensive effort, but today he stepped up, and I felt awesome. You know, he has those balls. Big ones, big ones.”
The same “big balls” that Miikka Muurinen has. At 18 years of age, he banked in back-to-back threes over Nikola Jokic, while also flying once again in transition.
“Big balls. You know this kid… I think there are words that I cannot say now about him, but yeah, he’s great. He’s great. And he’s gonna do great things in the future, too.”
“That’s what we need from him. If you want to beat these kinds of big countries, you know, you have to make shots. And today we did. And we did everything else well, too. Very happy about the effort.”
“Let’s hope he’s gonna be the best player in the world, but it takes time and practice. NBA player for sure, but let’s see how it goes,” Salin continued about the 18-year-old Finnish sensation.
Ultimately, he dedicated some words to Lassi Tuovi as well. “I think for every game he’s been good. Today, we really executed everything. Lassi has been doing a great job, especially in the national team, but of course, in his teams, wherever he has been coaching. Very big respect for him, too,” he concluded.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIBA