Calathes steps up in nick of time for Giannis-less Greece

ISTANBUL (EuroBasket 2017) - Just days ahead of EuroBasket 2017, Greece was rocked by the news of superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo withdrawing because of injury. Undoubtedly, it was a body blow with the 'Greek Freak', an All-NBA Second Team selection last season, expected to shoulder much of Greece's load through his all-round brilliance.

After being rated as a possible 'dark horse' team, Greece was quickly written off by critics with some believing they would suffer an inglorious Group Phase exit. Accordingly, Greece struggled through Group A in Helsinki with inconsistent performances to be dangerously positioned at 1-3 after four games.

After an expected easy win over Iceland first up, Greece lost three straight with their performances being entirely unpredictable - often changing within minutes. Blessed with talent across the board, Greece has all the ingredients to be a formidable team even without Antetokounmpo. They are blessed with size on the inside, headlined by NBA player Georgios Papagiannis, and boast several dangerous guards who can score at will.

However, amid Greece's below-par performances, it was evident there were problems to have the team functioning on the same page, at the same time.

Greece often only looked energized when Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Giannis' brother, shook things up coming on as a spark plug off the bench but too often foul trouble limited his influence.

It all meant Greece faced a Group A knockout game against Poland for a ticket to Istanbul. Commenting on the looming game, after losing to Finland, coach Kostas Missas said in the press conference that the knockout game would be decided by "who wanted it more". Not just merely responding to a journalist's question, Missas was undoubtedly issuing a challenge to his players in one last chance to keep their campaign alive.

In the knockout game, Greece were in a hole early against a disciplined and well-coached Poland. It seemed their campaign was headed for a disappointing end that had seemed inevitable since the 'Greek Freak's' withdrawal.

However, perhaps with Missas' plea ringing in their ears, Greece lifted to peg back the deficit before dominating the final quarter in an inspired display to win comfortably and earn a spot to Istanbul.

One of the main reasons for Greece's change of fortune was the stellar play of point guard Nick Calathes, who starred with 24 points, 10 assists and a bucket load of leadership to ensure his team's campaign continued.

A barometer for his team, Calathes had struggled during Greece's opening four games, averaging just 8 points and 3.5 assists. Against Poland, knowing what was at stake, the 28-year-old started far more aggressively to set the tone. 

Impressively steering the ship, Calathes hit numerous clutch shots and kept coming up with the right plays to dictate the game. It was a commanding performance at the opportune moment and provides genuine hope that Greece can be competitive against Group B winners Lithuania in the Round of 16.

Perhaps it's taken longer than expected, but Greece may be starting to peak at the right time. Calathes says Greece are motivated to prove the doubters wrong. "We have a lot of confidence in ourselves," he told fiba.basketball. "We have some of the best players in EuroLeague and we have a team that can do something good. He (Antetokounmpo) is a top five player in the world, so is difficult to replace. We have had to come together and do the little things to make up the loss."

Calathes says he has put pressure on himself to raise his game. "I definitely feel like I need to perform and step up," he says. "I want to help the team in any way possible whether that's scoring, setting others up or by leadership."

Even though Greece's stock has fallen, Calathes says they had belief within to emerge as an unlikely contender. "We definitely want to go all the way," he says. "We have a proud basketball tradition. But it is a step-by-step process to play better and we know when the right time is to be at our best."

In the aftermath of the victory to Poland, in another public message to his team, Missas challenged his team to keep believing. "Inside your soul, you have to believe about doing your best," he said. "We have to work like a team. There is no secret. They (Lithuania) are a good experienced team. Lithuania is a big team but we are not afraid."

Greece plays Lithuania in the Round of 16 on Saturday night.

FIBA