Lauri Markkanen in another dimension

As for Italy or Poland, the intoxication of victory won over the Finnish delegation after the performance of Lassi Tuovi’s troops against Croatia (94-86).

It must be said that there was reason to celebrate such an event, since Finland thus reached the quarter-finals of the Euro, a great first in the history of the selection, with a group articulated around seasoned veterans and a named superstar Lauri MarkkanenMVP of the game with 43 points.

Asked after the meeting, the new Jazz player was still on his little cloud.

“It’s one of those nights where the ball went in almost every shot. It’s a great win, I just tried to do what the team needed, and tonight was with a lot of scoring. We know we can beat everyone when we play our basketball for 40 minutes. Croatia are a very good team, so we tried to limit our weak times as much as possible and play a full game. No matter what happened, we focused on the possession to come, and that allowed us to get away with it. “

Spain already in everyone’s mind

Before looking ahead to the upcoming meeting against Spain in the quarter-finals, Lauri Markkanen was asked about his status in this Euro, far behind the trio made up of Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic in terms of attractiveness to the general public. However, the interior is really evolving at a high level since the start of the Euro. So, is he frustrated by this lack of consideration?

“No, I’m just trying to help the team, I don’t really watch that kind of stuff. I scored a lot but I was trying to do the right thing. We are rather enthusiastic to arrive in the European Top 8 and at the idea of ​​continuing to move forward. I don’t watch the rest too much, although of course the level is really high, with so many great players taking part in this tournament. I’m just glad we’re still in the running. “

Barely over the meeting, it is Spain that now occupies the minds of Lauri Markkanen and his teammates. The challenge is quite attractive: to compete with the nation that has dominated Europe for the past twenty years.

“Of course, we are savoring this victory, but we are also very excited for our next opposition. It’s a great team that has often gone all the way in the past. They know how it is at this stage, when no one in our team had yet achieved it. But we are very motivated, and we are not finished yet. We can’t wait to be there and play our best game of the summer (…). It means a lot to be in this situation. We will enjoy the victory, while having the idea that we will have our chance against Spain provided we play our game. We will do everything we need mentally and physically to be ready.