BRA – “One on one” with Tiago Splitter

Evidently, it wasn’t the debut Brazil dreamt about, who had to fight until the last minutes to win over Canada. This is the reason for the faces they’ve got when they entered the Mix Zone, in the Thomas & Mack Center. Anyway, the victory shreds any doubts, at least for now.

Did this game against Canada was more complicated than expected?

I think that we had good and bad moments. There were times during the game in which we had 10-points advantages, and then we ended up losing them. I think we lacked concentration, but, honestly, it was good when considered it was the first game of the tournament.

A game for breaking the ice, as they said.

Yes, of course. At the FIBA World Championship last year, in Japan, and after that first game we lose, everything got out of control. It is always good to have a good start, winning.

Is there any pressure on Brazil to grab one of the two spots available for the Olympic Games in Beijing?

Yes, a lot. The Brazilian Press, and the public, they all demand a lot from us, because for us is a terrible thing to not reach the Olympic Games; also, our presence in those tournaments is important for the development of the basketball in our country as well.

What are your main goals for the tournament?

We came here looking for a spot in the Olympic Games. That is our main objective, and we will do everything we can to achieve it.

What did you learned from Japan?

In Japan, everything went bad for us. We were a strong team, with lots of good player, but we didn’t know how to define some definitive moments that arised during some of the games. Now we have players with more experience and main roles on each of their teams. This time, it’s supposed to be better for us.

Was it hard to end without Anderson Varejao and Rafael Araujo so closed to the tournament?

We were expecting that. Nene also arrived in the last minute, and he’s helping us a lot, even though he’s not on his best shape yet. These are the players that we have, and I think this group to be a very strong one too.

If you had to describe the level in which Brazil is currently in, from 1 to 10, what score will give to yourselves?

I think we are a 7. We are in good shape, but we still have some ground to cover.

A lot has been said about how Brazil can exploit any minute now, as an international power, but still it never happens. What is your opinion about that?

It’s true. We have great individual players. Now, we have to meet those expectations on the court, playing in Olympic Games and winning titles.

Did you rely too much in Leandrinho today?

Yes, he started playing well, and it did us wrong in the third quarter, because we were left without any offensive variables. Although, at the end, some of the other players stood up and, fortunately, everything ended up fine.