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INTERVIEW SERGEY BYKOV

“Playing the Greeks is great”

CSKA Moscow point guard, Sergey Bykov, sees the game against Greece in the Love Cyprus Basketball Tournament as a great chance to measure their strength ahead of the match between the two sides in Turkey.

- What are Russia’s chances in the FIBA World Championship in Turkey?
The World Championship is a very strong competition. Some teams are remarkable due to their skills and usually they are the favorites. The rest of the sides are in the middle, but to be honest any team has equal chances to win. You can remember our success at EuroBasket 2007, where nobody predicted our success, not even specialists and bookmakers. That’s why if several factors will be in favor of our team, like our best players coming, injury free, being in the best shape, good luck and keeping a strong character, we can play good and can win medals.

- How important is it for your team to play against Greece in the Love Cyprus Basketball Tournament, since you will face them in Turkey?
It is very important that we will play the Greek team at the Love Cyprus Basketball Tournament. They have a very balanced roster and players who have good experience at the highest level and who have won medals for the national team or their clubs. It’s not a secret that the Greek team has been always amongst the favorites. As for both our teams playing in the same group in Turkey, I think that the coaches will make the analysis of the game and will turn to the conclusion how to win the group match between us at the World Championship.

- Which Greek player do you think has the most quality on the Greek National side?
I don’t think that it’s right to give any concrete names. Greek leaders are star players of European Basketball; you know all of them are very good. And our main task is to block them and not to allow them the chance of playing their game.

- What are your goals at CSKA Moscow, now that you moved to that club?
CSKA always has one goal: to win any competition that they are playing at. My task is to help the team to achieve that goal.

INFO
* Enjoy the National Team of Russia and all their stars in Cyprus between 6 and 8 of August. On the 6th, Russia will confront Croatia at the “Tassos Papadopoulos-Eleftheria” stadium, on the 7th they will play against Greece in “Spyros Kyprianou” at Limassol and on the 8th they will return to Nicosia for the match against Germany. For more info on www.lovecyprusbasketball.com.

* Russia competes in Group C of the FIBA World Championships that will take place in Turkey between 28 of August and 12 September 2010. The “bears” will face host Turkey, Greece, Puerto Rico, China and Ivory Coast.