Daniel Theis will participate in the Boston Celtics on 11. January 2018 (from 21:00 live on DAZN) will play a match in London against the Philadelphia 76ers. Prior to this, the German Big Man spoke in a conference call about the fans in Boston, a franchise in Europe and the conversion to the NBA.
Daniel Theis on…
… the atmosphere in Boston: The fans in Boston are something special. Every game is sold out and I am cheered on for every play. It’s an honor to meet you. But I’m just trying to play like I always have.
… his role: I don’t care whether I start or come from the bank. I’ve been doing this in Bamberg for years. I bring energy and play defense. If the team needs me, I’ll be there.
… a possible franchise in Europe: I don’t really believe in it. We have up to 100 games on the schedule. That’s tough. It costs the Sixers and us a whole week to play a game in London. There’s all the preparation, the travel, jet lag and the time shift. One or two games per season are certainly possible, but a real franchise in Europe is probably very difficult to realize. The game board is simply too crowded for that.
… the strains in the NBA: last year we played nearly 70 matches with Bamberg including the EuroLeague. However, we were also able to spare our players in the BBL. In the NBA there are back-to-backs for this. We have already played 40 games and the season is only two months old. I think we’ve only had a break of at least two days between games twice. That makes it harder than in Europe. There you train from Monday to Wednesday, play EuroLeague on Thursday and BBL on Saturday. That’s two games a week. Here it can also be four or five games in seven days.
… his mask: The second mask fits me better and I can see more. But I don’t think I have to wear them at the game in London anymore. I won’t miss it.
… the different styles in Europe and the NBA: The NBA is a bit more athletic and faster. If you’re open, you throw. An open throw is a good throw, even if a pass has been played. In Bamberg we ran our system and got the defensive system up and running. It was played a little more patiently.