He came, he saw and he helped conquer the Euroleague champions' trophy at his first Final Four last season. A year later, CSKA Moscow point guard Nikos Zisis is back and feeling an even bigger part of the title defense that his team will make in Berlin. Thousands of Greek fans will be supporting Panathinaikos and Olympiacos in the stands, but Zisis will be the only player from that country on a non-Greek team. Far from being intimidated by what will be an incredible basketball atmosphere, Zisis hopes to use his experience and that energy to go back to Moscow with his second Euroleague crown. "I think that years from now, flashing back over my career, it'll be very unusual to see this happen again, two teams from Greece in the Final Four and another Greek player on a third team," Zisis said on one Fan Mail answer. "I'll try to enjoy it and push my team to win the trophy."
Hello, Nikos. As a CSKA fan, I'm really delighted in your improvement this season. Two questions: Has your work with David Vanterpool helped you to improve or you have you just adapted to Coach Messina's style? Best regards and good luck for the Final Four.
Vasiliy Uralev - Russia
"For sure, I knew coming to CSKA in 2007 that it wouldn't be easy for me in my first year coming from Benetton and AEK, where I played a lot of minutes. I knew it would be tough the first year. Coming into this season, I had the faith and the confidence that I would produce more, and that confidence came first of all from hard work I did. That's sure where David Vanterpool helped me a lot, especially at the start of the season, with a lot of workouts, as did Dimitriy Shakulin, another of our assistant coaches, both working outside of the normal practices with me. Their experience helped me a lot, and for sure more minutes from Coach Messina have helped. A player can show what he does better when he's playing, basically. When J.R. Holden was out with an injury, I had to step up and help the team. That was a key period that gave me a lot of confidence. Basically, I felt more myself this year than last year."
Nikos, do you miss Greek fans and are we your Russia supporters too quiet for what you are used to? Best of luck,
Yuriy Vorkunov - Russia
"I can't lie. That is true. For sure, when you have played on a Russian team and a Greek team, playing in big games, it's a very different atmosphere. Of course, there are some games here in Russia when you feel that the fans are more into it, trying to make some noise, but for sure you can't compare it with a Greek atmosphere. It used to be a little crazy in Greece, but now I think they are making steps forward, but for sure it's still a different atmosphere than in Russia for games."
Nikos, your team has an advantage in experience over my team, don't you think? Don't play too well against us! Good luck, though,
Jordi Estevez - Barcelona , Spain
"OK, it's a fact that CSKA, for the last three years with the same coach and the same core of four or five players, has played in the last three Euroleague finals and won two of them. So you cannot ignore this. On the other hand, Barcelona's team has many players who have played many, many big games in their careers - and won them. So I don't think that experience can be a major reason as to who wins the game. The game will be won by the team that is able to put its own identity and rhythm on the court, by who plays better that night, makes the plays and defends."
Mr. Zisis, this is a Krka fan rooting for Matjaz Smodis in the Final Four. Matjaz says CSKA is like a family. Do you agree? Good luck!
Jan Krizanec - Novo Mesto, Slovenia
"For sure, he's right. Matjaz is absolutely right. I can say so because even last year, when it was a tough season for me coming in and being basically a first-timer on a team competing for a Euroleague title, I felt that I was part of a big family. There are players who play a lot, some who play less, and some like the young Russian kids, who play almost not at all. But it's still everybody working together for one goal and helping each other. And at the end of the season everyone was proud of what we did. I think that, in addition to other things that people mention about CSKA's success, that family feeling is a big secret of it."
Hi Nikos, all the way from Moscow! Unfortunately I won't be able to go to Berlin, but I was in Madrid last season. Do you think this CSKA is already one of the best European teams of all-time? I think so! Go for them!
Aleksandr Amirkhanov - Moscow, Russia
"I don't know about all-time, but for sure it's the most successful team of the last decade. I think it's almost impossible to find a team that goes to seven consecutive Final Fours. I think it's great accomplishment, especially considering that every year, the competitiveness is higher and many Euroleague teams are getting stronger. More and more teams are becoming Final Four candidates every season and trying to build Final Four teams. I think it's not easy to find a team as successful as CSKA in the last decade. It's one of the biggest teams ever in Europe, for sure."
Hi Nikos, I am a big CSKA fan traveling to Berlin! What are the mains strengths of the semifinal opponent, Barcelona? Go CSKA, see you there!
Boris Ryzhkov - Moscow, Russia
"There are many. I think it's a team with a very deep roster. Everybody can make plays and can contribute off the bench. That's important, especially in big games. For sure, it's a team that team likes to run, has talented players inside. Outside, too, of course, but inside they can post up people and cause problems. It's a complete team, an athletic team, and we need to play at our best to beat them."
Hello Nikos! You know that the other semifinal is all Greek, Panathinaikos vs. Olympiacos. Which do you prefer to play in the final and how does it feel, being Greek, to have two teams from our country in the semis?
Ioannis Spiropoulos - Athens, Greece
"Taking the second part first, for sure it's special to see both these teams make the Final Four. I think that years from now, flashing back over my career, it'll be very unusual to see this happen again, two teams from Greece in the Final Four and another Greek player on a third team. I'll try to enjoy it and push my team to win the trophy. About who I'd want to face in the final, it's a question that doesn't make sense to a player at this moment. We all think only about the semifinal, which is going to be a very big, very tough game. We look forward to winning that and advancing to the finals, where for sure we would have a Greek opponent. Whichever one makes the final will also make the goal of lifting the trophy very tough."
Hi Nikos! Vassilis here, a massive fan of yours! How do you stop Juan Carlos Navarro?
Vassilis Kousoulas - Thessaloniki, Greece
"For sure, Juan Carlos Navarro is one of the best scorers in basketball. I think to stop him is always a team effort ant not a question of one person trying to lock him down. For sure, he's the star of Barcelona and the guy who makes the big plays, especially in key moments. but as I said, I think Barcelona is a complete team. We will definitely have a chance if we manage to stop Navarro, but we can't let the other players do what they want. We need a total team effort and we need to respect everybody on their team, as we always do. Barcelona is a big team with many players who can hurt you."
Dear Nikos, what is the advantage of having been champion once as you prepare to go to Berlin for your second Final Four?
Raul - Spain
"It's a nice psychological boost. It's my second Final Four, first of all, and when I was going to Madrid last year, it was kind of unfamiliar for me. You know, I have teammates that have been in many, many Final Fours, like J.R., Matjaz, Trajan Langdon, and for them sometimes it must be like going to play exhibition games, although it's much more series. For me, by having experience and by winning, it gets you a little more comfortable and a little more sure about yourself knowing that you've been there before and you've been given the idea that it's very, very tough to get there, so you can imagine how tough it is to win it. Hopefully we'll give our best to win one more title."
The Greek national team backcourt is made of Papaloukas, Spanoulis and you. All three of you made it to the Final Four with different teams. What do they teach you in guard school there, some secret recipe for winning?
Ofer Bar Natan - Israel
"It's not a secret. First of all, there are others you are forgetting, like the five-time Euroleague best defender, Dimitris Diamantidis. The good thing for the national team is the great experience that our players continue to have. I think we have 10 or 12 Greek players from the Olympics in this Final Four. For sure, it's going to be interesting to hopefully play one of them in the final, but I won't think about that yet. First, we need to show great heart and character and quality just to beat Barcelona. Then, I'll have two days to think about playing my Greek teammates in the final."
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