Cabezas: NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT
Wassup, wassup, wassup, my man? As you can see, I am working
on my English. But more importantly, our team is working on our game.
We are on our way to Rome to play Lottomatica and Dejan Bodiroga, and
the truth is we have to win this game. Mathematically, we know that we
probably have to win six of the nine games left. So it's a difficult
situation and we have to move forward now. After losing in Athens to
Panathinaikos and then losing in the Spanish League on Sunday morning,
at home to Pamesa Valencia, we have to start playing better. We went
back to work on Sunday night, in fact, just a few hours after we lost
to Pamesa. It wasn't a full practice so much as a team meeting in which
we got a chance to talk in general about what we need to do. Other than
that, I can say the team is in good spirits and really ready to win.
That's the good thing so far. Now we just have to take games the way we
know how.
This is our fourth road trip in six Euroleague games
so far, and that might have a little to do with our record. Everyone
knows that in the Euroleague, teams want to protect their home court at
all cost and try to steal some wins away from home. I know of only a
couple teams in the other groups who have the same amount of road games
as us so far: Climamio is 0-5 and Fenerbahce is 1-4. They are teams
that are used to the competition, too. I am not making excuses for
anybody. We know we lost games early that we could have won with some
better concentration. Now we have to win on the road one way or
another, so I hope that the opportunity to get the victory is there at
the end of the game in Rome. This time we have to take it.
I have never played in Rome before,
but after visiting OAKA last week to play Panathinaikos, it occurred to
me that our group goes through some of the hottest arenas in Europe -
including our own in Malaga. First we went to Tel Aviv to play Maccabi
at Nokia Arena - which I still call Yad Eliyahu - and then to Cibona,
where the gym is named in honor of Drazen Petrovic. Then OAKA last week
and later we'll play at Hala Tivoli in Ljubljana against Union Olimpija
and at Pionir in Belgrade against Partizan. We're talking about almost
mythical arenas in Europe. Like I have said before, personally I like
going into those places. First, as a competitor, you are going against
great teams. But the places themselves and the fans make the atmosphere
super-charged, and I prefer to play in places like that. Some people
might think it's intimidating for the visiting team, but I think it
brings out your best. But getting back to OAKA, where I also played in
the Olympics, the fans who are going there for the Final Four will love
it. The building itself is great and everyone knows about how feverish
the fans in Athens are. They are fanatics for sports, and even moreso
this year, I think, with the Final Four coming. That will be a great
show no matter who plays in it, but I would certainly like to go back.
POSTED BY
CARLOS CABEZAS - MALAGA, SPAIN
DATE:
Tuesday, November 28, 2006