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Grab the chance, go with it
We're going down to Madrid on a bus in a couple of days, a three-and-a-half hour ride, and hopefully, besides the fans we bring with us, the whole of Spain will be cheering for us at the Final Four. I think we have at least a couple thousand people coming, and we're the only Spanish team there, in the capital, so we should get some extra support out of that, I'd think. For us, it's the perfect scenario, with a lot of our followers going there. We've just got to put in the work so that we make sure our fans enjoy their time in Madrid. We've got to be ready to play unbelievably good.
Now that we've got no other games before the Final Four, our preparation is getting completely focused now. Sunday we looked at the mental part, discussing our opponent and seeing them again on video. And today, Monday, we are getting down to the first full day of physical training. As I said before, I am a player who cares about practice, so this will get us as ready as we need to be for CSKA. As everybody knows, that has been one of the most consistent teams anywhere, which is one of their strengths. They've had six years in a row of getting to the Final Four, and especially the last couple years, getting to the final game twice and winning one of them. That's impressive and it shows that it doesn't matter what players they bring in, because everyone buys into their system and they always play well together in that system. Maybe one of the keys for us is that we played CSKA twice and lost. It's difficult to beat any team three times in one season, let alone a good one. I remember we played them a lot better in our second game against them, in Moscow, when James Singleton and I were out injured, basically, although I tried a couple minutes. We competed well in that game, and that's the key again, to compete and give ourselves a chance to win. It's one game, we have to go as hard and as long as we can and just see what happens. All you can ask is to have a chance. With the type of environment we'll see at the Final Four and the type of team we are, if we have that chance, we can grab it and go with it, I am sure.
One thing we've proven this season is we respond always in the big Euroleague games. Every time we had the chance to improve our position, we took it. In the Top 16, we had a great run until the last game, when it didn't affect us at all because we had already clinched first place in the group. To start that round, we visited Lietuvos Rytas, the favorite in our group. We respected them, but we knew we could beat them, and we did it at their place under difficult circumstances. We just competed, because whenever we are down, we respond. In the Spanish League, we went up against Real Madrid three times and won all three. When the big games come, the mood is different. Everyone sticks together and we all understand the one common goal, to win a championship.
For me, it's important that I am healthy after a long season that started with an injury and had a couple more along the way. The last four or five games, I was playing the way I like, especially in the last Euroleague game, not because I scored 19 points so much as because I had a 22 index rating against a good team, Partizan, in the most decisive game so far. That's what it's all about - feeling good. I took my time through the injuries, was always patient, believed and trusted in myself. And once I started feeling good, everything started getting better. Now, I am in my best shape of the season and ready for the Final Four. We don't take anything away from CSKA. We respect them, but just like we respect any team. It doesn't matter who we play against, because we prepare our best to win. And we want this next game to be our best of the season.
POSTED BY
PETE MICKEAL - VITORIA, SPAIN
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