Barcelona, here we come! If I sound excited, I am. This is my third time but it never gets boring. I would even say it's the opposite. I am just as excited now as ever before to get started. In 2004, I guess I didn't understand the gravity of it and how much it meant. I had been to the Elite Eight as a college player, so the amount of media and hype around the two events was similar. The difference was that the Final Four is at the pro level, and that made it something special. I mean, I was 23, one year over from the United States, living in Israel for the first time. Before I got here, I didn't know who Nikola Vujcic was, who Anthony Parker was, who Sarunas Jasikevicius was. I was just a young guy, hungry to play, and I got that chance with some big, big players.

And then, when we won it, it really boosted my confidence. It made me understood that when you win the Euroleague, that's something that no one can ever take away from you. And you always have that bond with your teammates forever, whether you see them five, ten or however many years down the road. Of course, it didn't hurt that we played the final in our gym, on the rims we shot at all year, in the locker room we dressed in all year. It makes a difference playing in your own gym, but that doesn't explain us winning by 44 points in a final. The only thing that explains it happened weeks before, when Derrick Sharp made the shot that forced overtime against Zalgiris, saved our season and put us in the Final Four. After that shot, it was like we knew we were going to win the title. We were so together after that moment, it was a great feeling. We had three weeks to live off Derrick's shot. People still love watching that shot and still get... more

Winning the Euroleague title is the only aspect of the Euroleague season that people tend to remember over time. Even though it is thrilling just to make it to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four, there really is no glory or lasting happiness in simply getting to the event. After having won the cup in 2004 and losing it to CSKA in 2008,I can tell you that winning is what makes it truly special. So in the meantime, we have to play the waiting game......

It has been two weeks since our thrilling series win against Caja Laboral. We are playing in our domestic Israeli League and have all but forgotten the feel of the excitement of Euroleague basketball. For two-and-a-half weeks during playoffs we were in full-on, high-intensity basketball mode and anticipating who we would play in the semifinals. Now that all the teams have qualified, it is crucial to focus on our task at hand.

All year we have had to balance Euroleague and domestic league preparation, focus and intensity on a weekly basis. Now we are in full Israeli League mode and understand the importance of consistency and improving every day. Winning the Israeli League is not only important to our club but it is key that we use these practices and games to prepare for the Final Four.

European basketball is an interesting dynamic in the sense that there is so much time in between phases of games and especially in between the end of the playoffs and the Final Four. For the four teams headed to Barcelona in another two weeks, this is the time to improve on things that maybe you didn't have time for during the regular season, Top 16 and playoffs.

Now is the time to add new plays, get in... more

If I could give one piece of advice to a young basketball player I would say this: "Never take your health for granted and cherish every chance you get to step on the court." You can do everything possible to prevent aging and injury but they happen and sometimes those things are completely out of your hands. I have been playing basketball for a long time and have had my fair share of setbacks, some more serious than others.

In Game 3 of our playoff series against Caja Laboral, my teammate and good friend Doron Perkins injured his knee in the second quarter. The injury required surgery to fix and he will be out for the rest of the season. A few years ago while playing in Italy, I was faced with a similar season-ending knee injury that required surgery and several months of rehab and physical therapy. The first thought that goes through your mind is: Why? But there really is no answer to that question. Then the doubt starts to set in; you start to think that you might never be the same, that no other team will want you, and what your options are if you can't play again. All of those thoughts are natural. To tell an injured athlete to stay positive and believe everything will be OK is easier said than believed in those first few weeks following the injury. But the truth is that only time and a commitment to get back on the court help you get through those tough times. The only thing that makes those doubts subside for the player is the daily rehab and the feeling of regaining your strength and envisioning yourself back on the court.

I have had some fairly serious injuries over the length of my career, starting in high school, but it took age and maturity for me to learn that your... more

One of the most rewarding parts of my job as a professional basketball player is the community service that we do. Even though my job is to entertain, it is also to inspire. We recently had the chance to drive down to Be’er Sheva and visit a small high school and take a tour of an Air Force base there.

Be’er Sheva is a small town about an hour and a half south of Tel Aviv in the Negev desert. On the first stop we went to Mekif Gimel High School where our head coach, David Blatt, spoke about the importance of believing in yourself and having a plan in life. He stressed that it doesn't matter where you come from or how small your hometown is, so long as you work hard and dream big.

After Coach Blatt’s brief speech, we played a short game against some of the high school team, signed autographs and took pictures. The kids were so excited and amazed that Maccabi was there and it reminded me that professional athletes are role models and we have a duty to help mold the future.

Our next stop was a short drive over to the Nevatim Air Force base. I have always loved fighter jets and remember going to air shows when I was a kid. This place really brought me back to the excitement of my youth, visiting my older brother while he was stationed on different military bases in the U.S. Coast Guard.

After lunch (usually a highlight of my day) we watched a video about Israel’s military history. It was a proud moment for me, since I have both Israeli and U.S. citizenship and am now part of the Israeli national team. Our hosts at the base put on a great show: We got to watch a five-minute drill and see the F-16 fighter jets during take-off and landing. We didn’t get... more