Hello Gianluca. I am a great fan of yours and of Fortitudo, too. It's not easy to see you playing with another jersey, but a champion is a champion everywhere. How has it been to go from being the heart and soul of a team to another where you had to prove yourself? Cheers, Mary Baldini - Italy

"It was very hard. I thought it would be easier for my age and experience. I knew it shouldn't be the same thing and this excited me. I started the season feeling bad, because in Bologna I could be on the court also making mistakes. Here in Barcelona, it was different. Then, slowly, talking a lot, especially with Zoran Savic, I found my serenity and now I feel good."

Hi. How is it that you make more shots when you have a defender on top of you than when you are more open? Your a genius, and I am not a Barca fan! ? Fernando - Spain

"Normally I miss the easy shots! When you come off a screen or you have the defender close to you and bad balance but a good pace, the shot comes natural. With good momentum you have more strength and power in your legs."

Hello, Gianluca. Imagine that it is the Euroleague title game, your team is losing by two points with only a few seconds left and you have the ball. What do you do, shoot or pass? Good luck, Domatas - Lithuania

"I take the triple for my whole life! I go for winning, not a two-point shot. I don't want to tie, just to win or lose. That's my instinct."

Hi Gianluca. Congrats on getting to the Final Four in Prague. I'm a North Carolina fan from the U.S. Can you can tell us how Shammond Williams and Ed Cota have contributed to Barcelona's great season? Take care, ? Bob Joseph - Pennsylvania, United States

"They gave a big contribution like all the players of the team. The coach gave them a different role: Shammond has more minutes and big shooting responsabilities, while Ed when goes on the court and has to manage the team." 
 
Hey Gianluca, you always kill Lithuanian teams! Are you happy with your decision to go to Barcelona this season? Good luck to the best shooter in Europe, Lukasas - Lithuania

"You are probably still thinking of the Olympics semifinals, which hold great memories for me. I always have Fortitudo in my heart, but I made this change, coming to Barcelona, to win the Euroleague. I want to win this Euroleague and go back to Catalonia with the trophy. If it will not be this season, because the four teams are really close, it will be the next one, because this is my goal here."

Hi Gianluca, Two years ago, with Fortitudo, your team lost the final against Maccabi. Would you like to play the final against Maccabi to get revenge? Will you play with a different mentality in Prague? Good luck, Anna Nogueras Vallbona - Barcelona, Spain

"I hope to get the trophy, and it is not important which team we'll face in the final. But don't forget that first of all, we have to beat CSKA Moscow. I will play with the same mentality: these are games with no tomorrow, so you must be focused on it, and know what you're doing in every second of the match, and you have to study perfectly your opponents."

For Gianluca Basile: Your team is full of experienced, big-game players like you, Kakiouzis, Navarro, Fucka, etc. How important will this experience be in the Final Four matches? Thanks, Angelos Georgiou - Pireaus, Greece

"It's very important the experience you had in previous games like these. There is a big pressure, and if you already lived in those situations, you know how have to face it, and don't feel all the external atmosphere. You're not distracted by journalists, fans and all the confusion there is around the event. I think all the four teams have experience. CSKA is coming off three consecutive Final Four participations; Maccabi is two-time defending champion; and Tau was the finalist twelve months ago. So we are all on the same level in terms of experience." 
 
Gianluca, at the beginning of the season, your coach said the players lacked maturity and courage. Do you think that now you've reached a high level of maturity and courage? Good luck, champ, Uri - Sitges, Spain

"I think the coach said these things to motivate us, and push to play better. He knew and knows the players he has on the team, and how they can play. We're always ready to take our responsibilities, and we have now as well as four months ago, courage and maturity. You cannot get maturity and courage in a few months. You have it, and we are ready to assume our responsibilities at this Final Four."

Gianluca. Sometimes it seems that you make shots without looking at the basket, especially when you turn off a screen, receive a pass and launch the shot at the same time. Is this possible? Pierre - France

"You have to practice hard, and repeat it thousands of times. The basket is stationary, always in the same place, you know that. So it's very important to read the defense: this is the key, to understand quickly where your defender is, and have the power and strength to put in your shot."

Ciao, Gianluca. You came to Barcelona as a superstar and now have another role. Do you like playing in this role? Also is Dusko Ivanovic so tough as they say? Good luck and thanks, Juan Alburquerque Moreno - Spain

"I knew before coming here that I would not be the superstar. It was hard for the first months, but now it's OK. Ivanovic is an exacting coach, he asks always the best from his players. It was the same with Jasmin Repesa in Climamio, so there was no problem in tht for me. A little difference comes the day after a mid-week game. In Bologna, we had a video session or a stretching practice. Here, Ivanovic works normally and if we lose, he increases the intensity."