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Euroleague.net interview: Igor Rakocevic, Real Madrid
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 He is among the most dominant European scorers of this generation, but never before has point guard Igor Rakocevic of Real Madrid made is so far in the Euroleague as where he is right now. Nonetheless, halfway through the Top 16, Rakocevic is showing his team the way like someone who has done it all before. Madrid is undefeated in Group E, a victory away from advancing to the Quarterfinal Playoffs, and Rakocevic is in the middle of a scoring explosion that has counted major victims like Maccabi Elite and Climamio Bologna. In a Euroleague.net interview just before Madrid hits the road for its rematch with Maccabi in Tel Aviv on Thursday, Rakocevic made it clear that his experiences until now - as a world and European champion, as well as a year in the NBA - have left him ready for the biggest opportunity of his club career. "I think some Euroleague teams can beat lot of NBA teams in games if they had the chance," Rakocevic said. "There is huge quality here and a lot of the games are very interesting. I like to play those kinds of games. And I don't just play for fun: I play to win."
Hi, Igor. Having never played in a Top 16 before, how does it feel for you to be doing so well with Real Madrid halfway through the round, and shooting even bigger things later?
"Well, I am very excited to be so close to entering the top eight teams. I think our team can do it. The league is very good, since there are a lot of teams with great quality. I would be glad to be on one of the last eight teams in such an important competition."
After leaving Buducnost and going to the NBA, then coming back to Europe and Red Star and Pamesa, was the Euroleague on your mind as a destination?
"Yes, I wanted to play in the Euroleague again because it's the strongest league in Europe. I think some Euroleague teams can beat lot of NBA teams in games if they had the chance. There is huge quality here and a lot of the games are very interesting. I like to play those kinds of games. And I don't just play for fun: I play to win."
 How do you see Real Madrid's evolution in the Euroleague season so far?
"We were lucky in the beginning of the season to have a group that was not really the hardest, and we were able to win consecutive games early, before the injuries came. That good start is what helped us to make the Top 16, in my opinion. But as time goes on, the teams get reinforcements, by signing better players or getting injured players back in shape, so each game gets a bit harder. I think that the further the competition goes, from the Top 16 to eight teams next, the more the quality grows."
What surprises everyone about the Top 16 so far is how Madrid is winning, with an explosion of scoring. Was that the Top 16 plan or something that happened spontaneously?
"I think it has happened because we are finally recovered and back in shape. The last month was the only chance we had so far to practice all of us together. When some different players are out, it can hurt teams a lot. I was injured, then Louis Bullock was out, then some other guys. That was bad for the team. Now we are all recovered, and that is the reason we are playing better. The scoring was not planned. We knew we had the quality in us and that we could beat Climamio and Maccabi. But we didn't think of winning by 15 and 20 points. It just happened that way."
Real Madrid visits Maccabi in Tel Aviv on Thursday for the first time in almost a decade. Have you ever been there before? Is that a special road game for any European player?
"I have played there once before. I respect Maccabi a lot. I have had contact with people there over the last few years and was close to signing with Maccabi myself. I know of Maccabi as one of the biggest teams in Europe, and when I played that game a few years in Tel Aviv, it was great. The atmosphere was great and I am very happy to be going there to play again."
Everyone said at the beginning of the season that you and Bullock were similar players who would need to get used to each other. How did that process go?
"It was very easy. We understood each other from the first practice, and I think we play very good together."
What about playing for coach Bozidar Maljkovic, a legendary coach in from your own country? How would you describe what he does as a coach?
"It's a good experience. He's not only a good coach but also a good person off the court. He helps players become complete and good people, not just basketball players. I enjoy practicing for him. I've known his son for a long time ago, since when we practiced together once. In my country, his family has a great name and respect, and they earned it with honor."
Madrid is where it wants to be halfway through the Top 16. What will be the key to success after this?
"Our team has the best defense in the Spanish League and one of the best in the Euroleague. So defense is one of our biggest qualities. We have some individual qualities on offense that we can use, but when we play as a team, moving the ball, we are deadly. We play that way best, and that's how we beat Climamio and Maccabi."
Finally, with all of your personal experience as a world and European champion with the national team of Serbia and Montenegro, what can you use now that you are facing the most important club games of your career?
"Of course, I have my routine and I know how to prepare for games. I don't have any fear during games. Not even shooting the final free throws. I am used to it and I enjoy it. And that's why experience is so important, to use in big games like the ones we have coming up."
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Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Frank Lawlor, Euroleague.net
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