The Euroleague quarterfinal playoffs round is only three seasons old, but already one player has become an expert in third games. For Winterthur FC Barcelona point guard Jaka Lakovic, the do-or-die third game against Unicaja in Malaga on Thursday is like a best-of-three inside a best-of-three. He has previously played in two such Game 3s with Panathinaikos, losing one and winning another. Lakovic knows what he's speaking about when he says that on Thursday, fans can expect the most intensity seen anywhere but a Final Four. "Defense will of course be key in the third game, especially on the perimeter. If one team gets hot from outside the three-point line, it will hurt the other," Lakovic summed up to Euroleague.net. "I'm just happy to play here in the Euroleague every season and I hope the day will come when I can lift the Euroleague trophy. The sooner the better."
Hi Jaka. You and Barcelona have a do-or-die game on Thursday on the road against Unicaja. How do you feel about the opportunity to reach the Final Four in this way? Is this an opportunity you would have said OK to if it was offered to you before the season started?
"For me, it's OK to go until the end, because just to get here, a team has to overcome many obstacles. At the same time, this is three years in a row that I am playing in a third game in the playoffs. The first two were with Panathinaikos, and this is the same in my first year with Barcelona. It's always a big game, do or die, only the winner survives. Barca is a team that every season wants to go for the top in every competition, so we have to do everything in our power to win."
You've been in this league a long time now, always playing big games at the end of the season. Do players like you who have been through it before still get nervous before a game like this? Is it good to be nervous?
"Of course we get nervous, but I think it's a good thing to be nervous a little before the game. That means you are ready. If you're not nervous, you're not ready to play. Every year it has been the same; I am nervous before the game, when it starts for a couple minutes, but then it goes and you just play."
You warmed up for Game 3 by beating another final Four team - Tau Ceramica - with your buzzer-beating shot on the road in the Spanish League over the weekend. How does that help your confidence for Thursday in Malaga?
 "I think we started getting more confidence in Game 2 of the playoff last Thursday against Unicaja. We played excellent defense with high intensity and proved to ourselves that we can beat this team. Then in the game on Sunday, we had another tight match all game with Tau, which for me is one of the best teams in Europe, and in the end we won. I think this gave us even more confidence for Thursday's game. But we have to know that even with confidence and playing well at the moment, these things will only help us a bit. We must do everything we can on the floor on Thursday to reach the Final Four."
Both Unicaja and Barcelona dominated their home games so far in this playoff. Based on what happened in the first two games, can you tell us what to expect in Game 3 on Thursday?
"I think that in the first two games statistics say too little. In the first game in Malaga, they went out very aggresive and intense and stayed that way all 40 minutes. This is the reason why they won. In Malaga, we just didn't play at the same level of intensity and aggressiveness as they did, and they deserved to win. The opposite thing happened in Barcelona. We wanted to win bad and went out aggressive the whole time, and it showed in that result. Both teams know what it takes to win. If both do what they have to, it will be very, very interesting third game, very intense. We cannot expec the same big differences as in the first two games, but anything can happen at this point."
If there was any single theme in the first two games, it was great outside shooting by the winning team. Does that make perimeter defense a priority for both teams in Game 3?
"Yes, that for sure will be one of the factors. In Malaga, as I mentioned, we weren't aggressive. We let their guys shoot three-pointers alone and they made everything. We corrected that in the second game and won. So defense will of course be key in the third game, especially on the perimeter. If one team gets hot from outside the three-point line, it will hurt the other. Stopping the other team there will be a very important factor."
Earlier this year, Barcelona went to Malaga and won a huge game, beating Unicaja in the opener the King's Cup, then going on to win that trophy. As you prepare this week, do you try to remember good things from wins like that against them or do you forget everything, clear your head and think of it as a new game?
 "I don't think of what happened before, who won what, the cup or whatever. Because right now, in all sports, not ony in basketball, the history and trophies won before do not go out on the court and play. What matters is what happens at this exact moment. This is what we are concentrating on, only this game. That is how to get the maximum out of the team. If you think about what you did before or what you have to do after, you lose concentration on everything important. It's better to have a specific point of concentration in order to do the maximum.".
Of course, the prize for winning on Thursday will be a trip to the Final Four at OAKA in Athens, a place you know well from your four seasons in Panathinaikos. How important is this to you, personally, to return there as a Final Four qualifier with your new team, one year after leaving?
"For me, personally, it's just a matter of trying to get to the top. Of course, my goals are always the same as the team goals. We are tyring to get to the Final Four. And once there, no team is just happy to be qualified; they all want to win it. Of course, you want to go to the Final Four first, and then set goals hoping for the top. I would like to just continue with Barcelona the success that we have been achieving with Panathinaikos, going to Final Four, being one of the top teams in Europe. It's the same with Barcelona: I want to go there and try to win it all."
You know the fans in Athens, too. What can we expect in terms of the atmosphere at this Final Four?
"I think it will be a grat Final Four becaue you know that in Athens, everybody expects Panathinaikos to take the cup in their home gym and they will have great support from the fans. I think, really, that Athens in OAKA is a great spot for the Final Four. It will probably have the best atmosphere at a Final Four ever."
When you stepped into the league five seasons ago, in 2001-02, you were unknown, playing for Krka Novo Mesto after university. Your first game you had a record performance, still ranked second-best ever, against Real Madrid away. What are your memories of that night?
 "I remember it, of course, and I really think it was something special. A very nice memory. But like I have said before, you have to prove yourself every day on the court, against great players in the Euroleague and your domestic league. You cannot live on one great game against Real Madrid or any other great game. You have to prove yourself every day against the best. That's what makes you a top player."
Since that debut game until now, you've become one of the signature players in the Euroleague. What does this competition mean to you, and especially the opportunity this week to return to the Final Four to play against the very best teams for a chance at the title?
"It means a lot. Of course, the Euroleague is getting better and better every year, not only in the quality of the basketball, but also the organization of the Euroleague is better and better ever year. It means a lot to me to play in the best league in Europe, where the quality of the top teams is not far behind the quality of the NBA. I'm just happy to play here in the Euroleague every season and I hope I will do it for more years, as many as I can. And I dream that one time I can win the Euroleague. I haven't done it so far, but I hope the day will come when I can lift the Euroleague trophy. The sooner the better."
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