May 18, 2013
Devotion
Panathinaikos player: Kostas Tsarstaris
Kostas Tsartsaris - PanathinaikosAs the longest-tenured player with the team most frequently crowned Euroleague champion this past decade, Kostas Tsartsaris has been an anchor of winning attitude for the modern dynasty called Panathinaikos. His 192 games played in the Euroleague are more than any other Panathinaikos player since the turn of the century and rank him sixth among all performers in the competition. Tsartsaris has been doing many things right at Panathinaikos for eight seasons, providing the kind of worker-bee reliability that may not grab headlines, but certainly wins games and titles. At 2.09 meters, he has the size and strength to rumble for rebounds in the paint, but can also pull out beyond the arc to drain three-pointers. Effective guarding both centers and power forwards, Tsartsaris has proven sturdy enough to log more than 3,500 minutes in Euroleague games and to pull more rebounds than all but 10 other players since 2000.

Of course, he is also a champion two times over, having won the Euroleague with Panathinaikos in 2007, at home in Athens, and in 2009 in Berlin. He has also lifted eight Greek League trophies and six Greek Cups with the Greens, as well as winning a silver medal at the 2006 World Championships and gold at the 2005 European Championships for Greece. Tsartsaris started playing with his hometown team Philippos of Beroia, which vetoed his move to another Greek club, forcing him to begin his professional career at 17 far from home, in the unlikely location of Iceland, where he played for remote Grindavik in the 1997-98 season. After making his mark in the Icelandic League as a rebounder, he soon returned to Greece, first to Near East, in 1998. He moved to Peristeri for three years, making his Euroleague debut with that club, but soon landed at Panathinaikos, where he has now grown roots for nine seasons. Now a seasoned veteran at 31, Tsartsaris and several of his teammates have a new opportunity to join the short list of 39 players to have won three Euroleague titles in their careers, only 15 of whom have done so in the Final Four era.

Kostas, going to your fourth Final Four, does your excitement level stay the same?

"I think that getting to the Final Four is the best a basketball player can accomplish. It's the goal we try to achieve through the year; it's what we are fighting for game by game. I believe that getting to this big event is what seals a huge effort, both as individuals and as a team. So I would say that although this is my fourth Final Four, I don't think of it this way. I think of it as my first Final Four. That's how excited I am."

What highlights do you remember most?

"I remember mostly the two times that we got to Euroleague title. You cannot forget moments like those. They stick to your mind; the feelings, the fans around us. It was a big party both times. That's why we all want to relive those moments."

You lost the first Final Four, but won titles in the next two. What have you learned about what it takes to win this event?

"A Final Four is a kind of tricky tournament. In two games anything can happen. There are no favorites or outsiders in this event. What you have to do, is simple: play at your best, give your 100%, don't be afraid of any opponent and trust your team's strength. I believe this is how we got to win two Euroleague titles in the last four years."

How would you describe the thrill of playing the Final Four to someone who has never had the opportunity?

"I don't think that somebody can describe it 100%, because most of all is the feeling of being there. It's an endless basketball party. Everybody involved in basketball focuses on this competition. The best teams face each other, walking a tough road all year long to get there. The feelings of each and every player just by getting their ticket for a Final Four is amazing… To win the title in the end makes it just unforgettable."
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Euroleague.net
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FINAL FOUR TEAMS

FINAL FOUR SCHEDULE
SEMIFINALS - FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2011
3RD PLACE - SUNDAY, MAY 8, 2011
FINAL - SUNDAY, MAY 8, 2011

2011 FINAL FOUR TV COVERAGE

DEVOTION

PAST FINAL FOURS

FINAL FOUR SLIDE SHOW
All-Euroleague team 2010-11

VIDEOS
Panathinaikos celebrates!
Dimitris Diamantidis MVP
Final: Maccabi vs. Panathinaikos
3rd place game: Madrid vs. Montepaschi
Semifinal: Maccabi vs. Real Madrid
Semifinal: Panathinaikos vs. Siena