Final Four Blog: Welcome to Berlin
|
Hello, Euroleague Basketball fans, welcome to the Euroleague.net staff Final Four blog! We just arrived in Berlin ready to let you all know what is going on in the big event in Berlin! Expect behind-the-scenes stories, exclusive pictures and videos, as the entire Euroleague.net staff will be blogging from now until we have a champion at the o2 World! Everything is ready for the event and the arena looks magnificent! The Final Four is unpredictable as it can be and everyone has reasons to believe it may well be the best ever! Follow this blog all event long to catch all the action in a different, exciting way as part of
the unprecedented coverage we prepared on Euroleague.net for the 2009 Final Four!
Video: the champs are first to Berlin!
CSKA is already in the house! The team already arrived to its hotel in Berlin and the team atmosphere is great. For the record, team captain Matjaz Smodis was the first player to enter the hotel lobby. He now hopes to be the last one to leave the o2 World court at the end of an exciting weekend! CSKA is usually the first team to make it to Berlin. Whether it is a matter of coincidence, superstition or experience remains to be seen. Yet another Final Four for CSKA - its seventh straight appearance. J.R. Holden has been there all the way since 2003 - and plans to keep breaking records.
Click PLAY to watch CSKA Moscow arrival video
In Barcelona, talking Final Four!
|
|
|
Navarro with press in Barcelona
|
As for Barcelona, the basketball atmosphere in the city is great! All Regal FCB fans are following everything about the basketball team right before going to Berlin - the team is set to arrive tomorrow night. I went to Palau Blaugrana yesterday, right before practice, and the team environment is definitely the right one for such a big game like the semifinal against CSKA. Regal FCB had a Media Day at Palau Blaugrana this afternoon, with all players available for interviews - and it was crowded. Everyone in the city is backing their signature basketball team! And the media is following all Barcelona stars like they did back in 2003, then the club won the title in front of its fans.
Of course, and as you can see in the picture, Juan Carlos Navarro was the star of the show. The All-Euroleague nominee is a superstar by all means. By the way, CSKA and Barcelona are meeting in the Euroleague semifinals for the third time since 2003. Barcelona downed CSKA 76-71 at Palau Sant Jordi to reach the 2003 title game against Benetton Treviso, featuring Ettore Messina and Trajan Langdon. Barcelona won its only title in 2003 but Langdon and Messina, along with CSKA, took revenge in the 2006 semifinals. CSKA rallied from a double-digit deficit to top Barcelona 75-84 behind 19 points from Theo Papaloukas - now an Olympiacos superstar - and Holden. So let's see if the Barca - CSKA winner keeps that tradition going or not!
In Athens, twin superstars help children
As our Euroleague.net correspondant - and a Greek basketball legend - Vassilis Skountis reported from Athens just now, Theodoros Papaloukas and Dimitris Diamantidis appeared together in a common press conference organized by mobile phone company WIND to talk about the Euroleague Final Four and also promote their charity campaign "the children are the winners." The campaign has been going on from the beginning of the season and is set to continue in Berlin, with Diamantidis and Papaloukas offering 100 euros for each point they score.
|
|
|
Papaloukas and Diamantidis met in Athens
|
An amount of 17,000 euros has been already collected and the whole incoming will be donated to two children's foundations in Piraeus and Kastoria. "That means that we have a special motivation to play the best we can," Diamantidis and Papaloukas said today. "There is a great purpose, so each one will try the best for his team, for himself and for the children that need help."
Talking about their rivalry, both signature players agreed. "We will make everything possible for our team to win. We have a rivalry inside the court, which is very normal." Papaloukas added that "Dimitris won the Greek Cup final and I hope that I will win the next games we play each other." The players were asked to select the key points of theit highly anticipated Euroleague showdown. "We must keep our playing style and not change it because it is a special game. In such a showdown you have to protect yourself and your teammates from the enthusiasm," Papaloukas said. "I have played in two Final Fours so far and I can't find the right answer. From my point of view, concentration and turnovers are always decisive factors," Diamantidis added. Both players agreed that "this is going to be the best Final Four ever" and wished the fans to enjoy four great basketball games.
That's all for us right now, stay tuned for more surprises coming soon right here on Euroleague.net!
|
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Euroleague.net
|
 Print Send to a Friend Share
|