Semifinal official practice: CSKA Moscow vs. Panathinaikos Athens - Main page

June 19, 2013

Semifinal official practice: CSKA Moscow vs. Panathinaikos Athens

CSKA MOSCOW

CSKA Moscow forward Andrew Vorontsevich:

"It is going to be a great fight. Both teams are deep and strong, but only one of them will get to the final. We won't have another shot at this year's title if we lose. It is very important for both teams and even though we beat them twice, Panathinaikos will be very hungry to win the title, too. Whoever fights harder will probably get to the final. Kostas Tsartsaris is a very experienced players who can post up, dribble and shoot from outside. Steven Smith is a better shooter, especially from three-point range, so if I play against them I have to prevent them from getting open shots and grabbing offensive boards. I need to stop them on offense and try to run the floor against them."

CSKA Moscow forward Viktor Khryapa:

"It is always a good feeling to be at the Final Four, very emotional. Once you are already here, you feel like you have done part of the job, but it is not finished yet. All four teams that came here did a pretty decent job this season and deserve to be here, no question. Right now, this particular game means everything. We have faced Panathinaikos twice during the season, but those games don't mean anything anymore. This is the key game and everybody has to fight to win it. It is a one-game decision. I have more responsibilities in defense, but this team is built on team defense. We know Panathinaikos well, they have kept pretty much the same players for the last four-five years and this is why it has been so successful during this time. They have titles on their belt and a lot of experience."

CSKA Moscow guard Alexey Shved:

“The main keys are to play our game and stop Diamantidis. Of course they have a lot of other great players but Panathinaikos is like two different teams when Diamantidis is playing good and when he’s not playing good. We have to be aggressive against him. We have to guard him full court.”

CSKA Moscow forward Ramunas Siskauskas:

“Like any game, it is going to be a fight. You have to watch every detail, every rebound, every lost ball, every foul. Any detail can decide the game. Diamantidis is for sure their main player, but it would be a mistake to play only against him. They have many good players and we have to prepare against the whole team, not only one player. We could say if we deny Diamantidis it could be a little easier, but it would not guarantee us victory.”

Players CSKA Moscow - Final Four Istanbul 2012

CSKA Moscow guard Evgeny Voronov:

"It is great to be here - it is the first Final Four in my career. I feel a special emotion, it is the best event in Europe. All I feel right now are positive emotions. We have to play as a team, fight and do everything our coach says if we want to beat Panathinaikos. I think that it is very important to stop Diamantidis and if we stay together, we have a good chance to do that. Without giving details of our game plan, we have to make everything more difficult for him. He is their team leader on the floor and Panathinaikos is not the same with or without him. Panathinaikos has other good players like Batiste and Jasikevicius, plus they know how to play these games. They have had the same roster and coach for a long time, but we also have a great team. We will see what happens tomorrow."

CSKA Moscow guard Milos Teodosic:

“For sure this semifinal will be a great game for all of us. We are playing against a team that is still the European champion. Those games don’t mean anything. We know that one shot can decide everything. We need to play like a team for 40 minutes. And only that way can we win this game.”

PANATHINAIKOS ATHENS

Panathinaikos forward Kostas Kaimakoglou:

"CSKA is a very good team and probably has played the best basketball in Europe until now. It is not easy to stop some of the things that they do, but we have some plans and developed them on the court. We will try to stop their biggest threats tomorrow and see what happens. When you talk about a game against CSKA and the Euroleague semifinals, you know that this is going to be a very physical game. I think it is going to be a big battle body to body. Whoever plays harder will have some advantage in this game."

Panathinaikos guard Sarunas Jasikevicius:

“We played CSKA Moscow twice this season. We know them really well, we were close twice this season. But we did not win, so we are hoping we learned our lessons, that we got something from these two games and maybe it will help us on Friday. We are not the favorites, but the key is to play our game. That is usually the key. Whoever plays its game usually comes out on top. At the same time, we believe we got a chance. This game tomorrow will be the first time in this atmosphere, first time in this gym, everything goes really fast and every small thing counts. I think everybody considers CSKA a favorite in this game and at this Final Four. They have one of the best front lines, one of the best point guards, one of the best coaching staffs, whatever you want. But I believe we have a good game plan, the only thing is if we can put it in play.”

Panathinaikos center Aleks Maric:

"CSKA is a really good team loaded from top to bottom. They have some great players like Kirilenko, Krstic, Teodosic, Shved... many good players! I think that they a young team that likes to play up and down, and that may be their biggest threat. That will challenge our defense - without our defense, it would be very hard tomorrow. I expect it to be a very physical game. No matter who is playing tomorrow, the Final Four is always very physical. We did a lot of scouting and saw a lot of Krstic's plays. We have to play smart and follow our game plan."

Panathinaikos forward Mike Batiste:

“So far I’m feeling great. I’m anxious for the games to begin. I believe anybody can be beat. Of course we’ve gone back and reviewed the games we have played against them. In the first game we let it get away from us in the final minutes and in overtime. In Moscow, we played well for the first half. Our team has also changed since then and some of our younger guys have gained experience. They have a deep roster. We have to work hard if we want to advance.”

Panathinaikos forward Steven Smith:

“We have a lot of guys who can make great plays and play in this tough setting. There are a lot of keys to beating CSKA. But the same for us. That’s my outlook. They’re a balanced team. They have size in the paint and outside threats, but the same as us. We have a good inside game and a good outside game and a good pick-and-roll. I think it’s just a matchup of who can execute the best offensively and find mismatches and weak spots in the other team’s defense… It’s going to be a great matchup of our guards and their guards and their big men and our big men.”

Panathinaikos guard Nick Calathes:

“The key will be the defense. But we have to make shots and try to get them confused; we have to play our kind of basketball. We have lot of guys that have been in these kinds of games. We have a strong defensive team and a lot of good chemistry. Lot of guys who have been playing together.”

Thursday, May 10, 2012

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