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mai 8, 2009
 Hello to all of you again! Still here, still writing… Not playing, though! At least not in the Euroleague! The biggest goal, the biggest dream became a reality for me in Berlin. We achieved our goal, we made a dream come true by getting the title. As Mr. Freddy Mercury sang a few years ago: "We are the Champions!"
I cannot even get close to describing the feelings. What I felt, what all of us felt is simply something that you cannot express in words. An unbelievable feeling! Unique! Truly unique! The "picture" I still have vividly in my mind is the entire bench entering the court as soon as the horn sounded putting an end to the final, with everybody falling into each other's arms, the wide smiles on our faces, the people chanting louder than ever. I think it's a "snapshot" that I will always carry in my mind and heart.
A few seconds earlier, we were all watching the ball being released from Siska's hands. Thank God it didn't go through the net. It was a relief and, at the same time, the signal to start celebrating. It was a shot that could have been accurate and we are simply and honestly happy that it wasn't. I believe we played better in Berlin. It's true, the win was sealed almost at the buzzer in both of our games, but it's also true that we controlled both through their biggest parts.
Another given fact is that we had not only one or two, but many players to step up in...
STRATOS PERPEROGLOU - ATHENS, GREECE
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avril 29, 2009
 Hello to all of you again!
We are not getting ready just to play this time. We are getting ready to fly! Our final destination is o2 World in Berlin and the Euroleague Final Four! It’s our final day in Athens before taking off from Eleftherios Venizelos airport, and the anticipation has reached new heights for me and a lot of my teammates. We were and are looking forward to the Final Four like few things ever. It’s like the final countdown that we were waiting for since beating Siena in Italy will finally start the moment we get on the plane!
Speaking about all the days of anticipation between Siena and now, we have been working really hard every single day. We have done the best we can in order to step on the court prepared in the best possible way basketball-wise, but also both mentally and physically. We know all too well that it will not be easy. Our goal is set, we want the trophy, like any team that reaches the Final Four, but we don’t have any illusions that someone is waiting for us in Berlin to just hand it to us as soon as we land there! That would be nice, but it doesn't work that way.
We want the title, but we know we have to proceed step by step. The semifinal has its own special point of reference, since two Greek teams will fight for one place in the Euroleague final. The duel between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos is the talk of the town here in Athens, something...
Stratos Perperoglou - Athens, Greece
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avril 21, 2009
 Hello to all of you again! Just like I said the previous time, we're still here, still playing!
The "next big step" I was talking to you about in my previous blog is a fact. We got to the Final Four, we’ll be in Berlin. We achieved one of our goals already!
The road to the Final Four had a strange "curve", however. We started the playoffs against Montepaschi Siena with the home court advantage and we got the first win we needed. But in the second game, things turned upside down. We gave up a 16-point lead. I don’t know, maybe we loosened up, lost our focus. The fact is that we allowed Siena to win in OAKA. The final countdown began for us immediately after the end of that game, after a loss.
Coach Obradovic came into the locker room and demonstrated how much he believes in us, in this team. The next target was set just minutes after that loss. We were feeling as if someone has chopped off our wings, but he just came in and said to us that we can get two wins in Italy. He managed to put his belief, his words, into our heads and souls. We got the win in the first game in Siena rather easily. At some point, we went ahead by as much as 30 points. It seemed crazy, but there we were, getting what we wanted. Back in the locker room, we all agreed immediately on one thing: "Let's finish it in Italy". We didn’t want the series to go to a fifth game.
We knew that things would...
Stratos Perperoglou - Athens, Greece
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mars 19, 2009
 Hello to all of you! Here we are, still talking and…playing! Our team arrives to the Quarterfinal Playoffs in the best possible way, since we achieved both our goals in the last round: we reached the playoffs and we took first place in our group. We got that job done by grabbing five victories in six games. Now, we are exactly where we wanted to be. The playoffs are just around the corner, Montepaschi Siena is our next challenge, and we have to get ready for a tough series! It won't be easy.
To tell you the truth it wasn't that easy so far anyway. To play Unicaja in Malaga, or Partizan in front of a record 22,567 fans, is no easy task. I believe, however, that the key for us in the Top 16 was our victory in Spain against Unicaja. We got the win we needed for the standings, but it helped us a lot psychologically, too. After that game, I believe that we played better.
Of course, it's not easy to forget our last road game, in Belgrade against Partizan. It was nice to play in front of more than 22,000 fans. The atmosphere was great. Serbs love basketball and they show it. Even when you play in Hala Pionir, the atmosphere is amazing. They know how to watch a game. Basketball-wise, we didn't perform well, especially on offense, and as a result, we suffered there our first and – fortunately - only defeat in Top 16.
Fortunately, the loss didn't cost us. In the last Top 16 game, we...
STRATOS PERPEROGLOU - ATHENS, GREECE
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