Final Four
- May 11, 2003
- PALAU SANT JORDI
Local time: 8:30 PM
TV
CET: 8:30 PM
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Head Coaches
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PESIC, SVETISLAV
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FC Barcelona head coach
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"As I said after the semifinal, we are all happy to play in the final and have the opportunity to become European champions. Of course, we must play hard because our opponent is very strong. I respect Benetton and coach Messina very much. It will be a great final with the best teams in Europe at this moment. We can win but we must try hard. We played twice against Benetton this year. You know that, in the Final Four, you don't have so much time to prepare the next game. So it's better for us to stay focused on our game. Of course we will watch videos but the main point is to play like we can do." "I agree that Fucka played an excellent game yesterday. But I know who is Fucka. Maybe everybody can see what Bodiroga gives but Fucka is also an important player. He is playing defense, usually against the tallest player among our opponents, he has to rebound and he must score. He played well all season long. Well, it is not possible to do well in all 32 games but I am very satisfied with him."
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MESSINA, ETTORE
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Benetton Treviso head coach
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"We think that the good season we are having carries on. We will play the final and everybody in the club is happy. It was not so easy for my players to improve their game after being Italian champs last year. But they tried hard, they played good basketball and I am very satisfied. Of course all the city of Treviso has the dream to see us as the European champions but believe it, that is not so easy. We are going to play against a great team with many good players with personality. Above all, we will play in Palau San Jordi, in front of this big crowd who will want Barcelona to win. We are ready to try and of course we have the winning spirit. The home team is always the favorite. It will be a normal situation if Barcelona wins the game. We are relaxed and ready to play without fear. The two teams are different. I think that we must think about our weapons and not to adjust to the opponent."
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Players
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JASIKEVICIUS, SARUNAS
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FC Barcelona guard
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"We are all happy to play in the final. We will try our best to win this game, but we know how difficult it is. We play against a great team, with a great coach and good players. This is logical because we are talking about the final. I think that we have our options to take the victory and celebrate a great title. I know that Barcelona has to win this game. It isn't only the fact that the team played five times without winning any. In every important game our obligation is to win. We had the situation in the Spanish Cup final, and the same will be in the ACB playoffs. If you are playing in a big club like Barcelona you must live with this pressure. I think that is the same for Benetton. They have to win all the big games."
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DE LA FUENTE, RODRIGO
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FC Barcelona forward
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"What we saw in the first semifinal yesterday is the proof that Benetton has a lot of experience, and that they know how to play in those situations. They already played a Final Four and they have been playing together for the last seasons. In this kind of games it's so important the tactical facts, knowing how your contender plays, than the emotional ones. It's true we didn't have a good time against Treviso in the last chances we faced them, but it's also true that we have the guns to cause them some pain."
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NAVARRO, JUAN CARLOS
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FC Barcelona guard
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"No surprise so far, because both teams know each other very well. We know Benetton and they know us, so I think there are no advantages on that. I was conscious that I had stolen the ball right after touching it. Then I run as fast as I could to hit the basket. I was very concentrated in that play, maybe Papaloukas didn't expect I was so aware so he relaxed a bit. I shouted to the air after winning but I don't remember what I said, I only remember I was shouting, because of the passion, because of the excitement I felt. We respect Benetton very much, because is a team that caused us a lot of problems every time we play against them, but we know we can beat them. We have to take advantage of the fact that we play at home. They are going to feel that pressure, they will feel the crowd will be against them, We are used to live with the pressure from all Final Fours we lost. I already played one, in Thesalonikki, and I'm prepared, I know what it means."
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BODIROGA, DEJAN
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FC Barcelona forward
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"I don't mind if I play or bad. The only thing that counts is the team. I don't mind if I don't play a good game like yesterday's if the collective work is upon individual one. We are in debt with Barcelona's fans, but not only because of game yesterday, also because of the support they give us throughout the season. They are fantastic. We respect Benetton so much because each player knows each other very well. They are playing together for the last 3 or 4 seasons, while we have had to build an almost new team in the last 8 months. The main difference between this year and the previous Final Four is that I'm playing this one at home, in front of our supporters. There are no big differences in terms of skills, because only the best four teams in Europe can make it. Benetton plays in an atypical way, with Nicola and Garbajosa shooting from outside spots. Although Tyus Edney is the soul of Treviso, I think we can't focus only on one single player. For instance, Bulleri became the key player yesterday. They have shown they are a very solid team from a mental point of view. As I said before, they have playing together for the last 3-4 years."
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DUEÑAS, ROBERTO
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FC Barcelona center
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"This is a final, so it's true it is a different game, but there will be a lot of similar things compared to the previous times we played. We are the same players and in the end it's only five against five. The difference can be found in the tension that is going to exist this time. The one who keeps calmed better will take an advantage. Benetton is a very tough and difficult contender to us, we didn't had great games against them in the last years. Now we have to be positive, we must think we have big chances to win and forget the past. Edney is important for them, but he is not the only one, we can't underrate the rest of the team. The most important thing is that they run the court very well, they are really fast, so if we take control of rebounds and if we get a good defensive balance, we'll get big chances to win. When the team has faced extreme situations, like in Copa del Rey or the last one at Athens against Olympiakos, the team has showed its proud, and used it to win. Benetton's frontcourt gets me in trouble, it's true, but Patrick, Gregor and the rest of the team can defend them very well. We did it against CSKA, so we must repeat it tomorrow. On the flip side, I can be dangerous if I play inside because of my height."
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FUCKA, GREGOR
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FC Barcelona forward
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"I'm only worried about playing hard and giving my best, I'm not concerned of previous Final Four. I don't know whether I'm in the best moment of the season or not, the only thing that counts for me is the team and that we give our best."
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VAREJAO, ANDERSON FRANÇA
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FC Barcelona center
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"This European experience is very important for me, it's something I could never imagine one year and a half ago, when I was in Brazil. You feel really excited when your are here, playing a Final Four. When I took the court yesterday I felt an intense cold in my stomach, because of the crowd and all the other things surrounding the event, but after that moment I got concentrated and everything worked well. You must concentrate from the beginning because Benetton is a team that plays quite differently. The best thing you can do before a game like this one is following the same routine you follow throughout the season."
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RODRIGUEZ, IGNACIO
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FC Barcelona guard
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"We know that Benetton is an experienced team and that they know how to handle this kind of games. No matter if they are ahead or not they always play well at the end of the games. Benetton's style is uncomfortable to us because of our center's characteristics. They play a game we are not used to, even in the Spanish competition. They play with their big men trheatening from the three point line, supporting Edney when he drives inside, for instance. It's a kind of atypical game, although I think our supporters will have more importance, they will help us to win. We know that there is going to be a lot of anxiety, but we have experienced players, who are used to play European and World Championship finals, so we'll be able to keep calmed. I don't think there is anything special you have to do before a final, the best thing is to face it in the same way you face any other game."
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PITTIS, RICCARDO
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Benetton treviso forward
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"We got a great result yesterday, but we didn't win anything yet. I must say that the two semifinals were very fascinating. Above all, I am very impressed with the great atmosphere in Palau San Jordi. I maybe played a thousand games in my career but it is my first time that I feel like this. Sixteen-thousand fans were sitting together cheering for their teams and I only counted four policemen. It was fantastic. I don't know if any other sport can have the same. This atmosphere was so good for basketball. I will play in a final for the third time. I hope that it is my time to become European champion again. Of course, we all know what we have to face. Barcelona is very strong and we must play very tough to win the game. We must forget what happened yesterday. Tomorrow it's a new game starting 0-0. We have to be concentrated in the final, from the beginning to the end."
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LANGDON, TRAJAN
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Benetton Treviso guard
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"It's certainly a tough Final Four Final against a very good team as Barcelona. During the regular season they were already able to beat us once in their court. We all know we have to play well to win."
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EDNEY, TYUS
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Benetton Treviso guard
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"My physical condition is good. I feel all right, even if I'm not 100%. I'm sure the final will be a very tough game. You know, FC Barcelona is the home team?."
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MARCONATO, DENIS
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Benetton Treviso center
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"Now we are ready for the final. We certainly feel the pressure of this kind of match, but we are preparing ourselves for the Sunday game. I think there are two keys to win the final against Barcelona. First of all, we have to play an excellent defense to stop their more dangerous offensive players. Then we have to run our fast break opportunities."
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BULLERI, MASSIMO
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Benetton Treviso guard
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"I have the two matches we've played here against Barcelona in my mind, but I don't think this time it is going to be a similar game. In my opinion this Final will be very different from that two games, mostly because of the atmosphere we'll breath inside the Palau Sant Jordi, and also for the great trophy we are trying to win."
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GARBAJOSA, JORGE
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Benetton Treviso forward
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"In the end, the most important thing in a match is winning. This is exactly what we did in the semifinal. In this game, we really made a great start in the first half, but after halftime we decreased our pace, falling down. Otherwise we took an important victory in the last minutes of the game. It will be a very difficult match against FC Barcelona on Sunday, and all his supporters. It's really important for us to be inside the match in the first 5 or 6 minutes. Then we need to arrive to the final period with less than 4-points disadvantage to have chances to win."
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NICOLA, MARCELO
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Benetton Treviso forward
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"We feel good, quiet. In my opinion we need to stay quiet. I'm sure some of my team-mates are thinking about the situation that happened last year. Otherwise I think Barcelona has a bigger pressure on their neck because they are the home favorite team."
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One thing is certain about the Euroleague title game on Sunday night: history will be made with the final buzzer. Either FC Barcelona or Benetton Treviso, both of whom have been knocking on the door to greatness during the entire Final Four era, will raise the champion's trophy for the first time. Star power will be everywhere, starting with the head coaches, world champion Svetislav Pesic of Barcelona and two-time Euroleague champ Ettore Messina of Benetton. They lead two unique teams, Barcelona the Euroleague's tallest team, at 204.8 centimeters per player, Benetton the second-shortest, at 198 centimeters per player. But the long and the short of the final will be about the endless talent distributed on both teams, names like Bodiroga, Edney, Fucka, Pittis, Navarro, Garbajosa, Jasikevicius and plenty more. In tough semifinals that both trailed in the last quarter, Barcelona and Benetton showed that experience wins when the pressure pulsates in the air, as it will again on Sunday. Even though Barcelona can count on another Final Four record crowd of 16,670 to pack Palau Sant Jordi, only Messina can claim to have won a Euroleague title in the same arena, in 1998 with Virtus Bologna. Only one of these deserving teams will be able call itself champion on Sunday, but basketball fans everywhere have already won the pleasure of watching them decide during what promises to be a classic final on Sunday.
 If any conclusion can be drawn from Benetton's 62-65 semifinal win over Montepaschi Siena on Friday, it is that even when its biggest weapons fail, this team is capable of beating the best. When a team that was averaging more points-per-minute than any Euroleague or NBA team gets locked in a low-scoring game, it can expect to lose. Making just 3 of 18 three-pointers was a true rarity for a team that averaged almost 9 per game all season and connected on 44%, more than any other team. Likewise, the player recognized as Benetton's catalyst, point guard Tyus Edney, was held to 9 points, more or less half his average. Those two factors were complicated by an entire 10-minute stretch against Montepaschi without a single basket from the field. But Benetton came back from the brink, down 6 points with under 4 minuts on the clock, and made all the big plays the rest of the way. Experience counted in more ways than one for Benetton, but so did aggressiveness, particularly that of two bench players, Massimo Bulleri and Marcelo Nicola, down the stretch. In the final, Benetton can be expected to try to use small, quick lineups to force Barcelona's big men to move out from under the basket. But if adjustments are required, you can bet that Benetton will have the skill and knowledge to make them on the fly. The Italians are unlikely to go through two games with poor outside shooting. Having won without its biggest weapon in the semis was one thing: Benetton is likely to need a better game to prevail in the final.
 Barcelona's semifinal experience against CSKA was somewhat different to that of Benetton. It had to climb back from an early nine-point deficit, but was in charge by 7 points at halftime. All of that lead disappeared and CSKA went up by 3 by the end of the third quarter. Barcelona did not wait to react, tying it up on the first shot of the last quarter, and then managed small leads in the last 5 minutes until the crowd and momentum allowed it to pull away to a 76-71 decision. Barcelona's vaunted frontline did its job splendidly, with Gregor Fucka, Roberto Dueñas and Patrick Femerling leading a 29-20 advantage in rebounds against the strong CSKA big men. Barca also was able to limit the effectiveness of another quick point guard, J.R. Holden, limiting to 8 points after an explosive first quarter. As the game wore on, however, Barca's own stars got stronger, with Dejan Bodiroga sharp from the line and directing the offense. Sarunas Jasikevicius did the same, popping a big three-pointer when absolutely necessary. And Juan Carlos Navarro emerged down the stretch, not with his trademark running jumpers, but with a pair of huge offensive rebounds and the game-clinching steal and fastbreak in the final minute. It was another case of a team winning by making big plays at the right moment. Against Benetton, the perimeter players of Barcelona will again be challenged to keep up with speedy guards. Barcelona's big men may find themselves further from the basket on defense, but at the other end, they will get the ball and the chance to power to the hoop on smaller Benetton defenders. In a game that could be marked by very different styles, however, whichever team succeeds in imposing its own will likely have the upper hand going into the final minutes. At that point, however, equal amounts of experience and inspiration will decide the new champion of the Euroleague.
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Saturday, May 10, 2003
Euroleague.net
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Stats Comparisions: Teams and players
| 79.1 |
Pts. |
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BODIROGA, DEJAN |
15.9 |
Pts. |
15.2 |
LANGDON, TRAJAN |
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Pts. |
87.6 |
| 52.44 % |
2FG% |
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FEMERLING, PATRICK |
60.00 % |
2FG% |
75.22 % |
MARCONATO, DENIS |
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2FG% |
56.02 % |
| 39.30 % |
3FG% |
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DE LA FUENTE, RODRIGO |
50.00 % |
3FG% |
56.41 % |
EDNEY, TYUS |
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3FG% |
42.02 % |
| 33.5 |
Rebounds |
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DUEÑAS, ROBERTO |
5.9 |
Rebounds |
7.0 |
MARCONATO, DENIS |
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Rebounds |
33.6 |
| 11.4 |
Assist. |
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JASIKEVICIUS, SARUNAS |
3.3 |
Assist. |
4.2 |
PITTIS, RICCARDO |
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Assist. |
16.4 |
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