Final Four
- May 08, 2005
- OLYMPIYSKY ARENA
Local time: 5:40 PM
TV
CET: 4:40 PM
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Head Coaches
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GERSHON, PINI
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Maccabi Elite head coach
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"I do hope that tomorrow we're going see a top-level game. We'll go as the defending champions, we'll have a large Israeli audience here, and the game will be watched closely at home. I am sure that the two best teams have arrived at the Final, and are representing the best of the best in basketball. We have many talented players with great skills, both Maccabi and Tau, and those are the players who can really do something tomorrow to give a great push for the development of basketball. I think tomorrow's game will be much more critical and stressful than last year's Final."
"What I think and reality are sometimes two different dimensions. It's not because Tau is worse than CSKA. I think it is much easier to choose a team we know well than a team we don't know well. We knew CSKA much better than we know Tau. But I indicated that CSKA might lose. I know what I'm talking about, but I must say it's not easy to have predictions put into reality. Whenever you feel some kind of external pressure it's not easy to put up your best performances. Do I know all the teams well enough? I have seen many times how CSKA and Tau perform. We have been very attentive, reviewing and talking in meetings yesterday. We discussed all the scenarios in order to be perfectly prepared. That process we started six weeks ago. That doesn't mean we'll see the same things when we play. Yesterday we saw standard schemes, but surprises are always possible. I am talking about both teams and players."
"I see we have a Spanish spy working to find our secrets after having a CSKA spy. Tau is a great team. They have reached the final in excellent shape. They led by eight or nine points all game yesterday and sustained excellent capabilities. What amazed me was how robust their performance was. Should we have had CSKA and Maccabi in the Final, it would have been interesting, too. Now, it so happens, we have Tau. You can make your own opinion, but I can't be more specific about them."
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IVANOVIC, DUSKO
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Tau Ceramica head coach
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"It's true that we haven't played for awhile, but before we did. We lost a game to make the Final Four against them at home a few seasons ago. I don't think that can influence much now. But these days I am sure both teams have got to know each other well, and both teams will take advantage of the time we have now to know each other better."
"We'll see tomorrow. What's sure is that Maccabi is a good team with quality players who are capable of winning any game. They have several who can be decisive. Sharp can and has been many times, and then there are Jasikevicius, Parker, Vujcic. It's a complete team that is playing well, but if they are better or more talented than us, they have to show it tomorrow."
"I think that any time you have an opportunity to play like this one in a Final Four, there is pressure, yes, but I see it as good pressure, nothing negative at all. I don't see any reason at all to be scared or not play our best tomorrow. I have always said that when you play a final, the two teams are playing for the same prize under the same conditions. There is pressure for both, but not more or less for one or the other. It's the same, in my opinion."
"From Tau, you can always expect that we are going to give our best on the court and that we will try to play the best basketball we can in this moment."
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Players
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JASIKEVICIUS, SARUNAS
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Maccabi Tel Aviv guard
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"I think Tau is one team that really plays intense and aggressive, they come after you, and I think first of all, we have to sustain all the pressure they are going to put on us. They are going to be physical and we have to be physical, too. If we can achieve that, then we just need to play our game, which is we need to run our offense and concentrate on their key players. So, aside from the physical stuff, rebounding and all the little things like loose balls are always important in finals."
"For every game, there are theories and stuff. I think once the ball is up in the air, we can throw them out. Tau comes after you, they play aggressive and sacrifice their bodies. This to me is the most important. This is just exactly what we have to do in order to compete with them. If we can get past the physical point and how aggressive they play and play at that same level with them, then I think we can play with them and have a chance."
"It hasn't surprised me, knowing both teams, that Tau has won. It's just that CSKA was preparing years for this Final Four, and they were playing at home, and in that sense it's a surprise. But having seen many of the games between CSKA and Tau, I thought last year that Tau could have made it to the Final Four instead of CSKA, but they lost a big opportunity to do so in the last 30 seconds of a game here. Maybe Tau should have won two or three of those games. So Tau is not a poorer opponent. I just thought CSKA would be here because we are here in Moscow. I don' t think Tau is any lesser a team. I know Tau quite a bit. I always had great respect for the club, the coach, the fans and the players. They have high quality players, very athletic. A couple of them can change the game in any moment. They have a young kid from Lithuania who can put his team ahead at any time. If tomorrow we are going to have an option to win, we have to play a great game, with great concentration and be very tough, both physically and mentally."
"The most important thing is to win the title. We are talking about one game that we want to prepare well, mentally and physically. We have 36 hours to get ready for a team we know some, but want to know better so we know what the keys are to doing on the court what our coach asks us to do."
"I was happy the way I played. We weren't playing with kindergarten children. We played against Panathinaikos, a great team with a great coach who prepared for us a lot. Considering those circumstances, I was pretty pleased with myself. If I can do something more for you tomorrow, I'll try. I am here to contribute to my team the best I can. I did my best yesterday and I'll do my best tomorrow. We'll see tomorrow night. We have to play a great game to beat Tau, and we'll see if we can do it."
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VUJCIC, NIKOLA
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Maccabi Tel Aviv center
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"Tau is a great team which deserves to be there. It will be a really hard game for us. I said you need a guy from Split to win consecutive titles, but (Tau head coach) Dusko Ivanovic was one of the players to help Jugoplastika to win consecutive titles in their first two championships (1989 and 1990). We have played so many years against (Luis) Scola and (Kornel) David that we know each other very well, that will not be a problem. We need to play our game, play our system to win the game."
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PARKER, ANTHONY
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Maccabi Tel Aviv guard
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"We know their personnel and that they're a tough team. They have great players, and they really wanted the game last night. They knew they were going to win it. They are playing great right now, even if they're regular season record doesn't reflect that. They had a lot of injuries and guys out during the season."
"I'm excited. We both had hard games last night, but theirs finished later, so maybe we have an advantage there. But when the ball goes up, all of that goes out the window. Everyone forgets about their aches and pains."
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BURSTEIN, TAL
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Maccabi Tel Aviv guard
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"I never really thought that our opponent is as inexperienced in such situations as Skipper was last year. Tau are here because they deserve it. They were the better team in the semifinals, and they beat the hosting team that everybody expected to see in the Final. They had a slow start but lately they play great. The bench players are always important, and this game won't be an exception. It was great to see the fans in the semifinals, it made us feel like we play at home. I'm sure they'll give us a great support tomorrow as well."
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BASTON, MACEO
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Maccabi Tel Aviv forward
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"Tau is a a tough team. I think a lot of people didn't expect Tau to beat CSKA. But those guys played the odds right and Tau had a great game last night. We have to be really prepared for them, not overlook or underestimate them. They're a talented team and it's going to be a nice battle. We've got to pick it up on defense better. We let Panathinaikos get too many open shots from three and that's how they stayed in the game. Tau has great shooters and inside play. We've got to combine post defense and perimeter defense and take it to them offensively. I'm sure (making history) is on everyone's mind a bit. Like last year we won scoring 118 points and winning by 44, and that beat records, too. I think it's in the back of our minds, but we just have to win the game first. Once that gets done, all the accolades can come after."
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SHELEF, GUR
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Maccabi Tel Aviv forward
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"Tau is a very strong team which plays very tough, very physical. Besides, they are in great shape in the last two months, getting great results. I am not surprised to see them in the final. Still, if both teams play our average game, I think we will be the Euroleague champions. We have to play the way we have been doing it all year. Our fans will be with us, and they will prove they are one of the best crowds in Europe. They follow us everywhere and give all the support they can."
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MACIJAUSKAS, ARVYDAS
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Tau Ceramica guard
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"Of course, it's the first Final Four for our team, for me and for other players. But most of our players are members of their national teams and have played tough games in the Spanish League, too. Of course, it's not easy to play in your first Final Four, but it's not so bad."
"The referees last night did a very good job. We were a little scared before the game, because CSKA was playing at home. But they did a good job, and tomorrow I think that they'll be great. Maccabi is not a home team tomorrow, either, so I don't expect any problems."
"It's difficult to say what are the keys. Maccabi didn't know us so good and we didn't know Maccabi. Maccabi probably prepared the final against CSKA, thinking two months ago and all season that the final would be Maccabi-CSKA. We broke this and now they play us. We didn't know this team, but today we have all day and tomorrow half a day to prepare and know what we have to do. What are the keys? I don't know: good defense, concentration and that's it."
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SPLITTER, TIAGO
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Tau Ceramica center
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"I expect a very tough game. I think it will be a close game for 40 minutes and that it will be decided in the end. We already know that we face a great team, with quality players, who have experience. We won’t feel uncomfortable playing in front of so many Maccabi fans. It’s something normal, we already know what is all about. I’d say that sometimes, when you play good and things are working fine, to play against a hostile crowd can help you."
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HANSEN, TRAVIS
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Tau Ceramica guard
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"We are really excited about playing this Euroleague Final. We are here and now we want to win of course. We know we are facing a great team. I really think the chances are balanced, we have some time to prepare this game and try to defeat them."
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VIDAL, SERGI
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Tau Ceramica forward
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"We are really excited and happy to be in a Euroleague Final. We can't wait for the game to start, really. We just have tp play like in the semifinal, going out there knowing that we are a good team and confident about our possibilities. We know we can win and the key is to take it as a normal game and try to play our game. I really think that if we play like we did yesterday, we can win."
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DAVID, KORNEL
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Tau Ceramica center
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"I think the final will be pretty much like the game against CSKA Moscow. Although they play almost at home I hope we can beat them. The fans are always is a factor, it’s like when we play at home, our fans are always our sixth man. They will put pressure on the referees but we have to play like yesterday against the Russians. When we win against Benetton in Treviso I think every of us knew that we can beat anybody anywhere."
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PRIGIONI, PABLO
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Tau Ceramica guard
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"I think we are very happy now. We played good yesterday, a good game, a serious game. I think if we can repeat this tomorrow, play very concentrated and very aggressive, we have our options. Maccabi has a great team. They played great against Panathinaikos. I think they killed them on the fastbreak, which was very good. They have players who can decide games in the last minute, like Jasikevicius and Parker. We have to play hard, play our game and arrive at the end with options. This is a dream for me. A few years ago, I played on a small team in Spain. Now, I have the option of playing the final of the Euroleague. It's about work, working hard everyday and giving 100 percent in practice and in games."
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CALDERON, JOSE MANUEL
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Tau Ceramica guard
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"We feel great, and we are ready and willing to play this big game. We didn't prepare anything in case we would face Maccabi because we never thought of the Final before. We try to go step by step so we were only ready for the semifinal. But now we are here, we have time to prepare this and we must face the game without fear. We just have to go out and play."
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Tau Ceramica and Maccabi Tel Aviv will battle for the Euroleague title in the Final at the Olympiysky Arena, Moscow, on Sunday at 16:40 CET in a game that will make history no matter which team wins. Maccabi Tel Aviv could become the first team to win consecutive Euroleague titles since Split won three in a row from 1989 to 1991. Its head coach Pini Gershon has reached its fourth consecutive continental final with Maccabi. He could win his third consecutive title after leading Maccabi to the Suproleague title in 2001, retiring after that and making a big comeback to win the Euroleague title in 2004. Speaking of triple crowns, Maccabi point guard Sarunas Jasikevicius could become the first player to win three consecutive Euroleague titles since several Split players did it in the 1989-1991 period. Maccabi is also searching its fifth continental title, as along with those titles won by Gershon, the team clinched the Euroleague title in 1977 and 1980. Meanwhile, Tau Ceramica has reached its second Euroleague final, as it lost to Kinder Bologna in a best-of-five final series in the first edition of the competition, back in 2001. Only Luis Scola, Sergi Vidal and head coach Dusko Ivanovic stay on the team from back then. Ivanovic can join a select group of three people who won the Euroleague title both as a player as a coach, something that only Svetislav Pesic, Lolo Sainz and Armenak Alachatchan did before. Scola can become the 10th player in basketball history to win both the Euroleague title and the Olympic gold medal, joining the likes of Arvydas Sabonis, Bill Bradley, Sergei Belov or Mirza Delibasic, among others. Maccabi has won 22 consecutive games since losing to Winterthur FC Barcelona in Game 14 of the Euroleague regular season. It has been unbeaten throughout the Top 16 and the quarterfinals playoffs before downing Panathinaikos 91-82 in the first semifinal on Friday. Meanwhile, Tau Ceramica managed to beat CSKA Moscow 78-85 in the second semifinal to clinch a spot in the Title Game. CSKA had a 53-1 overall record this season before entering this game, but Tau managed to provide one of the most surprising results in Euroleague history. Both Ivanovic and Tau president Jose Antonio Querejeta have already won a Euroleague title against Maccabi, as Ivanovic's Jugoplastika beat Maccabi in the 1989 Euroleague final, while Querejeta played for Real Madrid when it won the Euroleague title back in 1980.
 With the performance of both teams' benches in the semifinals, it is safe to say that the matchups for the final are varied and unpredictable. At the same time, both teams count on major stars that anchor their games inside and outside. For Maccabi, three all-Euroleague nominees head the list of options that Gershon can call on. Jasikevicius is not only a deadly shooter and master passer, but a born leader who communicates continually with all his teammates. His twin specialties, penetrating to dish assists or killing opponents from the arc, make him Tau's biggest challenge. The responsibility for trying to match Jasikevicius falls to the fearless Jose Manuel Calderon, whose strengths fall more to scoring, by driving or shooting, although he makes few mistakes in running Tau's offense. Maccabi's next go-to star is the Euroleague MVP, swingman Anthony Parker, whose relative quietness in the semifinal, until he led his team out of trouble in the third quarter, is a warning to Tau: Parker rarely is quiet for long, and showed when needed during the semifinal that his pull-up jumper remains essentially unstoppable. A first-year Euroleague player, jumping jack Travis Hansen, will have the chore of handling Parker. Inside, Maccabi looks to Nikola Vujcic, a key link to the system not only as a fine scorer, but as perhaps the best-passing big man in Europe. Tau counters with toughness and experience from Kornel David, whose consistency gives his team something to count on every night. His 12 rebounds in the semifinal were huge for Tau. If Maccabi's big guns play point guard, small forward and center, Tau certainly has the shooting guard and power forward spots under control. One of the sharpest shooters on the planet, Arvydas Macijauskas, was magic in the semifinal, his Final Four debut, delivering a memorable corner triple off an inbound pass with a second on the shot clock that killed CSKA. He'll have a big-game performer, Tal Burstein of Maccabi, to deal with on the defensive end, too. Inside, Tau's anchor on offense is Luis Scola, a virtuoso in the paint who struggled with foul trouble in the semi. Like Parker, Scola is more likely than not to explode in the next game, although he'll have an aggressive shot-blocker to deal with in Maceo Baston.
If it seems like Maccabi has a three-to-two advantage in scoring starters, however, the benches will have a lot to say in this Final, as they did in the semis. The littlest man on the court, Maccabi veteran Derrick Sharp, proved again on Friday that he, too, can take over a game if given the slightest opportunity. He'll see time against Tau defensive ace Pablo Prigioni, who also can hit the big shot. Elsewhere on the perimeter, steady Sergi Vidal of Tau got unexpectedly big help from Roberto Gabini against CSKA. Considering Hansen's inexperience, both will be key to coach Dusko Ivanovic's plans to stop Parker, whose backup is veteran Gur Shelef, an ace at giving strong cameo minutes. In the paint, Tau brings a little more experience to the Final, in part because Maccabi lost a key big man in Deon Thomas due to injury just two weeks ago. In the semifinal, Nestoras Kommatos put in 18 solid minutes, taking and making just a shot, but pulling rebounds while making steals and blocks. He and big man Yaniv Green, a capable scorer, will have their work cut out for them against veteran Andrew Betts, who played an inspired semifinal, and active young talent Tiago Splitter, himself a shot-blocking threat. Look for Tau's bench to be on the court more with the Maccabi starters, as in the semifinal, Ivanovic gave them plenty important minutes. How they handle those minutes against the Maccabi superstars will go a long way toward deciding the chances of Tau, a Final Four newcomer, to try to unseat the defending champions.
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Saturday, May 07, 2005
Euroleague.net
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Stats Comparisions: Teams and players
| 92.1 |
Pts. |
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PARKER, ANTHONY |
18.2 |
Pts. |
18.1 |
MACIJAUSKAS, ARVYDAS |
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Pts. |
83.7 |
| 57.79 % |
2FG% |
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BASTON, MACEO |
68.31 % |
2FG% |
61.11 % |
PRIGIONI, PABLO |
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2FG% |
52.96 % |
| 39.89 % |
3FG% |
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PARKER, ANTHONY |
47.62 % |
3FG% |
50.00 % |
DAVID, KORNEL |
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3FG% |
38.33 % |
| 34.2 |
Rebounds |
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BASTON, MACEO |
5.5 |
Rebounds |
6.3 |
SCOLA, LUIS |
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Rebounds |
33.0 |
| 17.3 |
Assist. |
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JASIKEVICIUS, SARUNAS |
5.3 |
Assist. |
3.1 |
PRIGIONI, PABLO |
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Assist. |
15.2 |
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