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MACCABI ELITE TEL AVIV
Head Coach
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GERSHON, PINI
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"This is history? So I am part of history. Not only me. All these kids who have been working all season, every day, twice a day, along with my assistants, and they all deserve it. Listen, we had experience, first of all, after being in the same situation last year. Part of the game was tough, the third quarter. It was not a great game, but you have to know how to win a final. That's not tactics. Instead, that's fight and something you bring more from the heart and the legs. You have to push, and that's what did in the second half. We were tired, playing under pressure, the score was close to tied, but we did it finally."
"What can I tell you? Four titles, five finals, four cups. I'm happy. On Friday and today, we didn't play great basketball, but the Final Four is another story and we know how to do it. This is my way. Tonight, we took an advantage of their inexperience but we have a lot of respect for them, because of their big talent. I hope next year they could do the same we did tonight. My future? I don't think to my past or my future right now. I just want to get drunk and I hope I can walk back to my hotel. I didn't discover anything new in basketball. Players went with my system. I don't think it fits all players, but mine have found the way, the way to play nice basketball and win. Before the Top 16, many people said we were just offense. From the second round, we played good offense and good defense too."
"CSKA's season? It's not easy to face a Final Four when CSKA dominated all season long. But losing just one game put pressure not only on us, but on them too. I wanted to be the coach who would have beaten CSKA with CSKA unbeaten. But beating Tau is harder than facing CSKA, because we stood as favorite. Against CSKA, we would have been underdog and it's better to play as underdog. We won in Tel Aviv and here too, my players know how to face pressure and they showed it. You don't need only players who can score or shoot, you need personalities. And we had great personalities, a great team, a great group. I saw it when we reacted to the Tau rally."
"I didn't do anything. My team did it. They went out great, but in 6 or 7 possessions we couldn't pass the halfcourt. In those moments you have to play simple. Simple. There I put the four men away from Parker, with no picks, no motion, nothing. Maybe this trick won the game, because of forcing the players to go to my way. That's the deal. Yesterday, nobody was happy in the lockers. And I told them: I'm happy because you are not happy. That's the way to take the championship."
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MACCABI ELITE TEL AVIV
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JASIKEVICIUS, SARUNAS
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"We never had full control. Tau was such an excellent basketball team. They kept coming at us. A couple of times we thought we had control, but as soon as we thought that, they hit a couple threes to get back in it. They're an excellent team and deserve congratulations for an excellent season. But listen, yellow is still in fashion in European basketball."
"Kommatos really hurt them tonight. It's much different when you play with a 10-point lead and when you play even. He came, it was bam, bam, bam, and we were up 10. It was tough for him early in the season, but I think Pini did a great job by continuing to believe in him."
"Let me tell you something: Maccabi is Good."
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MACCABI ELITE TEL AVIV
Guard
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BURSTEIN, TAL
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"Last year in Tel Aviv was a very big, special event. But it was also unbelievable here. We came here with a lot of expectations, but we were not the favourites. CSKA was the favourite team. They played amazing the whole year. But this is unbelievable."
"I knew a lot of people were coming, but I wasn't expecting so many fans to come. We want to thank them and appreciate them. This win was for them."
"We knew Tau was a good team. They were here because they deserve it. I really give them a lot of respect."
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MACCABI ELITE TEL AVIV
Forward
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PARKER, ANTHONY
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"It is a different feeling than we had last season, since it was in Tel Aviv with the whole arena backing us, while this time it was in Moscow and we made history. Every year is a challenge and this time we made it. Tau is a great team, they have great players and great shooters. We had to work hard to stop Macijauskas, he is one of the best shooters I have ever seen. I tried to work defensively on him and try to make him take bad shots. I am really happy, this was our goal from the very beginning. Saras is a winner, he is always ready for big games and tries to do everything that is in his hands to win it. He has done it year after year, he has proven in everywhere, not only in the Euroleague but also with his national teams. He is a winner and I hope he stays in Maccabi Tel Aviv next season."
"It's just a dream man. We had great team play, Saras played big, Nestoras Kommatos came out and played big. And I'm just happy. I give all the glory and praise to god. I just want to say thanks to this organization, and to these fans who come out and support us all year. It's wonderful. The Final Four wasn't as easy as last year, and all through the season, we had a lot of injury problems we had to fight through. We did that, and mentally we tried to get better. We've won 10 in a row since losing to Barcelona in our original group. It was a great run and I'm just real happy. Our main objective is just to win. People criticize our defense so much, but I think we do all right. We do what we can, and what we do best. We try to take teams out of what they do best. And then, offensively, you going to have to score with us. It's a great system, with a great coach and a great organization and I'm just real happy to do it again."
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MACCABI ELITE TEL AVIV
Center
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VUJCIC, NIKOLA
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"The atmosphere in the game was great. It looked like the whole Nokia Arena was here. It was really nice, and made all players feel ready for the game and to take the title back to Tel Aviv. It was a surprise to see so many people, and I am so happy we made it. I am glad to be a member of Maccabi and part of Euroleague history. This team is unbelievable, we have great players and a great coach. Of course, Saras is an important part of Maccabi. Whatever he does next season, I wish him the best. He is the biggest leader in Europe and also a team player."
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MACCABI ELITE TEL AVIV
Guard
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SHARP, DERRICK
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"I feel great. It was very tough today, from the beginning, but this is European Basketball. It's tough for us all the time. Everybody thinks that it's easy, but it's not. We are the champions, and we'll celebrate all night with the players and fans."
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MACCABI ELITE TEL AVIV
Center
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BASTON, MACEO
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"We're so excited. We made history. We all worked hard all year to get to this point and we're happy because we were able to pull out the win tonight. We made the game interesting, I guess. The game went back and forth a bit and we probably made our fans a little nervous, but we didn't want have another 34-point win. We wanted to make a game of it. But we pulled it out and I am just happy to be a part of it."
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MACCABI ELITE TEL AVIV
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KOMMATOS, NESTORAS
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"For me, what I say is that I was the top scorer in Greece, but I came here and I know my role. If I score 20 or zero it's the same. I want to help the team in any way. I am very happy. For these guys it's the second time, for me the first, and I am very happy. We'll go for three next year."
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TAU CERAMICA
Head Coach
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IVANOVIC, DUSKO
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"I don't believe there is much to congratulate us about tonight. We have to congratulate Maccabi. They played better than us. They played much more calm. We began the game too nervous. We came back and got in a rhythm, but in key moments, the thing was that they had more experience at those times, and it showed. I don't like having to say it, but this final will have to serve as experience for my players, so that next time they play one they can win it."
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TAU CERAMICA
Forward
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SCOLA, LUIS
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"I really want to thank our fans who came all the way here. They were huge and we feel bad by not having been able to give them a new title. It was hard and we lost. It's a bit early now to try thinking about getting to the next Final Four in Prague. We need to sit down and overcome this defeat. we still have the Spanish League to play and we cannot think about other things now."
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TAU CERAMICA
Forward
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MACIJAUSKAS, ARVYDAS
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"What can you say? We lost the Final against a great team. We lost too many balls and allowed them easy shots as well as free throws. However, it was our first Final Four title game and I think we did great. However I still don't know why we lost. The team feels bad now of course, we lost the Final. It was an important appointment but this is basketball, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Everybody said CSKA and Maccabi would be in the Final but we broke those predictions. To lose a Final you have to play it. I prefer this than winning the game for the third place, for sure."
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