Montepaschi Siena vs. Maccabi Elite - ShowGame - Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL

June 19, 2013

Final Four Game 1 - May 02, 2008 CET: 18:00 Local time: 18:00 - PAB. DEP. COMUNIDAD DE MADRID

Montepaschi Siena 85 - 92 Maccabi Elite

FINAL FOUR, GAME 1

GROUP Semi-Final A

Montepaschi Siena 85 - Maccabi Elite 92

GROUP Semi-Final B

Tau Ceramica 79 - CSKA Moscow 83

Records

Ave.		Ave.
0-0	Final Four	0-0
2-0	Playoffs	2-1
4-2	Top 16	4-2
10-4	Regular Season	10-3
16-6	Overall	17-6

Referees

Crew Chief

JUNGEBRAND, CARL, Finland

Referee

HIERREZUELO, DANI, Spain

Umpire

DOZAI, SRDAN, Croatia

Team Stats

Ave.		Ave.
78.3	Points	83.5
28.1	Rebounds	33.1
7.6	O. Rebounds	8.3
20.5	D. Rebounds	24.8
13.3	Assists	18.1
14.8	Steals	10.0
3.0	Blocks	3.0
11.8	Turnovers	13.2
52.5 %	2PT	56.6 %
39.1 %	3PT	40.0 %
73.4 %	FT	71.4 %
86.7	Index	94.8

Team Stats - Montepaschi Siena

Team Stats - Maccabi Elite

Player Stats

Ave.		Ave.
13.2 / MCINTYRE, TERRELL	Points	12.3 / MORRIS, TERENCE
5.0 / STONEROOK, SHAUN	Rebounds	8.4 / MORRIS, TERENCE
1.5 / Eze	OR	2.3 / Batista
4.4 / STONEROOK, SHAUN	DR	6.2 / MORRIS, TERENCE
4.6 / MCINTYRE, TERRELL	Assists	4.1 / HALPERIN, YOTAM
2.6 / MCINTYRE, TERRELL	Steals	1.2 / BYNUM, W.
1.0 / Eze	Blocks	1.9 / MORRIS, TERENCE
2.5 / MCINTYRE, TERRELL	Turnovers	2.2 / BYNUM, W.
80.0 % / ROMERO, H.	2PT	64.4 % / CASSPI, OMRI
62.7 % / Lavrinovic, K.	3PT	100.0 % / Batista
89.3 % / MCINTYRE, TERRELL	FT	100.0 % / SHARP, DERRICK
15.5 / Lavrinovic, K.	Index	17.8 / MORRIS, TERENCE

Team Roster - Montepaschi Siena

Team Roster - Maccabi Elite

THE TAKE

The first semifinal at the 2008 Euroleague Basketball Final Four will be a classic battle of offense against defense. Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv qualified for Madrid with the best attack in the Euroleague this season, while Montepaschi Siena set a new standard for steals with its stifling defense. Neither was among the preseason favorites to dominate the Euroleague, but both performed at the highest levels possible when it mattered most. The Italian champs were the only team to sweep their Quarterfinal Playoffs series and are coming off a 63-point domestic win in which they showed they are ready for the Final Four. Maccabi has lost back-to-back Israeli League games, but that could mean they will be even hungrier and more prepared for the semifinals. Experience benefits Maccabi, with a roster featuring seven players who’ve been to the Final Four. Montepaschi has only one. Maccabi has beaten Montepaschi in all of their 8 previous matchups, registering 5 of those wins by 5 points or less. Maccabi Elite is set to take in its seventh Final Four of the millennium. Derrick Sharp and Tal Burstein are the only players to have taken part in all six of Maccabi’s previous appearances, but only them and center Nikola Vujcic were active in Maccabi’s last Final Four game against CSKA in the 2006 title game. Meanwhile, Montepaschi is in its third Final Four since its first appearance in 2003. History will be made, as Maccabi Elite will be playing in its record 10th Final Four, the most of any team since the start of the Final Four era in 1988. Montepaschi enters the Final Four in great shape, as it just won the Italian League regular season with a 31-3 record, the best one in competition history. It is all set for a unique game, as Montepaschi will look for its first Euroleague final while Maccabi is in search of its sixth European club title. Head-to-Heads \| Semis Breakdown \| Press Conference Quotes Wednesday, April 30, 2008 Euroleague.net

The first semifinal at the 2008 Euroleague Basketball Final Four will be a classic battle of offense against defense. Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv qualified for Madrid with the best attack in the Euroleague this season, while Montepaschi Siena set a new standard for steals with its stifling defense. Neither was among the preseason favorites to dominate the Euroleague, but both performed at the highest levels possible when it mattered most. The Italian champs were the only team to sweep their Quarterfinal Playoffs series and are coming off a 63-point domestic win in which they showed they are ready for the Final Four. Maccabi has lost back-to-back Israeli League games, but that could mean they will be even hungrier and more prepared for the semifinals. Experience benefits Maccabi, with a roster featuring seven players who’ve been to the Final Four. Montepaschi has only one. Maccabi has beaten Montepaschi in all of their 8 previous matchups, registering 5 of those wins by 5 points or less. Maccabi Elite is set to take in its seventh Final Four of the millennium. Derrick Sharp and Tal Burstein are the only players to have taken part in all six of Maccabi’s previous appearances, but only them and center Nikola Vujcic were active in Maccabi’s last Final Four game against CSKA in the 2006 title game. Meanwhile, Montepaschi is in its third Final Four since its first appearance in 2003. History will be made, as Maccabi Elite will be playing in its record 10th Final Four, the most of any team since the start of the Final Four era in 1988. Montepaschi enters the Final Four in great shape, as it just won the Italian League regular season with a 31-3 record, the best one in competition history. It is all set for a unique game, as Montepaschi will look for its first Euroleague final while Maccabi is in search of its sixth European club title.
Head-to-Heads | Semis Breakdown | Press Conference Quotes

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Euroleague.net

Quotes Head Coaches

PIANIGIANI, SIMONE Montepaschi Siena “Good morning to everybody. Obviously when you work as a professional in European basketball, your dream is to be in the Final Four. So I am happy to be here. I am happy and proud for my club, my city, my players. I want to say thankyou to everybody because when you play great season, many people work around the team. Every player played their best every day. SO we are very excited and also for Siena. Siena is a small city and many people come to support us. SO we are very proud to play against some great cities and great clubs.” “Obviously we’ve played a great season, also in the Italian League, but I think when you play against Maccabi, you are always the underdog. Because every year Maccabi is a club that plays to win. They are a team with great tradition and arrive here as the team with the best offense in all the Euroleague. Maccabi at the Final Four always comes to win. But we arrive at the Final Four with the same level as Maccabi. We overcame maybe the strongest group at the beginning of the season and we beat European champ Panathinaikos, so we have our confidence and we are ready to play. I think the chances are 50%.” “I think when Maccabi fans are in the arena, there is always a great atmosphere, but our fans will also be here. And also I think my team, my players, already have played great games against Panathinaikos in Athens with 17,000 people and in Partizan, so it’s just more motivation. So as the other coach said, when you are on the court, you play and don’t look behind you at how some team how some other team arrived here. When you are here, you are ready to play.” “I don’t know what the expectations in Italy are like. I feel for sure a lot of people in Italy have become our fans this season. I think that we are here because we are a team and on the court players like to play together and mostly we are a team outside too. We are a team with great management and great organization. It’s a nice story, we arrived here after nine months because step by step we’ve shown our potential and every game we try to do our best. So we are excited to play against top coaches and top clubs in the Final Four. I was here as an assistant the first two times Siena was here and it was incredible. Our first motivation is to play face to face with this team.”

PIANIGIANI, SIMONE

Montepaschi Siena

“Good morning to everybody. Obviously when you work as a professional in European basketball, your dream is to be in the Final Four. So I am happy to be here. I am happy and proud for my club, my city, my players. I want to say thankyou to everybody because when you play great season, many people work around the team. Every player played their best every day. SO we are very excited and also for Siena. Siena is a small city and many people come to support us. SO we are very proud to play against some great cities and great clubs.”

“Obviously we’ve played a great season, also in the Italian League, but I think when you play against Maccabi, you are always the underdog. Because every year Maccabi is a club that plays to win. They are a team with great tradition and arrive here as the team with the best offense in all the Euroleague. Maccabi at the Final Four always comes to win. But we arrive at the Final Four with the same level as Maccabi. We overcame maybe the strongest group at the beginning of the season and we beat European champ Panathinaikos, so we have our confidence and we are ready to play. I think the chances are 50%.”

“I think when Maccabi fans are in the arena, there is always a great atmosphere, but our fans will also be here. And also I think my team, my players, already have played great games against Panathinaikos in Athens with 17,000 people and in Partizan, so it’s just more motivation. So as the other coach said, when you are on the court, you play and don’t look behind you at how some team how some other team arrived here. When you are here, you are ready to play.”

“I don’t know what the expectations in Italy are like. I feel for sure a lot of people in Italy have become our fans this season. I think that we are here because we are a team and on the court players like to play together and mostly we are a team outside too. We are a team with great management and great organization. It’s a nice story, we arrived here after nine months because step by step we’ve shown our potential and every game we try to do our best. So we are excited to play against top coaches and top clubs in the Final Four. I was here as an assistant the first two times Siena was here and it was incredible. Our first motivation is to play face to face with this team.”

SHERF, ZVI Maccabi Elite “Good morning to everybody. Thank you to the minister of sport for Madrid, because Madrid for me is the best place in 30 years to come for basketball competition but also for other sports to come and watch. Thanks to Mr. Jordi Bertomeu for the organization of the Euroleague this year. In the name of my club and players we are very very happy to be here. Also our country is celebrating next week 60 years and we have many fans that support us and will be watching these games in Madrid.” “To the Final Four come four teams. Every team, every coach and every player dreams of coming home with cup. Every has the same chance and the games will give the answers.” “I am very, very proud and happy to be here. I am involved in basketball from age 7. I had the opportunity to grow up with Maccabi Tel Aviv, which also started to grow with the Euroleague. I started the season as the general manager, but I was never out of basketball. For me we have here as coaches the responsibility to do the best for our teams and the best for the competition to bring basketball to where we want it to be.” “Without good defense, it will be difficult and I believe that we show also good defense. Also offensively, it’s not obvious that every game you can have great offense, so to win a game you need defense. I believe it will be a very close and tough game.”

SHERF, ZVI

Maccabi Elite

“Good morning to everybody. Thank you to the minister of sport for Madrid, because Madrid for me is the best place in 30 years to come for basketball competition but also for other sports to come and watch. Thanks to Mr. Jordi Bertomeu for the organization of the Euroleague this year. In the name of my club and players we are very very happy to be here. Also our country is celebrating next week 60 years and we have many fans that support us and will be watching these games in Madrid.”

“To the Final Four come four teams. Every team, every coach and every player dreams of coming home with cup. Every has the same chance and the games will give the answers.”

“I am very, very proud and happy to be here. I am involved in basketball from age 7. I had the opportunity to grow up with Maccabi Tel Aviv, which also started to grow with the Euroleague. I started the season as the general manager, but I was never out of basketball. For me we have here as coaches the responsibility to do the best for our teams and the best for the competition to bring basketball to where we want it to be.”

“Without good defense, it will be difficult and I believe that we show also good defense. Also offensively, it’s not obvious that every game you can have great offense, so to win a game you need defense. I believe it will be a very close and tough game.”

Players

MCINTYRE, TERRELL Montepaschi Siena "If you go in wanting to do more, than that's outside what you did all season that got you here. You just have to do what got you here and that's the main thing we have to do tomorrow. I really have to bring the effort [as a leader]. That's the first thing they see on the defense is the point guard on defense. If they see you bringing the effort they will bring the effort too. If you relax, then they may tend to relax. I just try to lead by example. They're just a great offensive team. They shoot the ball well, they pass the ball well. They get out in transition and defensively they match up well. We're just going to try to limit the transition and help each other as much as possible."
STONEROOK, SHAUN Montepaschi Siena "We just have to come out and play hard and get the win any way we can. It's gonna be a difficult game. But we're ready. We had a couple weeks to prepare. We're excited and ready to show what we can do. It's gonna take everything we have. We have to play great on both ends of the court. Our defense has been strong for the most part of the Euroleague so we need to do that. Offensively we have to play together like we have been doing and hit some shots. And we have to play a complete game. We can't just play well on one end because they are a very tough team. We just prepare for every one. They have 12 guys who can play. But our defense is pretty much set. It will take everything we have, a team effort, but we're ready."
SATO, ROMAIN Montepaschi Siena "It's the first time in the Final Four for most of the players on the team, so we're thrilled to be here. We spoke with Bootsy about it, and he told us about the experience. We have a tough game tomorrow, and in order to win it we just have to play the same way as we did all season. Keep playing tough and bring our defensive qualities. If we do that I believe we'll be alright."
ILIEVSKI, VLADO Montepaschi Siena "It's my first time in the Final Four so obviously it's very exiting to be here. We need just two more wins to complete a great season. Montepaschi made it to the Final Four twice already, but lost both times, and we want to be the first to bring Montepaschi to the finals, and then we'll see what to do there. In the Final Four, every team has equal chances to finish first or last. Maccabi is a very good team, with 12 players that can play. They use a wide rotation, and we have to look after anybody who comes off the bench. They are one of the best offensive teams in the league, so we'll need to stop their offense. Our defense is what will bring us to the finals. We also have to control the tempo of the game and as one of the point guards of my team I'll have a very important job to do."
ROMERO, HECTOR Montepaschi Siena "If I get the chance against Maccabi, I’ll do the best I can. I know Maccabi’s a good team and it’ll be a tough game. We’ve got our plan and hopefully we’ll execute. I have a feel for Maccabi a little bit. They’re a very offensive team. One of our main goals is to stop their offense. We need just to knock down some shots and get used to the rims. Everything has been taught. There’s nothing new now. We’ve seen all the videos and seen all the games. We know every situation. We just gotta come out and execute. The key to the game is our defense. We have to stop their run."
LAVRINOVIC, KSISTOF Montepaschi Siena "I don’t think we are necessarily the favorites in this game. Maccabi is a very experienced team. I am sure that it will be a very close game that will be decided at the very end. Tactics could play a big role in the end. We can change our lineup and our look, as can Maccabi. We must be careful, because Maccabi with its experience and crowd can be dangerous if it opens a big lead."
THORNTON, BOOTSY Montepaschi Siena "We just have to do what we always do, play strong defense and play our basketball. It doesn't matter who we play against. We have to be the same way we were all season, play strong defense and rebound. I'm hearing that we're the underdog, but we're the only team that didn't lose a game in the Playoffs. And we started with the toughest group and finished second behind CSKA. The next group we finished on top and eliminated Panathinaikos. And we swept through our Playoffs and somehow we're the underdogs. It's okay. It's no problem with us. We still have to go play."
EZE, BENJAMIN Montepaschi Siena "I told everyone at the beginning of the season that I wanted to make it to the Final Four. Now that we made it to Madrid, I want to win the Euroleague title. The Final Four is not a new story to us. We have to do just like we did all season long against all the powerful teams in the competition. We did it against Panathinaikos, the Euroleague champions, with a lot of experienced big men. It is all about playing defense and being tough. I know how my team feels that we have a desire to win the Euroleague."

MCINTYRE, TERRELL

Montepaschi Siena

"If you go in wanting to do more, than that's outside what you did all season that got you here. You just have to do what got you here and that's the main thing we have to do tomorrow. I really have to bring the effort [as a leader]. That's the first thing they see on the defense is the point guard on defense. If they see you bringing the effort they will bring the effort too. If you relax, then they may tend to relax. I just try to lead by example. They're just a great offensive team. They shoot the ball well, they pass the ball well. They get out in transition and defensively they match up well. We're just going to try to limit the transition and help each other as much as possible."

STONEROOK, SHAUN

Montepaschi Siena

"We just have to come out and play hard and get the win any way we can. It's gonna be a difficult game. But we're ready. We had a couple weeks to prepare. We're excited and ready to show what we can do. It's gonna take everything we have. We have to play great on both ends of the court. Our defense has been strong for the most part of the Euroleague so we need to do that. Offensively we have to play together like we have been doing and hit some shots. And we have to play a complete game. We can't just play well on one end because they are a very tough team. We just prepare for every one. They have 12 guys who can play. But our defense is pretty much set. It will take everything we have, a team effort, but we're ready."

SATO, ROMAIN

Montepaschi Siena

"It's the first time in the Final Four for most of the players on the team, so we're thrilled to be here. We spoke with Bootsy about it, and he told us about the experience. We have a tough game tomorrow, and in order to win it we just have to play the same way as we did all season. Keep playing tough and bring our defensive qualities. If we do that I believe we'll be alright."

ILIEVSKI, VLADO

Montepaschi Siena

"It's my first time in the Final Four so obviously it's very exiting to be here. We need just two more wins to complete a great season. Montepaschi made it to the Final Four twice already, but lost both times, and we want to be the first to bring Montepaschi to the finals, and then we'll see what to do there. In the Final Four, every team has equal chances to finish first or last. Maccabi is a very good team, with 12 players that can play. They use a wide rotation, and we have to look after anybody who comes off the bench. They are one of the best offensive teams in the league, so we'll need to stop their offense. Our defense is what will bring us to the finals. We also have to control the tempo of the game and as one of the point guards of my team I'll have a very important job to do."

ROMERO, HECTOR

Montepaschi Siena

"If I get the chance against Maccabi, I’ll do the best I can. I know Maccabi’s a good team and it’ll be a tough game. We’ve got our plan and hopefully we’ll execute. I have a feel for Maccabi a little bit. They’re a very offensive team. One of our main goals is to stop their offense. We need just to knock down some shots and get used to the rims. Everything has been taught. There’s nothing new now. We’ve seen all the videos and seen all the games. We know every situation. We just gotta come out and execute. The key to the game is our defense. We have to stop their run."

LAVRINOVIC, KSISTOF

Montepaschi Siena

"I don’t think we are necessarily the favorites in this game. Maccabi is a very experienced team. I am sure that it will be a very close game that will be decided at the very end. Tactics could play a big role in the end. We can change our lineup and our look, as can Maccabi. We must be careful, because Maccabi with its experience and crowd can be dangerous if it opens a big lead."

THORNTON, BOOTSY

Montepaschi Siena

"We just have to do what we always do, play strong defense and play our basketball. It doesn't matter who we play against. We have to be the same way we were all season, play strong defense and rebound. I'm hearing that we're the underdog, but we're the only team that didn't lose a game in the Playoffs. And we started with the toughest group and finished second behind CSKA. The next group we finished on top and eliminated Panathinaikos. And we swept through our Playoffs and somehow we're the underdogs. It's okay. It's no problem with us. We still have to go play."

EZE, BENJAMIN

Montepaschi Siena

"I told everyone at the beginning of the season that I wanted to make it to the Final Four. Now that we made it to Madrid, I want to win the Euroleague title. The Final Four is not a new story to us. We have to do just like we did all season long against all the powerful teams in the competition. We did it against Panathinaikos, the Euroleague champions, with a lot of experienced big men. It is all about playing defense and being tough. I know how my team feels that we have a desire to win the Euroleague."

BURSTEIN, TAL Maccabi Elite "We are ready. We had a good practice. I don’t know if I will play, that you must ask the coach. I think my experience at the Final Four can be an advantage for our team. This is my sixth Final Four and I hope to play. Until now I have played in five and I’m glad to have won three times."
VUJCIC, NIKOLA Maccabi Elite "The main thing is that I am healthy. I'm in pretty good shape for this stage and I will just try to give it my best tomorrow. We know most of these players. We played against them in other teams. We know them very well. But they are playing very well as a team. And after watching the tapes we know it will really be a good game."
CASSPI, OMRI Maccabi Elite "We need to play aggressive. There's a lot of pressure on both teams. Both teams really scouted each other. So it really doesn't matter that we didn't play against them yet this season. We have a really good defense and we have to show it tomorrow. But they play tough defense too. So we'll have to step up. Still, if we play good defense, we will win."
HALPERIN, YOTAM Maccabi Elite "I’ve been in Final Fours before, but this time it's different and much more exiting because I'm playing a bigger and more important role on the team, but I'm not important here. If I score only 2 points in this Final Four and we win the title, it's more than good for me. If Montepaschi puts a lot of focus on me, it's very good because my teammates will get chances to have better looks at the basket. We want to win this first of all for all our amazing fans. The thousands who followed us here to Madrid and the millions who will follow us on TV."
BLU, DAVID Maccabi Elite "We feel ready. We need to play defense, play tough and to expect to win the game. Our backs are against the wall and we play better with our backs to the wall. We need to just rest now before the game. We’re pretty much ready to go. Tactically we’re not going to get anymore information. We’ve gotten our shots up and felt the floor. The keys for us are probably containing McIntyre and not letting their bigs shoot three-pointers. I know we have a few surprises and I’m sure they do to."
BYNUM, WILL Maccabi Elite "They don't have to just stop me. If they think they have to just stop me, they're wrong. We have 12 players who are really, really good, and I'm just one of them. Stopping our transition game is very difficult, but for us defense is the key to get out in transition. If we can force them to take long, contested shots and we can get out in transition, that will make a lot of things happen. As long as we win, everybody is gonna get the glory. Vonteego [Cummings] is good. He's a veteran and he's been around big games. He'll be prepared and be ready to play. And I will be as well. I think having both of us is an advantage for us because you never really know who to focus on, who to key on. And I think we can use that to our advantage. All we can do is give it all we got. If we give it all we got and lose, we can still look ourselves in the mirror and live with it, knowing we gave it our all."
CUMMINGS, VONTEEGO Maccabi Elite "We need to put the last two weeks behind us. This is the Final Four and we're just two wins short from winning the Euroleague title. If we win those games nobody will remember the last losses we have. Throughout the entire season we knew how to step up when we had our backs against the wall. I'm confident we can do it again, and bring joy and happiness to the club, the city Tel Aviv and the country of Israel."
MORRIS, TERENCE Maccabi Elite "All that’s left for us is to go over our game plan and be ready to execute tomorrow. The teams are going to come out tomorrow and try to run their plays a little differently or add a new play to their arsenal that they haven’t had this season, so there could be a little confusion out there. The first couple minutes are going to be like a boxing match trying to get a feel for you opponent. We need to contain their three-point shots. They have a lot of guys who can shoot from the arc at high percentages. We have to contest those guys, keep them in front of us and make them take tough shots and we’ll be alright."
SHARP, DERRICK Maccabi Elite "We have to play tough defense. We have to play the kind of defense that we have played a couple times on the road this year. It's gonna be that type of game which will be won on defense. If we try to count on our defense and not on our offense, we'll be okay. We only have to worry about playing our game and not too much worry about what they're gonna do, just try to do the things that we do best. If we play our type of game, we don't have to worry about who we're playing against. With the guys we have, we can beat anybody. We played in the Final Four in the Israeli Cup and it's the same atmosphere – your back is against the wall. It's either win or go home. We had games like that this year – against Madrid. In the Euroleague, every game is like do-or-die. We're battle-tested for that kind of mentality. We've been on the other end – losing in the final of the Israeli Cup, so we can take that experience into this Final Four."
BLU, DAVID Maccabi Elite "This is my second Final Four and I am pretty excited about it. This is a great city and a great event. We are really lloking forward to facing Montepaschi Siena on Friday. We have to execute well and play hard at both ends to beat them on Friday. They are a great defensive team, but also in offense, so we expect a good game against them. On paper, it looks like a clash between offense and defense. We are picking up our defense now, however, and they are also a great offensive team. Either way, it is going to be a tough game for both teams."

BURSTEIN, TAL

Maccabi Elite

"We are ready. We had a good practice. I don’t know if I will play, that you must ask the coach. I think my experience at the Final Four can be an advantage for our team. This is my sixth Final Four and I hope to play. Until now I have played in five and I’m glad to have won three times."

VUJCIC, NIKOLA

Maccabi Elite

"The main thing is that I am healthy. I'm in pretty good shape for this stage and I will just try to give it my best tomorrow. We know most of these players. We played against them in other teams. We know them very well. But they are playing very well as a team. And after watching the tapes we know it will really be a good game."

CASSPI, OMRI

Maccabi Elite

"We need to play aggressive. There's a lot of pressure on both teams. Both teams really scouted each other. So it really doesn't matter that we didn't play against them yet this season. We have a really good defense and we have to show it tomorrow. But they play tough defense too. So we'll have to step up. Still, if we play good defense, we will win."

HALPERIN, YOTAM

Maccabi Elite

"I’ve been in Final Fours before, but this time it's different and much more exiting because I'm playing a bigger and more important role on the team, but I'm not important here. If I score only 2 points in this Final Four and we win the title, it's more than good for me. If Montepaschi puts a lot of focus on me, it's very good because my teammates will get chances to have better looks at the basket. We want to win this first of all for all our amazing fans. The thousands who followed us here to Madrid and the millions who will follow us on TV."

BLU, DAVID

Maccabi Elite

"We feel ready. We need to play defense, play tough and to expect to win the game. Our backs are against the wall and we play better with our backs to the wall. We need to just rest now before the game. We’re pretty much ready to go. Tactically we’re not going to get anymore information. We’ve gotten our shots up and felt the floor. The keys for us are probably containing McIntyre and not letting their bigs shoot three-pointers. I know we have a few surprises and I’m sure they do to."

BYNUM, WILL

Maccabi Elite

"They don't have to just stop me. If they think they have to just stop me, they're wrong. We have 12 players who are really, really good, and I'm just one of them. Stopping our transition game is very difficult, but for us defense is the key to get out in transition. If we can force them to take long, contested shots and we can get out in transition, that will make a lot of things happen. As long as we win, everybody is gonna get the glory. Vonteego [Cummings] is good. He's a veteran and he's been around big games. He'll be prepared and be ready to play. And I will be as well. I think having both of us is an advantage for us because you never really know who to focus on, who to key on. And I think we can use that to our advantage. All we can do is give it all we got. If we give it all we got and lose, we can still look ourselves in the mirror and live with it, knowing we gave it our all."

CUMMINGS, VONTEEGO

Maccabi Elite

"We need to put the last two weeks behind us. This is the Final Four and we're just two wins short from winning the Euroleague title. If we win those games nobody will remember the last losses we have. Throughout the entire season we knew how to step up when we had our backs against the wall. I'm confident we can do it again, and bring joy and happiness to the club, the city Tel Aviv and the country of Israel."

MORRIS, TERENCE

Maccabi Elite

"All that’s left for us is to go over our game plan and be ready to execute tomorrow. The teams are going to come out tomorrow and try to run their plays a little differently or add a new play to their arsenal that they haven’t had this season, so there could be a little confusion out there. The first couple minutes are going to be like a boxing match trying to get a feel for you opponent. We need to contain their three-point shots. They have a lot of guys who can shoot from the arc at high percentages. We have to contest those guys, keep them in front of us and make them take tough shots and we’ll be alright."

SHARP, DERRICK

Maccabi Elite

"We have to play tough defense. We have to play the kind of defense that we have played a couple times on the road this year. It's gonna be that type of game which will be won on defense. If we try to count on our defense and not on our offense, we'll be okay. We only have to worry about playing our game and not too much worry about what they're gonna do, just try to do the things that we do best. If we play our type of game, we don't have to worry about who we're playing against. With the guys we have, we can beat anybody. We played in the Final Four in the Israeli Cup and it's the same atmosphere – your back is against the wall. It's either win or go home. We had games like that this year – against Madrid. In the Euroleague, every game is like do-or-die. We're battle-tested for that kind of mentality. We've been on the other end – losing in the final of the Israeli Cup, so we can take that experience into this Final Four."

BLU, DAVID

Maccabi Elite

"This is my second Final Four and I am pretty excited about it. This is a great city and a great event. We are really lloking forward to facing Montepaschi Siena on Friday. We have to execute well and play hard at both ends to beat them on Friday. They are a great defensive team, but also in offense, so we expect a good game against them. On paper, it looks like a clash between offense and defense. We are picking up our defense now, however, and they are also a great offensive team. Either way, it is going to be a tough game for both teams."

Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv completed one of the greatest comebacks in Final Four history to defeat Montepaschi Siena 85-92 and advance to the Euroleague Basketball title game for the fourth time in five seasons on Friday at the Community of Madrid Sports Palace in the Spanish Capital. Maccabi trailed by as many as 18 in the second period, but stormed back with a 0-13 charge bridging the third and fourth periods to take the lead. Spirited play from Alex Garcia and team captain Derrick Sharp, who both scored season-highs off the bench, led an effort of 70 bench points. Montepaschi had only 25 points from its bench. Maccabi will face the winner of Friday’s second semifinal between CSKA Moscow and Tau Ceramica in Sunday’s final. The Israeli champs defeated Tau in the 2005 final and lost to CSKA in the 2006 final. Garcia paced Maccabi with 19 points, Sharp scored 17, Will Bynum finished with 13 points and 7 assists, Terence Morris had 13 points and 7 rebounds and David Bluthenthal added 11, including the go-ahead three-pointer early in the fourth quarter. Terrell McIntyre had a game-high 26 points and 5 assists in defeat. Romain Sato posted 17 points and 11 boards for Montepaschi, Ksistof Lavrinovic also scored 17 and Bootsy Thornton 10. Montepaschi won the opening tip and got on the board first when Ben Eze corrected a Sato miss. The Montepaschi defense stifled Maccabi, forcing the Israeli champs into tough shots. At the other end, McIntyre stepped up, drilling a pair of three-pointers on back-to-back possession to make it 8-0. Morris finally got Maccabi on the scoreboard with a finger roll after three-and-a-quarter minutes of action. Maccabi’s defense firmed up and kept Montepaschi scoreless for several minutes, but the yellow-and-blue had a tough time scoring at the other end. Even when Bynum penetrated for a Maccabi basket, Thornton punished him seconds later with a score in transition. Then Thornton fed an open Shaun Stonerook for a triple that put Montepaschi up 13-4. A Lavrinovic free throw extended the lead to double digits and McIntyre soon made it 18-6 from the line. The Italian champs had an answer for every Maccabi basket and after Morris scored, Sato made it 20-8 after 10 minutes. Lior Eliyahu came off the bench and showed some spirit with a slam, but Maccabi head coach was soon slapped with a technical foul and McIntyre scored free throws and soon added a triple that pushed his team’s advantage to 15. Eliyahu was having an impact, especially when Montepaschi tired Sato at power forward, but Maccabi couldn’t Lavrinovic at the other end either. And when Hector Romero stepped in and Sato slid back to small forward, he made some noise with an offensive board and basket that made it 31-14. Vlado Ilievski drilled a three as the lead hit 18. Eliyahu seemed to be Maccabi’s only effective weapon cutting the gap to 36-22. Sharp came in and fired in a triple and then Morris buried another as the lead closed to 10. Ilievski answered with a long jumper, but Yotam Halperin continued the Maccabi momentum and made it 40-31. McIntyre would have none of that though and his fourth three-pointer of the half silenced the Maccabi fans. Morris would have one more try for Maccabi, but Lavrinovic made it 45-33 by halftime. Garcia zipped through the Montepaschi defense to open the second half as Maccabi went with a rarely seen lineup that included only two starters. McIntyre – with a dish to Thornton and then his fifth three – put Siena up by 15. Morris tried to will Maccabi back, but it was to no avail as the Montepaschi backcourt was in total control. A Sharp three brought the Maccabi fans back to life, however a Sato triple ignited the Montepaschi following. Another bomb from Sharp – his second in 60 seconds – made it 57-49 and caused the Montepaschi bench to react with an urgent timeout. The timeout seemed to break Maccabi’s momentum, but Montepaschi had trouble scoring as well. A Bluthenthal triple got Maccabi within 6 with a minute-and-a-half to go in the period. Sato got Montepaschi back to 10 from the line, but Vujcic scored his first basket of the night and then a technical foul on Lavrinovic for flopping, led to 2 Sharp free throws and a Garcia triple as Maccabi stormed back to make it 64-61 after three periods. Maccabi looked even more fired up as the fourth period began and Bluthenthal tied the score for the first time from downtown. Then Bynum pulled up for a three that capped a 0-13 charge and gave Maccabi its first lead of the night, 64-67. Lavrinovic ended a five-minute scoring drought for Montepaschi, but another Bluthenthal three kept Maccabi rolling. Lavrinovic again fought his way to a basket that made it 68-70 only to see Halperin hit a clutch three. Montepaschi quickly found its way and threes from McIntyre and Thornton cut the gap to 1. Sato missed inside and Garcia punished him with a triple that put Maccabi up 74-78. Lavrinovic beat the shot clock and on the next possession sank 2 free throws to tie the score as the two-minute mark approached and the drama built. An acrobatic basket-plus-foul from Bynum and an alley-oop to Morris put Maccabi up 5, while on the other end, Montepaschi struggled to find or make the shots it so calmly sank in the first half. Garcia gave Maccabi it’s biggest lead, 78-85, from the line and after another miss and Lavrinovic’s fifth foul, Garcia stretched it to 9 with a minute to go. McIntyre answered with 2 free throws, but Bynum did the same as Maccabi iced the game from the line to the delight of its strong traveling contingent of fans. Friday, May 02, 2008 Frankie Sachs, Madrid

Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv completed one of the greatest comebacks in Final Four history to defeat Montepaschi Siena 85-92 and advance to the Euroleague Basketball title game for the fourth time in five seasons on Friday at the Community of Madrid Sports Palace in the Spanish Capital. Maccabi trailed by as many as 18 in the second period, but stormed back with a 0-13 charge bridging the third and fourth periods to take the lead. Spirited play from Alex Garcia and team captain Derrick Sharp, who both scored season-highs off the bench, led an effort of 70 bench points. Montepaschi had only 25 points from its bench. Maccabi will face the winner of Friday’s second semifinal between CSKA Moscow and Tau Ceramica in Sunday’s final. The Israeli champs defeated Tau in the 2005 final and lost to CSKA in the 2006 final. Garcia paced Maccabi with 19 points, Sharp scored 17, Will Bynum finished with 13 points and 7 assists, Terence Morris had 13 points and 7 rebounds and David Bluthenthal added 11, including the go-ahead three-pointer early in the fourth quarter. Terrell McIntyre had a game-high 26 points and 5 assists in defeat. Romain Sato posted 17 points and 11 boards for Montepaschi, Ksistof Lavrinovic also scored 17 and Bootsy Thornton 10.

Montepaschi won the opening tip and got on the board first when Ben Eze corrected a Sato miss. The Montepaschi defense stifled Maccabi, forcing the Israeli champs into tough shots. At the other end, McIntyre stepped up, drilling a pair of three-pointers on back-to-back possession to make it 8-0. Morris finally got Maccabi on the scoreboard with a finger roll after three-and-a-quarter minutes of action. Maccabi’s defense firmed up and kept Montepaschi scoreless for several minutes, but the yellow-and-blue had a tough time scoring at the other end. Even when Bynum penetrated for a Maccabi basket, Thornton punished him seconds later with a score in transition. Then Thornton fed an open Shaun Stonerook for a triple that put Montepaschi up 13-4. A Lavrinovic free throw extended the lead to double digits and McIntyre soon made it 18-6 from the line. The Italian champs had an answer for every Maccabi basket and after Morris scored, Sato made it 20-8 after 10 minutes.

Terrell McIntyre - Montepaschi Siena - Semifinal Montepaschi vs. Maccabi - Final Four 2008

Terrell McIntyre - Montepaschi Siena - Semifinal Montepaschi vs. Maccabi - Final Four 2008

Lior Eliyahu came off the bench and showed some spirit with a slam, but Maccabi head coach was soon slapped with a technical foul and McIntyre scored free throws and soon added a triple that pushed his team’s advantage to 15. Eliyahu was having an impact, especially when Montepaschi tired Sato at power forward, but Maccabi couldn’t Lavrinovic at the other end either. And when Hector Romero stepped in and Sato slid back to small forward, he made some noise with an offensive board and basket that made it 31-14. Vlado Ilievski drilled a three as the lead hit 18. Eliyahu seemed to be Maccabi’s only effective weapon cutting the gap to 36-22. Sharp came in and fired in a triple and then Morris buried another as the lead closed to 10. Ilievski answered with a long jumper, but Yotam Halperin continued the Maccabi momentum and made it 40-31. McIntyre would have none of that though and his fourth three-pointer of the half silenced the Maccabi fans. Morris would have one more try for Maccabi, but Lavrinovic made it 45-33 by halftime.

Garcia zipped through the Montepaschi defense to open the second half as Maccabi went with a rarely seen lineup that included only two starters. McIntyre – with a dish to Thornton and then his fifth three – put Siena up by 15. Morris tried to will Maccabi back, but it was to no avail as the Montepaschi backcourt was in total control. A Sharp three brought the Maccabi fans back to life, however a Sato triple ignited the Montepaschi following. Another bomb from Sharp – his second in 60 seconds – made it 57-49 and caused the Montepaschi bench to react with an urgent timeout. The timeout seemed to break Maccabi’s momentum, but Montepaschi had trouble scoring as well. A Bluthenthal triple got Maccabi within 6 with a minute-and-a-half to go in the period. Sato got Montepaschi back to 10 from the line, but Vujcic scored his first basket of the night and then a technical foul on Lavrinovic for flopping, led to 2 Sharp free throws and a Garcia triple as Maccabi stormed back to make it 64-61 after three periods.

Nikola Vujcic - Maccabi Elite - Semifinal Montepaschi vs. Maccabi - Final Four 2008

Nikola Vujcic - Maccabi Elite - Semifinal Montepaschi vs. Maccabi - Final Four 2008

Maccabi looked even more fired up as the fourth period began and Bluthenthal tied the score for the first time from downtown. Then Bynum pulled up for a three that capped a 0-13 charge and gave Maccabi its first lead of the night, 64-67. Lavrinovic ended a five-minute scoring drought for Montepaschi, but another Bluthenthal three kept Maccabi rolling. Lavrinovic again fought his way to a basket that made it 68-70 only to see Halperin hit a clutch three. Montepaschi quickly found its way and threes from McIntyre and Thornton cut the gap to 1. Sato missed inside and Garcia punished him with a triple that put Maccabi up 74-78. Lavrinovic beat the shot clock and on the next possession sank 2 free throws to tie the score as the two-minute mark approached and the drama built. An acrobatic basket-plus-foul from Bynum and an alley-oop to Morris put Maccabi up 5, while on the other end, Montepaschi struggled to find or make the shots it so calmly sank in the first half. Garcia gave Maccabi it’s biggest lead, 78-85, from the line and after another miss and Lavrinovic’s fifth foul, Garcia stretched it to 9 with a minute to go. McIntyre answered with 2 free throws, but Bynum did the same as Maccabi iced the game from the line to the delight of its strong traveling contingent of fans.

Friday, May 02, 2008

Frankie Sachs, Madrid

Referees: JUNGEBRAND, CARL (FIN), HIERREZUELO, DANI (ESP), DOZAI, SRDAN (CRO)

Attendance: 13480

By Quarter	1	2	3	4
Montepaschi Siena	20	25	19	21
Maccabi Elite	8	25	28	31

End of Quarter	1	2	3	4
Montepaschi Siena	20	45	64	85
Maccabi Elite	8	33	61	92

Head coach: PIANIGIANI, SIMONE

Montepaschi Siena
#	Player	Min	Pts	2FG M-A	3FG M-A	FT M-A	Rebounds			As	St	To	Bl		Fouls		PIR
#	Player	Min	Pts	2FG M-A	3FG M-A	FT M-A	O	D	T	As	St	To	Fv	Ag	Cm	Rv	PIR
4	BERTI, SIMONE	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	MCINTYRE, TERRELL	29:36	26	1/1	6/14	6/6	2	2	4	5	1	1			3	6	30
6	ILIEVSKI, VLADO	15:53	5	1/4	1/4			1	1	1				1		1	1
8	EZE, BENJAMIN	11:14	2	1/2			1	1	2		1	2		1	3		-2
9	CARRARETTO, MARCO	6:47			0/2			1	1								-1
10	SATO, ROMAIN	37:36	17	2/7	1/4	10/10	4	7	11		3			1	3	7	26
11	THORNTON, BOOTSY	32:48	10	3/4	1/7	1/2	1		1	2					3	3	5
12	LAVRINOVIC, KSISTOF	24:50	17	7/11	0/4	3/4	1	1	2		1	3		1	5	5	7
14	RESS, TOMAS	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
16	DIENER, DRAKE	10:11	3		1/6		2	1	3	1	1				4	1
19	ROMERO, HECTOR	2:53		0/1													-1
20	STONEROOK, SHAUN	28:12	5	1/2	1/4		1	5	6	1	3	1	1		4	2	9
	Team						3	2	5								5
	Totals	200:00	85	16/32	11/45	20/22	15	21	36	10	10	7	1	4	25	25	79
				50%	24.4%	90.9%

Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating

Head coach: SHERF, ZVI

Maccabi Elite
#	Player	Min	Pts	2FG M-A	3FG M-A	FT M-A	Rebounds			As	St	To	Bl		Fouls		PIR
#	Player	Min	Pts	2FG M-A	3FG M-A	FT M-A	O	D	T	As	St	To	Fv	Ag	Cm	Rv	PIR
4	BYNUM, WILL	21:58	13	3/7	1/3	4/5	1	3	4	7		1			3	4	17
6	SHARP, DERRICK	23:42	17	1/1	3/4	6/6	1	1	2			1			3	2	16
7	VUJCIC, NIKOLA	14:38	2	1/6		0/1	3	1	4	1	1	3		1	4	4	-2
8	ELIYAHU, LIOR	16:42	8	4/5				6	6	2			1		2	1	15
9	MORRIS, TERENCE	25:23	13	5/7	1/2		1	6	7	1	2	2			1	2	19
10	BURSTEIN, TAL	5:49			0/1								1		1		-1
11	CASSPI, OMRI	4:29		0/1													-1
12	GARCIA, ALEX	26:42	19	2/3	2/4	9/10		3	3	1		2			4	7	20
13	BLU, DAVID	25:52	11	1/3	3/5		1	3	4	1		2	2		4	2	10
14	CUMMINGS, VONTEEGO	4:29			0/1										1		-2
15	BATISTA, ESTEBAN	5:34	2	1/3		0/2						1			1	2	-2
21	HALPERIN, YOTAM	24:42	7	2/2	1/2		1	1	2	4	1	2			1		10
	Team						4	4	8			1			1		6
	Totals	200:00	92	20/38	11/22	19/24	12	28	40	17	4	15	4	1	26	24	105
				52.6%	50%	79.2%

This game is not yet played

Head Coaches

PIANIGIANI, SIMONE Montepaschi Siena “First of all, congratulations to Maccabi that they will play in another final. We did a lot of things we wanted to when we approached this game. We played like we decided to before the game. We controlled the game until halftime. Maybe it was not enough points at halftime. But if you have open shots, you have to make them. And in the third we missed our shots and then we struggled getting rebounds. It was not a bad effort for us. We just missed too many open shots. “Stonebrook was in foul trouble early and Maccabi played with a smaller quicker team. And then we lost our guys after some rotations and a guy like Sharp will just hit those shots after he won so many Euroleague games in the past. We knew that to win we had to dictate the rhythm of the game until the end. But it is very hard to take points away from Maccabi in the transition. And we lost the rhythm of the game. After Kaukenas's injury we needed to move the ball and pass the ball better on the perimeter. “But I have nothing bad to say to my players. They fought to the end. We played face to face with them and it was a great game for everybody. I'm a little sad because I would have liked to have been in the final. But I am just proud that we are here and played a game like this. We tried to arrive in the final. Siena is a club with a big project. We are not just a one-time thing. Obviously, we need something more. Maybe when we win a title, then we will have a guy like Sharp who can win a game for us. It was important that we showed everybody that we have arrived here and that we belong here.”

PIANIGIANI, SIMONE

Montepaschi Siena

“First of all, congratulations to Maccabi that they will play in another final. We did a lot of things we wanted to when we approached this game. We played like we decided to before the game. We controlled the game until halftime. Maybe it was not enough points at halftime. But if you have open shots, you have to make them. And in the third we missed our shots and then we struggled getting rebounds. It was not a bad effort for us. We just missed too many open shots.

“Stonebrook was in foul trouble early and Maccabi played with a smaller quicker team. And then we lost our guys after some rotations and a guy like Sharp will just hit those shots after he won so many Euroleague games in the past. We knew that to win we had to dictate the rhythm of the game until the end. But it is very hard to take points away from Maccabi in the transition. And we lost the rhythm of the game. After Kaukenas's injury we needed to move the ball and pass the ball better on the perimeter.

“But I have nothing bad to say to my players. They fought to the end. We played face to face with them and it was a great game for everybody. I'm a little sad because I would have liked to have been in the final. But I am just proud that we are here and played a game like this. We tried to arrive in the final. Siena is a club with a big project. We are not just a one-time thing. Obviously, we need something more. Maybe when we win a title, then we will have a guy like Sharp who can win a game for us. It was important that we showed everybody that we have arrived here and that we belong here.”

SHERF, ZVI Maccabi Elite "We played a very good second quarter after we had done the opposite in the first quarter, when we came out with heavy legs like we had 20,000 tons on our shoulders. When I came into the locker room at halftime, I saw people sitting with their heads down. I said, 'Guys, it's 12 points. That's nothing. We have to believe we can win.' After halftime, we fixed the defense, started showing more aggressiveness, and started shooting better, which we hadn't been doing at all in the first half. Then, the first time we took the lead, I saw the body language of Siena, which until then had been very confident, go down. We had the help of the big heart of Alex Garcia. He has a heart that goes from here to Tel Aviv to Brazil." “From the day that we qualified for the semifinals, we started to learn and scout everything that Siena can do. But the truth is that they are a very, very good team and a very organized team. They can do a lot of things very good. So we tried the last two weeks to break down their system. We came into the game and felt a little bit of the pressure that goes along with being Maccabi. In the second half, we improved our offensive game. I came into the locker room and the players were a little sad. But I told them that we have to do the things we did not do in the first half. They had 10 offensive rebounds in the first half and just two in the second half. We had 10 turnovers in the first half and did a lot better in the second half with handling the ball. We struggled with Stonebrook and Lavrinovic and we didn't stop McIntyre in the first half. But guys like Sharp and Garcia brought us a lot of heart. And we tried to penetrate when they were slow switching and we were able to stretch the defense. The fans gave us a lot of backing and helped us to the win. “Now we have to be quiet and rest. Every coach, even if it was not me, would like to win the final. Whoever reaches the final, it will be a big fight. We have 12 players on the team. We didn't start the game well, so I was looking for the five guys on the floor who could help us win. And even guys without big game experience here helped a lot – like Bynum and Garcia. Siena is a very, very organized team, playing in a very good system. We prepared ourselves to stop the system. In the third quarter we stopped all their set offenses. We forced them to take bad shots. And at halftime, I told the players that with 22 three-point shots for Siena we have to make more fast breaks. And we did that in the second half.”

SHERF, ZVI

Maccabi Elite

"We played a very good second quarter after we had done the opposite in the first quarter, when we came out with heavy legs like we had 20,000 tons on our shoulders. When I came into the locker room at halftime, I saw people sitting with their heads down. I said, 'Guys, it's 12 points. That's nothing. We have to believe we can win.' After halftime, we fixed the defense, started showing more aggressiveness, and started shooting better, which we hadn't been doing at all in the first half. Then, the first time we took the lead, I saw the body language of Siena, which until then had been very confident, go down. We had the help of the big heart of Alex Garcia. He has a heart that goes from here to Tel Aviv to Brazil."

“From the day that we qualified for the semifinals, we started to learn and scout everything that Siena can do. But the truth is that they are a very, very good team and a very organized team. They can do a lot of things very good. So we tried the last two weeks to break down their system. We came into the game and felt a little bit of the pressure that goes along with being Maccabi. In the second half, we improved our offensive game. I came into the locker room and the players were a little sad. But I told them that we have to do the things we did not do in the first half. They had 10 offensive rebounds in the first half and just two in the second half. We had 10 turnovers in the first half and did a lot better in the second half with handling the ball. We struggled with Stonebrook and Lavrinovic and we didn't stop McIntyre in the first half. But guys like Sharp and Garcia brought us a lot of heart. And we tried to penetrate when they were slow switching and we were able to stretch the defense. The fans gave us a lot of backing and helped us to the win.

“Now we have to be quiet and rest. Every coach, even if it was not me, would like to win the final. Whoever reaches the final, it will be a big fight. We have 12 players on the team. We didn't start the game well, so I was looking for the five guys on the floor who could help us win. And even guys without big game experience here helped a lot – like Bynum and Garcia. Siena is a very, very organized team, playing in a very good system. We prepared ourselves to stop the system. In the third quarter we stopped all their set offenses. We forced them to take bad shots. And at halftime, I told the players that with 22 three-point shots for Siena we have to make more fast breaks. And we did that in the second half.”

Players

STONEROOK, SHAUN Montepaschi Siena ”I got my fourth foul and our defense changed from that moment. It is hard to come back and play with four fouls, but the most important thing is that we missed a lot of shots. We took 45 three-pointers in this game, which is unbelievable. We allowed too many open shots in the second half. We didn't get it straight in the second half. When you have four fouls, you don't want to do a stupid reaching one. They did a good job, made us rotate and had very good shooters on the court. They made the big shots when it counted and when we were down by 1, we missed a layup to take back the lead. We had a couple of unfortunate plays, they started to run the floor, moved around and hit the three-pointers. They played better than us in the second half.”
MCINTYRE, TERRELL Montepaschi Siena ”We thought we could hold off their comeback, but when Shaun Stonerook got into foul trouble, everything changed. I wouldn't say we lost because of the lack the experience, but without Stonerook, we were a different team. We didn't make shots, and when this happens, we have to stay confident. This is what Maccabi showed, it was confident throughout the entire game. When they cut our lead to 3 points, you could see that our body language wasn't the same as in the beginning of the game. Maccabi is full of experienced guys and managed to stay confident all the way. Our intensity got down in the second half. We managed to get an 18-point lead and kind of relaxed at that point. Against a team that has the best offense in the Euroleague, you can't do that. You start looking at the scoreboard and that is not good."
DIENER, DRAKE Montepaschi Siena “We didn't do what we had to do in the second half, which is playing defense. They scored almost 60 points in the second half, which means our defense was not good. They did not allow us to get fast-break points. We didn't shoot well tonight. We missed pretty open three-pointers and things like that. It was a tight game and everybody in the team thinks that they could have done better on a couple of plays. We were up 18 points and we knew they were a pretty good offensive team. They showed it in the second half.”
THORNTON, BOOTSY Montepaschi Siena “It is a shame. We are not particularly happy with this loss. We are totally upset and thought we were a better team. We played well in the second half, rebounding very well on the offensive end. We fell apart in the second half and Maccabi made good shots. They made the shots and we missed in the other end. We cannot allow any team to score 60 points in the second half and pretend to win a Final Four game. Alex Garcia played very well, made the right shots and really stepped up. He came in and changed the game. Of course, Derrick Sharp is Derrick Sharp and has done what he did tonight in many Final Fours. He even made shots off loose balls. That is the kind of player he is.”

STONEROOK, SHAUN

Montepaschi Siena

”I got my fourth foul and our defense changed from that moment. It is hard to come back and play with four fouls, but the most important thing is that we missed a lot of shots. We took 45 three-pointers in this game, which is unbelievable. We allowed too many open shots in the second half. We didn't get it straight in the second half. When you have four fouls, you don't want to do a stupid reaching one. They did a good job, made us rotate and had very good shooters on the court. They made the big shots when it counted and when we were down by 1, we missed a layup to take back the lead. We had a couple of unfortunate plays, they started to run the floor, moved around and hit the three-pointers. They played better than us in the second half.”

MCINTYRE, TERRELL

Montepaschi Siena

”We thought we could hold off their comeback, but when Shaun Stonerook got into foul trouble, everything changed. I wouldn't say we lost because of the lack the experience, but without Stonerook, we were a different team. We didn't make shots, and when this happens, we have to stay confident. This is what Maccabi showed, it was confident throughout the entire game. When they cut our lead to 3 points, you could see that our body language wasn't the same as in the beginning of the game. Maccabi is full of experienced guys and managed to stay confident all the way. Our intensity got down in the second half. We managed to get an 18-point lead and kind of relaxed at that point. Against a team that has the best offense in the Euroleague, you can't do that. You start looking at the scoreboard and that is not good."

DIENER, DRAKE

Montepaschi Siena

“We didn't do what we had to do in the second half, which is playing defense. They scored almost 60 points in the second half, which means our defense was not good. They did not allow us to get fast-break points. We didn't shoot well tonight. We missed pretty open three-pointers and things like that. It was a tight game and everybody in the team thinks that they could have done better on a couple of plays. We were up 18 points and we knew they were a pretty good offensive team. They showed it in the second half.”

THORNTON, BOOTSY

Montepaschi Siena

“It is a shame. We are not particularly happy with this loss. We are totally upset and thought we were a better team. We played well in the second half, rebounding very well on the offensive end. We fell apart in the second half and Maccabi made good shots. They made the shots and we missed in the other end. We cannot allow any team to score 60 points in the second half and pretend to win a Final Four game. Alex Garcia played very well, made the right shots and really stepped up. He came in and changed the game. Of course, Derrick Sharp is Derrick Sharp and has done what he did tonight in many Final Fours. He even made shots off loose balls. That is the kind of player he is.”

GARCIA, ALEX Maccabi Elite “I can't explain, but I just prepared myself before the game to be ready. I was anxious last night. I didn't sleep because I was thinking so much about the game. After we got behind, we said we had to trust each other, believe and trust each other. We won on the defensive end. We talked at halftime about it because we didn't play defense in the first half. We became more aggressive after halftime and that won the game.”
VUJCIC, NIKOLA Maccabi Elite "When I heard the fans call my name it was an unbelievable feeling. It's a great pleasure to make it the finals again. Derrick Sharp and David Bluthenthal were amazing, so was Alex Garcia. Everybody was contributing. We're winners and that's what won this game for us. I guess Montepaschi didn't see enough clips of Sharp if they left him alone so many times. Whoever we'll play against us it will be a great finals."
SHARP, DERRICK Maccabi Elite "I don't remember when I scored so many points, but it's a great feeing. I tried to keep my body ready and in shape for this event. The key is to keep believing in yourself. Sometimes you just can't control what's going on. That's destiny, and I guess our destiny is to win. We were under pressure in the first half, but after we calmed down it was our game. Now we're just one more game away from the title again."
BLU, DAVID Maccabi Elite ”The game could have gone either way but we believed in ourselves. We play better with our backs against the wall and our backs are still against the wall. Defense made the difference, and believing in ourselves and playing as a team. We always believe in ourselves. But they jumped out on us and we didn't have a great first half. But we responded well. This is the last couple of games, so nobody needs to save anything.”
BYNUM, WILL Maccabi Elite “It feels good, but it's only the half of it. We have another game on Sunday. So I can't tell you how I truly feel until after Sunday. We just had to be more aggressive. In the first half we were just kind of watching. We were just kind of watching because we were in the Final Four. It was the first time for a lot of us. So we were kind of passive. But in the second half coach got on us and motivated us a lot harder to give it all we got. That's the type of team they are. They take a lot of threes. We knew that if they could take contested jump shots they wouldn't hit them all game. And it proved in the second half. In the first half they also had 10 offensive rebounds, so they were getting second chance points and that was kind of hurting us. And in the second half we did a better job with the defensive rebounds and were able to get out on the transition and make them pay for it.”

GARCIA, ALEX

Maccabi Elite

“I can't explain, but I just prepared myself before the game to be ready. I was anxious last night. I didn't sleep because I was thinking so much about the game. After we got behind, we said we had to trust each other, believe and trust each other. We won on the defensive end. We talked at halftime about it because we didn't play defense in the first half. We became more aggressive after halftime and that won the game.”

VUJCIC, NIKOLA

Maccabi Elite

"When I heard the fans call my name it was an unbelievable feeling. It's a great pleasure to make it the finals again. Derrick Sharp and David Bluthenthal were amazing, so was Alex Garcia. Everybody was contributing. We're winners and that's what won this game for us. I guess Montepaschi didn't see enough clips of Sharp if they left him alone so many times. Whoever we'll play against us it will be a great finals."

SHARP, DERRICK

Maccabi Elite

"I don't remember when I scored so many points, but it's a great feeing. I tried to keep my body ready and in shape for this event. The key is to keep believing in yourself. Sometimes you just can't control what's going on. That's destiny, and I guess our destiny is to win. We were under pressure in the first half, but after we calmed down it was our game. Now we're just one more game away from the title again."

BLU, DAVID

Maccabi Elite

”The game could have gone either way but we believed in ourselves. We play better with our backs against the wall and our backs are still against the wall. Defense made the difference, and believing in ourselves and playing as a team. We always believe in ourselves. But they jumped out on us and we didn't have a great first half. But we responded well. This is the last couple of games, so nobody needs to save anything.”

BYNUM, WILL

Maccabi Elite

“It feels good, but it's only the half of it. We have another game on Sunday. So I can't tell you how I truly feel until after Sunday. We just had to be more aggressive. In the first half we were just kind of watching. We were just kind of watching because we were in the Final Four. It was the first time for a lot of us. So we were kind of passive. But in the second half coach got on us and motivated us a lot harder to give it all we got. That's the type of team they are. They take a lot of threes. We knew that if they could take contested jump shots they wouldn't hit them all game. And it proved in the second half. In the first half they also had 10 offensive rebounds, so they were getting second chance points and that was kind of hurting us. And in the second half we did a better job with the defensive rebounds and were able to get out on the transition and make them pay for it.”

Semis: Montepaschi vs. Maccabi

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