February 08, 2012
CSKA vs. Maccabi expert analyst: Ricardo Greer, Pau-Orthez
Ricardo Greer - Pau-OrthezBy making its first Top 16 appearance since 2004, Elan Bearnais Pau-Orthez was one of the surprise successes of the Euroleague season. One of the main reasons for that success was do-it-all small forward Ricardo Greer, one of the most versatile players in the entire competition. Greer was only one of two players to reach double digits in scoring, rebounds and assists during the current season, coming closest to a triple-double perfomance - 10 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists - when Pau faced Maccabi and the only player ever to get a triple-double in the competition, Nikola Vujcic. Greer finished the Top 16 ranking third in rebounds (8.2 rpg.) and fifth in assists (4.2 rpg.). His experience against Maccabi and role in Pau becoming the only team all season to defeat CSKA make him the perfect analyst for their Quarterfinal Playoff series next week. "The key is whether Moscow can hold Maccabi to a half-court game and not let them get out and run-and-gun," Greer said. "I think it'll be a tough task."

First, let's talk about Pau-Orthez's season, the team's first Top 16 appearance in a few years. How do you look back at the season?

"I think we had a successful year. One of our goals was to make it to the Top 16 and we accomplished that. It's kind of tough because we thought that we had an opportunity to go a little further and we lost a couple of close games in the Top 16, to Maccabi and to Rome. So it was a tough situation. But we're happy with what we did and now we need to keep on doing it in the French League."

Pau was the only team to beat CSKA yet, which makes you an expert on the defending champs. What makes CSKA such a special team?

"First and foremost, that's a real well-coached team. The players do exactly what needs to be done to win games. They play great defense. They make big shots with Trajan Langdon and Holden, and they have an expert in how to run the team coming off the bench in Papaloukas. So they're a tough team because they can kill you inside, they can kill you outside and they play very hard defense."

You are also very familiar with Maccabi, having played them twice in the last month. Plus your brother Jeff is playing in Israel and has faced Maccabi many times. What can you tell us about Maccabi?

Ricardo Greer - Pau-Orthez"Maccabi is a different kind of team. Maccabi is a high-pace, high-scoring team, that if you let them run on you and play run-and-gun, they'll be impossible to beat, because they have so many different scorers on the outside. And they have one of the best big men in Vujcic on the inside. So it's a tough team to match up against because of how powerful they are offensively."

What do see as the key to the series?

"The key is whether Moscow can hold Maccabi to a half-court game and not let them get out and run-and-gun. I think it'll be a tough task, but if the Russian team can do this, I think it'll be an easier matchup for them because of the strength they have inside. Not just with one player, but they have Andersen and Smodis, and they are real tough matchups for Maccabi."

Which teams do you think will be the ones to advance to the Final Four?

"I like Barcelona over Malaga, Tau Ceramica, Panathinaikos and CSKA."
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Euroleague.net
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