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Matjaz Smodis - CSKA
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2006 FINAL FOUR
Prague, Czech Rep.
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CSKA Moscow broke Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv's stranglehold on the Euroleague and ended a 35-year drought at a historic 2006 Final Four. With Maccabi looking to join an exclusive club with three consecutive Euroleague titles – a feat not accomplished since the great Jugoplastika Split dynasty of a decade-and-a-half earlier – CSKA stole the show and the glory as Theodoros Papaloukas led the Russian champs to a come-from-behind 73-69 win in an exciting game at Sazka Arena in the Czech capital. Maccabi was in the spotlight from the start of the seas as it returned four starters from the previous season's championship side. Unicaja and Panathinaikos were the dominant teams in the early going, winning 12 games apiece in the regular season. However the tide turned quickly and harshly in the Top 16. While Maccabi and CSKA eased through the stage with 5-1 marks, there was plenty of drama in other groups. Cibona started out as the darling by winning its first three games in Group G as Panathinaikos went 0-3. But Cibona then dropped three and Panathinaikos won its next three to create a four-way logjam at 3-3. Panathinaikos and Efes Pilsen advanced to the Quarterfinal Playoffs via tiebreakers. Meanwhile Unicaja dropped three of four and found itself on the outside looking in as Winterthur Barcelona and Olympiacos moved on from Group D. The quarters also provided drama, with Barcelona outlasting domestic rival Real Madrid in a three-game series and Maccabi needing three games to beat Olympiacos. CSKA had the only sweep by ousting Efes Pilsen. The big story was in Athens, where Tau Ceramica overcame Panathinaikos in a decisive Game 3 to earn the last ticket to Prague. Once the Final Four began, Maccabi returned to the final by topping Tau 85-70 in a rematch of the previous season's title game as Maceo Baston stood tall with 20 points and 6 blocked shots. Afterwards, Papaloukas posted a season-high 19 points at the best time to take CSKA past Barcelona 75-84 and set up a classic final. Maccabi raced out of the gate and took a 0-7 lead, but a quick timeout brought CSKA back. The game remained close till the end, but Papaloukas was too much for Maccabi, coming through with 18 points and 7 assists to lead CSKA to glory, earn Final Four MVP honors and start what fans in Moscow hoped would be a new golden era of CSKA basketball.
Theo Papaloukas
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Interview: Theodoros Papaloukas of CSKA Moscow
At the start of the new millennium, CSKA Moscow point guard Theodoros Papaloukas began carving out a new and defining role in European basketball. Papaloukas became one of the first dominant sixth men in the sport, a player who could watch the start of the game on the bench and then come in and take over where needed to steer his side to victory. Papaloukas's arrival at CSKA sparked a new golden age at the proud club, much of which was geared towards winning the 2005 Euroleague Final Four that was held in Moscow. But when the team fell short, changes came quickly. Heading into the new season, CSKA was not on the short list of title favorites. But Papaloukas blossomed under new coach Ettore Messina and helped bring the new players and the old guard together to help build the new squad into a Final Four caliber team. Once there, Papaloukas stepped up with two of his best performances of the season to lead CSKA to its first Euroleague crown in 35 years, topping it off with Final Four MVP honors.
CSKA lost in the semifinals of a Final Four for the third year in a row in 2005 in Moscow, but made many changes over the summer, when you helped Greece win the European championships in Belgrade. How did you feel going into the new Euroleague season?
"It was hard because we had lost the Final Four in Moscow, our home town, the year before, after a great season in which everyone expected us to win the title. But whatever doesn't that kill you makes you stronger. That was our motto. We had the experience and we wanted to win. The team organization was at a very high level. And no one expected us to win the next one, in Prague. We took advantage of that. We really did what we had to do and had great timing. Sometimes, even with a great team, you don't do anything special, and it's just the right place and right moment to win. The team that year believed very much in itself, and that's why we won."
And of course, you guys lost the first two games of the regular season. Did you have any concerns then?
"The start was very hard because we were like a new team: new players, new coach, new tactics. We needed some time to adapt. So we lost two games and were disappointed, but I think we worked even harder after that."
After the team started playing well and winning consistently, the other key moment was when David Andersen was lost for the season.
"Whenever you lose a top player, it is difficult. The secret of the team, however, is that we have a lot of key players. Everybody is key. We all knew we would have to be even stronger, to be even tougher on the court and, most of all, even tougher mentally. We tried hard, and we did that. Thomas Van den Spiegel came in then and quickly helped us, but everyone helped fill the gap of David's injury."
One of the situations in Prague that few people know about was the sudden, serious illness to head coach Ettore Messina's little boy. During the semifinal victory over Barcelona, were you and the other players aware of the situation at all?
"Of course, we were all aware. Coach was coming to every meeting, practice and video session, but had to go right after to the hospital every time. It was hard for him, of course, but in those moments, we realized that some things are not as important as they look. Most important of all is the health of your family and friends. But we were so concentrated and believing in ourselves that on the court that it didn't affect us."
The two-time defending champs, Maccabi, comes out in the final and goes ahead 0-7 forcing you guys to take a timeout. CSKA didn't score in the first 4 minutes of the game. What happened in that timeout and after that brought you to the trophy?
"We were an experienced team, and we had played so many games at a high level that we had been in those situations before. It was not the first time, and for sure it was not going to be the last. We knew the situation. And we knew we had to play until the end. There was nothing to lose. This is basketball. No game goes all the time the way you planned it. If you think you are a big team, you have to prove it. You have to win also when playing bad. In fact, it's most important to be able to win not playing your best. We knew the game was 40 minutes, not 5 or 10. Maybe it was better that the final game went like that, because after we came back, we had the psychological advantage. And in big games, the psychology is very important. A big game is like a chess match. Often, it's not the physically stronger team that wins, but the one that is most strong mentally. You have to be ready for every possession, you have to take chances. I believe in that. I think we were mentally stronger than Maccabi in that final game."
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Euroleague.net
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