Great basketball, even for Greeks!

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:29:41 GMT

As I go to Madrid for my first Final Four, I just say that I feel like we have two countries supporting CSKA. That's because many people in Greece are supporting us, too. Greece this year has no other representative for the Final Four, so I have heard that many of them, some in Madrid, will be cheering for CSKA. I would say that some of them will do so, of course, because I and Theo are on the team, and we are the only Greek players in the Final Four this year. But also I think that there are Greek fans of CSKA as a team, because they enjoy the way this club plays good basketball. There may be other Greek fans who want one of the other teams because they'd like to see a new team as champion or they want to be with the underdog. That is part of sports, too. But when ticket sales closed a few months ago, I heard there were a lot of Greeks that bought first, and I think that many will go now and be for me and Theo. First, it's easy to go because of the May 1 holiday, when nobody is working all around Europe. Second, Madrid is a beautiful city. And third, they will see high-quality basketball games, which is nice for true Greek fans even though their own teams aren't there. It might be even better, in a way, since they will go with no pressure or nervousness. It's a neutral place for them and there is going to be great basketball, no doubt!

We have played Tau Ceramica two times and beat them this season, but I wouldn't say that is so important now. As with the playoff series against Olympiacos, for sure we have a better idea of our opponent from playing them twice this season. But you can't compare two regular season games with a semifinal in the Final Four. It's completely different, psychologically different, in a neutral environment and so on. And anyway these teams and players all know each other. Even if we were playing Maccabi for the first time, we would know a lot by scouting them well beforehand. The coaches will analyze the opponent, choose a focal point, a game plan, strengths and weaknesses, and we'll go from there, not looking back to the old games. So it's not so significant that we played in the group before. If I remember, we beat them in Vitoria back in November with four of our best players out, so of course this game will be different. That game is history, and even if we had lost, it would not be important. This is all about the semifinal and the chance to keep playing for the title.

I think that Pablo Prigioni and Zoran Planinic are for sure a great point guard duo because they complement each other so well. They are different kinds of players. Prigioni is a guy who organizes perfectly the rhythm of his team. In my opinion, he is one of the best passers in Europe over the last 10 years. He first wants to pass and then score. For sure, the special tandem he makes with Tiago Splitter is one of the things we need to be ready to defend and focus on for 40 minutes. That pick-and-roll they use opens many things for their team. Planinic is a complete player who can attack in many ways and is one of the highest-quality combo guards in Europe. He can penetrate, he likes the transition, he shoots, he can go one-on-one. He's a player who can make a difference for his team in many ways. But I think that even when we talk individually about players, all fans should understand that first of all, it's about the teams, how prepared and...

Getting ready for Final Four

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:29:05 GMT

For me, going to the Final Four is surely an incredible experience. This is one of the main reasons that I came to CSKA - knowing the tradition of this team, the strength and quality of the team, how well-organized it is - and, of course, for me to get better as a player. For sure, the opportunity to play in the Final Four is important to me. It's unlucky that I have a small injury, but I am fighting to come back and hope to be 100-percent ready. I think I am going to will myself to do it, to be there no matter what. In any case, it's nice to be part of this team, and not only playing the Final Four, but maybe as one of the favorites. Even so, in a Final Four, the label of the big favorite a lot of the time doesn't mean anything. There are two games the champion needs to win, and the team that is more prepared, focused and in better shape will win the trophy. That's why our team now is only thinking about Tau and the semifinal, because it's really the first of two big finals in a row.

Experience can definitely be a big factor. I am going for the first time, and maybe that says I don't have experience, but on the other hand, I have experienced big games like this with my national team in the final of the European championships, and almost in the World Championships final, before I got injured. So I have been to big competitions with my national team and I have a clue how it is. These types of events are big celebrations, with great atmosphere, beautiful gyms and a lot of people. Maybe for a player who hasn't been through it before, it can be a little overwhelming, a small shock, and a little too much. But Tau is very dangerous and has played four in a row, so there's not a big difference in experience for my team. Maybe we can say that Siena has the least experience, but they have a great team, too. So is it a factor? It can be, but maybe more in theory. What matters most is the 40 minutes of playing on the floor.

For sure, it was a tough night when we lost against Olympiacos. We lost the first game of the playoffs, lost it at home and lost the homecourt advantage we had been fighting for the whole season. And the difficult thing was to travel and play two days later in Athens a huge game that could cost us all our Final Four dreams. The team showed big character and personality to come back from the loss and especially to come back from a terrible first quarter in Athens, too. We stepped up our offense and started scoring a lot - it's always great to score, as you know - and put the pressure back on Olympiacos. I think they were not used to playing those kinds of games with 12,000 people there waiting for them to take the ticket to the Final Four. After the first quarter, that game was fun for us. Then, Game 3 in Moscow became very tough for Olympiacos to win. Psychologically, everything was with us. We knew that if we played a good game, we would win. And we did. We showed character.

So now we are going to the Final Four, and it's even more special because of the 50 Years anniversary and all the great players who will be there. Of course, these are legends. When I was a young kid, I was watching and admiring all of them. I grew up with them. It is going to be a nice moment for sure to see them. The are like our hall of fame of European basketball. It will be fun to watch and to understand that you are taking their place in...

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Great basketball, even for Greeks!

Getting ready for Final Four