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Right where no one expected us to be

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:59:28 GMT

I can say that I was unlucky not playing those first three games after getting hurt against PAOK in the Greek League right before the Euroleague started. It was not good timing, because I was very excited to play again in the Euroleague, but also because I couldn't help my teammates in games against the three big opponents we started with: Real Madrid, CSKA Moscow and Efes Pilsen. Besides me not playing all three, as I said, we had our center, Giannis Giannoulis, out against CSKA and Efes, and Branko Cvetkovic didn't go to Istanbul, either. It was difficult for me to watch the games from the bench. I was very nervous, more than if I was playing. It's not easy to watch your teammates fighting when you know you can help them. But now, I can say that after those four games, maybe no one expected us to be 2-2. I am sure people thought that at least three of them would be lost. But we won an important game against Efes on the road, maybe a game that no one expected us to win, and now we can feel that we have a chance to make the next round.

We lost the first two games, against Madrid and CSKA, with much bigger differences than we imagined, but we weren't a complete team at that time. Maybe only we knew the full reason for those bad scores. Our injury problems not only affected the games, but our practices, too. We knew that we needed our full roster to help find our rhythm of play. It was difficult to find solutions without everybody contributing. But we didn't stop believing in ourselves either. We knew that when everyone came back, we would be better. But it happened even sooner.

The team went to Istanbul to play Efes without three of us, and I was at home watching the game on TV. When it started and I saw how things were going, I was happy. Then, by the beginning of the second half, I was sure we could win the game. I saw our team playing with very good spirit and character. First of all, we were playing very good defense and struggling for every rebound on the court. You saw that in every moment as the game went on. To me, it was obvious: when a team fights like that, it has chances to win anywhere. Then we got some shots to fall - and that was that. We won, and it made me very happy. Again, we played with seven or eight healthy guys, but we made a big step that night to win our first game, one that no one would have predicted. It made me happy and proud and ready to return.

Finally, I got back on the court last week for my first Euroleague game of the season, against Partizan. I am from Belgrade myself, so that was a coincidence, but what was most important was being able to help the team again, because that was a key game. Partizan, as everyone knows, is a good and a dangerous team, which made that a difficult game. We had surprised everyone beating Efes Pilsen in Istanbul the week before, but if we didn't win at home against Partizan, it would have been forgotten. I was not 100 percent ready, of course. I was out three weeks and hadn't got my rhythm back yet. I just tried to help as much as I could in such an important game. Our coach, Aleksandar Trifunovic, knew I wasn't 100 percent ready, so he told me to try not to do too much, and most of all to play smart. For me, what was easiest was knowing lot of the Partizan players and their coach. I knew what to expect from them, having seen a lot of their games. Even though they are a...

Getting closer, getting ready

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:31:44 GMT

One of the great things about returning to the Euroleague is meeting up with friends who are also playing there. I have been on the phone a lot this summer and preseason making plans to meet former teammates of mine when I visit their teams' cities or they come to Athens. Of course, we'll be traveling to compete against each other, but at least after the games are finished, you can usually meet in the hotel for a drink and catch up with old friends. That's a part of the Euroleague experience I am really looking forward to again. I've got a lot of friends playing on other Euroleague teams, so I look at it as an extra incentive to win. If Panionios can keep qualifying to the next rounds, I can see more of them!

Speaking of friends, the friendly games of the preseason are ending for Panionios, and on balance, I'd have to say we feel like we now have a good, positive idea of who we are. The main thing is that this team goes out on the floor to win. We know that is going to become more difficult soon, when we play the CSKAs and Efes Pilsens and Real Madrids of the world. But in terms of our preparation, we are satisfied with the fact that we have won most of our friendly games and finished strong in the last few of them, this close to the real season. We won against some tough opponents lately, including Fortitudo and Avellino, the new Euroleague team from Italy. We also just played Khimki and won at home. This Khimki game was particularly good for us because I think that for sure they are one of the top 10 teams in Europe this season. Playing them gave us a chance to check out our possibilities, and I'd say we passed that test of preparing ourselves for what's to come. We now feel like we have things under control in terms of how we want to play and execute. We will keep preparing now for our first Greek League game. Of course, we want to take things game to game now, so we'll try to resist thinking too far ahead to our Euroleague opponents just yet.

One of the things that I think people will like about having Panionios in the Euroleague is our arena at Hellinikon Olympic Center, which was where the first half of the 2004 Olympic basketball tournament was played, on the beach road in Athens. It's like playing in a new gym, really, and I think it's one of the nicest in Athens. I don't know if Hellinikon was made for basketball only, but it feels that way, more than any of the others, I'd say. When the fans fill it up, there's a great atmosphere, with everyone almost on top of the court, creating energy for us. I haven't sat with them yet, but I know it must be a great place to watch a game. Those same fans have been waiting a long time to see some of the best teams in Europe play against Panionios, and they are very anxious for the Euroleague season to start on our court. They know it's going to be a very good opportunity for them to see basketball at its best. Likewise, those of us on the team know that with all their support, Hellinikon won't be an easy place to play for our Euroleague opponents.

We're going to keep doing our job until the end of the preseason, but like our fans, we can't wait for the real games to begin!

Back in the big-time

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 20:45:22 GMT

Anyone who has been lucky enough to play in the Euroleague once always wants to do it again. That was my case, and now I have that chance. I am Ivan Zoroski of Panionios On Telecoms, and let me tell you that I am really happy, first of all, to be playing in the Euroleague again this season. I was there with Olympiacos a few seasons ago, and after some injuries and changing teams, going back to the Euroleague is exactly what I hoped for at this time in my career. We did a great job last year, and I really think it's the best thing that could have happened to me and to Panionios.

If you didn't hear about how we qualified, it was really dramatic. I came to the club just before last season, and even then, the fans were dreaming of the Euroleague. The favorites last year to make the Euroleague again was probably Aris. But in the Greek League's third-place series, played to reach the Euroleague, we found ourselves behind 0-2 against Maroussi. We had to win two games on the road first, but we came back and did it, setting up the fifth game at home. It was a very tough series, but we had to win it for our fans. This is a big club with a long history and devoted fans. We won that fifth game at home with a great atmosphere and a huge celebration at the end. It felt great to make the dream of the fans come true and to give them such a big present. Now, we'll have a lot of big teams coming to our gym this season, which is what both us and the fans wanted. It will be great.

I will talk about our team a little more in-depth in the next blog, but I must say that already I am quite comfortable with our new coach, Aleksander Trifunovic. I knew Alex to be a very good coach already from his time at Red Star in Serbia, where both of us are from. Now, I think he has proven that he's one of the best young coaches in Europe, with a great future. He showed he can handle big teams, because he did it last season with Lietuvos Rytas in the Euroleague. And I don't see any reason why he can't continue to have success again this year with us.

Like a lot of other teams, we have been missing players who are on their national teams. There are seven of us from last year, but several new important pieces to the roster, as well. We are trying to get to know each other, trying to improve some things and set up the ways we want to play this season. We still have three more weeks before the Greek League starts, and Alex has us doing great work in practice. We will be there again among the top Greek teams, I am sure, but I really hope for a good performance in the Euroleague, too.

For sure, the competition has changed since I was in it a few years ago, because it's much, much stronger now. I think that this year for sure will be the strongest Euroleague ever, maybe the strongest in the history of European competitions. All teams tried to build the best rosters and there are at least seven with enormous budgets to make great teams. I know, because some of them are in our group! At least three of them will be trying for the Final Four, and we play them the first three weeks: Real Madrid away, CSKA at home and Efes Pilsen away! It'll be very tough, but I wouldn't want it any other way, because I have missed playing in the Euroleague. It's the best competition out there, and I personally like to play against all the big teams and big players. I can't wait to get started!