ChannelDescription http://www.euroleague.net/rssfeed/fr/828/2620.xml fr Fri, 25 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT In the history of European basketball, the 2007 Final Four at Athens Olympic Indoor Hall (OAKA) will be forever associated with victory by Panathinaikos and the role of Dimitris Diamantidis as MVP. On a night when all the world was watching and every shot was important - make or miss - Diamantidis had a near-perfect shooting performance as Panathinaikos dethroned previous champ CSKA 93-91. His 15 points were one reason for Diamantidis being voted MVP, but so was his singular specialty, the ball-hawking defense that has won him three consecutive Best Defender Trophy honors. Just as he has helped make defense into a feature that fans watch as intently as scoring, Diamantidis has opened up the MVP award to defensive players as perhaps no one before him. "I am a tool in a great basketball machine," Diamantidis told Euroleague.net. "I don't consider myself a star, I only think about being a dedicated player and a good professional." http://www.euroleague.net/features/interviews/euroleague-2006-07/i/12607/2612/dimitris-diamantidis-panathinaikos http://www.euroleague.net/features/interviews/euroleague-2006-07/i/12607/2612/dimitris-diamantidis-panathinaikos Wed, 16 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT There was one big winner at Final Four weekend who went quite unnoticed by the majority of fans - even though he was very much one of them and a champion in his own right. Jorge Martinez, the 2006-07 Fantasy Challenge winner from Valencia, Spain, had the time of his life as Euroleague Basketball's VIP guest throughout Final Four weekend in Athens. The special privileges Jorge enjoyed are almost too long to list: a flight to Athens for him and a friend, an executive room at the headquarters hotel where all the Final Four teams stayed, VIP passes to all games and to the Gala Awards Dinner, where he was the last person brought on-stage to be recognized with the best Euroleague players of the season. Finally, Jorge and his friend were allowed on the floor after Panathinaikos won the final to join in the celebration. In short, it was a fan experience unlike any other in the world of sports. After returning home, Jorge talked to Euroleague.net about his once-in-a-lifetime weekend. "We couldn't ask for more," Jorge said. "The best recommendation I can give is that I can't wait for the game to start again. I can't wait to defend my Fantasy Challenge title." http://www.euroleague.net/features/interviews/euroleague-2006-07/i/13099/2612/2006-07-fantasy-challenge-champ-jorge-martinez http://www.euroleague.net/features/interviews/euroleague-2006-07/i/13099/2612/2006-07-fantasy-challenge-champ-jorge-martinez Fri, 25 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT It is time to consider the obvious: we have before us, in the prime of his career, not merely Europe's most successful coach, past or present, but one of the all-time greats to ever sit on a basketball bench. In capturing his sixth Euroleague trophy a week ago, Panathinaikos head coach Zeljko Obradovic has added to a legend that could grow untouchable before he is finished. His first continental title after a four-season gap now gives Obradovic two more any other coach who has walked the sidelines during the half-century that Europe has crowned annual champions. And, at just 47 years old, Obradovic remains plenty motivated to keep collecting trophies. On the floor at OAKA, while celebrating his team's latest triumph, Obradovic went from player to player, talking over the noise and into the ear of each. He was congratulating them for what they had just won, the first Euroleague title for most, but he was also planting seeds for the future. "I told them to remember this feeling," Obradovic said in a Euroleague.net interview days after the victory. "This is the feeling that you want to have in mind when next season begins." http://www.euroleague.net/features/interviews/euroleague-2006-07/i/12583/2612/zeljko-obradovic-panathinaikos http://www.euroleague.net/features/interviews/euroleague-2006-07/i/12583/2612/zeljko-obradovic-panathinaikos Sun, 13 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT This season marks the end of the second full decade in which European clubs have been using the Final Four to decide a champion. More than half of those Final Fours have had Panathinaikos head coach Zeljko Obradovic as a protagonist. His debut appearance came as a player with Partizan at the very first Final Four in 1988. He didn't win it all, however, until his first Final Four as a coach, also with Partizan, in 1992. Since then, he has proceeded to win four more times with three more teams. His records are unmatched by anyone: 11 Final Four appearances total, 10 as a coach and, of course, five titles won. At just 47 years old, Obradovic has plenty of time to add to his legend. His plan for doing so is the essence of the coaching art: inspiration. "I am sure going to push my players to take advantage of this moment," Obradovic told Euroleague.net. "The career of a player is not very long, as I know from having been a player. They have to enjoy every moment and seize every opportunity." http://www.euroleague.net/features/interviews/euroleague-2006-07/i/11730/2612/final-four-interview-zeljko-obradovic-panathinaikos http://www.euroleague.net/features/interviews/euroleague-2006-07/i/11730/2612/final-four-interview-zeljko-obradovic-panathinaikos Thu, 26 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT