By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
“Most of you think we’re a bunch of chokers because we choked two years ago in the final and last year in the semifinal. Hopefully we choked at the right time and we’ll be ready for the game”. The mood was light in the press conference before the semifinals and even self sarcasm was included, courtesy of coach Ettore Messina.
The coaches and the players of CSKA Moscow, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Real Madrid and Barcelona spoke by the book, even if the sincere smile on Sergio Rodriguez’ face after winning the Euroleague season MVP award was more than evident. Barca’s Xavi Pascual admitted that “it is difficult to talk about definitive factors when two teams know each other so well. If it goes down to a close ending, I am sure that the most basic details of them all will decide the game, the ones that have to do with basic things like turnovers, rebounds and effectiveness can decide a game like this.”
Pablo Laso agreed by saying: “When you get to the point that you get here in Milan to play the Final Four against the best teams, you cannot change things in one week” and then commented about Sergio Rodriguez, the MVP of the regular season: “Having the Euroleague MVP come off the bench makes me look as if I don’t know much about basketball! Like Sergio said, I have a lot of confidence in my players. I am very proud that he is the MVP, but also of the rest of my players”.
Still Messina and his opponent Maccabi’s coach David Blatt provided the highlights. When Messina was reminded by Eurohoops that he has won his last two Euroleague titles against Maccabi, he smiled, said “let’s knock on wood” and did exactly that. He knocked the banner of Euroleague which just behind him. As for Blatt, he was asked if coming back to Milan after beating on the same court EA7 Milano is a good omen and he replied: “We know the locker rooms and we know how to get to the gym. Euroleague changed the floor, so I don’t know how well we’ll be able to run, but we do know the baskets”.