By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Anadolu Efes and FC Barcelona will meet Sunday to determine the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion at Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany. One day ahead of the Final and a few hours following the challenging Final Four semifinals for both sides, the head coaches and players previewed the championship game.
Sarunas Jasikevicius labeled Nick Calathes as questionable after his early exit with a right ankle injury against AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milano on Friday evening. “Gametime decision, not a grave injury,” he mentioned.
Both Barca and Efes advanced to the championship game going through adversity in most of the path to the Final.
“We played a tough game last night. We are going to have to prepare to face a very good team in Efes,” explained Pau Gasol, “I am really excited for this opportunity. I don’t look at the past. This is a great title to play for.”
“Both teams had tough semifinal games. We will meet each other in the finals,” added the Turkish outlet’s boss Ergin Ataman, “For us, it’s the second consecutive final after 2019. We will do our best to prepare and play a good game.”
The next EuroLeague champion will be determined in a winner-take-all situation surely promising excitement despite fans being absent due to health and safety restrictions.
“You got to take every game one at a time. The Final is going be a different experience,” noted Shane Larkin, “The defensive intensity on both sides will be very important. I expect them to come out very aggressive, we are going to come out very aggressive. When you’ve played against a team a certain amount of times during the Regular Season, it doesn’t compare to the Final.”
“Every team in the Final Four faced pressure. We all came here to win the title,” pointed out Ataman, “We think we deserved to reach this level last year, but we didn’t have the chance because the season was canceled. This is of course pressure, but we had the same pressure in every game of the season.”
The two-time NBA champion in Gasol is aiming for his first EuroLeague title, just a couple of months after returning to the Spanish powerhouse.
“Every challenge has been different. Every moment in my life has been a little different. This is definitely special,” he said, “I am trying to take it in and do my best to enjoy in, contribute, and make it even more special by helping the team win.”
The two finalists will practice later Saturday.