By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Barcelona star Nikola Mirotic is preparing to compete in the EuroLeague championship game for the second time in his career after 2013 and 2014 when he was with Real Madrid. And, after a year of “sacrifices” he has his mind set on finally claiming the title that has eluded him for so long.
Here’s what Mirotic said on:
What winning the EuroLeague will mean to him:
It would mean a lot for me to win the EuroLeague title. It means a lot to be in the Final. Because we really sacrificed a lot to be here and now winning the EuroLeague has to be only thing on our mind. This is our chance. We’re going to go for it and play our next basketball in the next 40 minutes.
Who is the favorite:
There are no favorites. It’s 50 – 50. For sure, you have to think about yourself. What you can do better than the other team. You got to see your strengths, your weaknesses. It has to do a lot with the beginning of the game. We got to really come with this mindset defensively. We have to play good defense against Efes because they are a really good offensive team. Offensively, we have to stay loyal to our offense. Share the ball, play simply and try to find ourselves in the best position where we feel comfortable.
Competing for the championship:
I’ve been dreaming for many months already to be here in this stage. We are still alive, we are one game away. I’m still dreaming but no expression. Obviously, you also have to enjoy this game. It’s not easy because there’s a lot of pressure and expectation for you to win. This is part of the game. We are really focused on those small details for this Final. We know that we’re going to have our chance. And we came here to win.
His performance in the semifinal win over Olimpia Milano:
It was a good game for me. Especially to get some confidence for this Final. Like I said before, it has to come with this defensive mindset. We all, as a team, got to be patient. This is a team job, we have to play our best game, play simply and especially be physical. And me personally, I have to play my game like I did all season. I have confidence in myself and the team has confidence in my strengths. Here I am and I’m going to give my best.
If playing the Final is a game that he can enjoy:
I’m definitely enjoying some part of the games. It’s not easy to enjoy the full 40 minutes because there’s so much pressure and expectation as I said before. It’s not easy for a player to enjoy. Especially when you play those big games. But there’s experience. We’ve been working for this, to be here. You got to enjoy it. Because we are lucky to play the game we love. No doubt, I’m going to enjoy it tomorrow. Not a lot but and hopefully I’m going to enjoy it a lot after we win.