By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
An honest take by Sarunas Jasikevicius, heading to the Final Four of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with Fenerbahce Beko.
In a rewind to the best-of-five series against AS Monaco, granting access for Fener to the season-ending tournament, Saras delivered a clear message on the reason behind edging out La Roca Team in Game 5.
“The difference of making it or not to the Final Four is Calathes making two threes and now I look like a genius,” the Lithuanian tactician credited cluch shots by Nick Calathes during a press conference on Wednesday.
Jasikevicius, 48, is a seasoned veteran in the Final Four of Europe’s premier club continental competition. As a head coach, he succeeded in guiding both Zalgiris and FC Barcelona to the Final Four, on the heels of multiple appearances as a player, including being crowned champion in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2009. Panathinaikos Aktor emerging as the opponent in the Semifinals of the Final Four brings back memories.
“It’s crazy but that’s how life is. Other than Zalgiris my love is Panathinaikos. It’s really emotional,” he referred to his stint with the Greens, culminating in the 2009 EuroLeague championship, “I am going there to win the trophy, but after that my feelings for Panathinaikos doesn’t change. Greek wife, my kids are Greek too, so many summers in Greece.”
In Berlin, the Semifinals of the Final Four will be played on May 24. First and third place will be decided by respective matchups on May 26.