By Antonis Stroggylakis / info@eurohoops.net
VITORIA-GASTEIZ– Nando De Colo more than justified his “MVN” (Most Valuable Nando) nickname in the win of CSKA Moscow over Real Madrid in the second EuroLeague semifinal, Friday (17/5).
De Colo scored 17 out of his game-high-tying 23 points in the last 14 minutes of the game to propel CSKA through a comeback from 14 points down and the victory that led to a return to a championship game for the first time since 2016.
“It’s a walk,” De Colo told Eurohoops. “It’s what we did during the whole season. Nothing more. We had some moments during the season when we never gave up. We showed we had character. Tonight this helped us a lot.
CSKA hadn’t really carried a happy tradition in Final Four knockout games. From 2013 and onward, the “Army Men” had lost in all semifinal matches, save for 2016. The year they won their seventh continental title.
“I don’t know and I don’t care about what people can say,” De Colo answered when asked if he thinks that there was a disbelief in CSKA beating Real. “All I know is that I trust my teammates and I trust my team and I know what we are capable to do.”