By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
The biggest event of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season is now hours away and Eurohoops caught up with AS Monaco head coach Sasa Obradovic, who gives his own analysis of the upcoming semifinals, as well as his predictions for the title.
Can reigning champions Efes overcome title-hungry Olympiacos? Obradovic, who led Monaco to a playoffs presence against the Greek team this year, explains.
“Before everything, before talking about who could be a favourite, I think chances for each team are pretty equal in the Final Four in order to win the championship”, Obradovic tells Eurohoops.
“The momentum could also decide what kind of situation arrives for all teams. Olympiacos had inconsistencies and somebody will say that they don’t have a strong enough Greek League, but you have to play well anyway, to arrive in a Final Four with a good mentality. On the other hand, you could see Efes who was struggling all season, but still with this kind of team, this kind of quality they have… it’s not just Vasilije Micic and Shane Larkin, they could definitely be a contender”.
For Obradovic, this is a pretty equal pair, but Efes has an edge to advance to the final, even in front of thousands of Olympiacos fans in Stark Arena this Thursday.
“They turned the season, as they did in the last couple of games, especially in these quarterfinals against Milano. You see that they take this more than seriously, and play on their level. On the other hand, you have Olympiacos with their fans, plus Red Star fans who will support Olympiacos, I don’t know how many of them will come. This could be an advantage. I believe in the tactician abilities of Georgios Bartzokas to prepare the team. Experience of Ataman and the guys, they know how to win this, it’s also very important. I don’t know who is injured or not, you could see some small injuries and how much these can damage the return of the players because it’s a one or two game to get to the final and win the title, and probably nobody will complain [about the status of those players].”
“It’s great to see such a full gym and also the previous event in Belgrade [2018 Final Four] was of big interest and it was a great event. The fans could of course make a certain difference but you know, people on the court are more important. It’s really hard to judge. Let’s give this to Efes. Even though I really respect Olympiacos staff and players, I think Efes will have a little more advantage.”
Moving on to “El Clasico”, a fan favourite, the Serbian coach gives the edge to Barcelona, though notes that Real’s hunger against their archrivals should not be overlooked.
“This couple is also pretty equal”, Obradovic says. “Same as in the previous pair, you have inconsistency maybe in the last couple of games for Barcelona. [They played good] the whole season, even in ACB, which is really strong and respectable, because this is the league, combined with the EuroLeague, which is probably the hardest to manage”.
“On the other hand, you have Real who struggled, in almost all games against them in the ACB and EuroLeague. I think this is going to be maybe a negative, a weakness for Barcelona”, Obradovic points out. “Mathematically, you expect something to change, especially when you have such a roster. With Mirotic, who is the heart of Barcelona, with the new addition of Cory Higgins who was also injured for a while, it’s always a question of what condition he could be in. He also is the person who decided many games in the previous finals. He could be an X factor for Barcelona. Both teams are playing pretty good team basketball. It’s from my side, I still think that one per cent more I would give it to Barcelona in this duel”.
Cory Higgins’ return sure gives Sarunas Jasikevicius an extra tool for this semifinal, but we should always keep in mind that after coming from an injury, it’s always difficult to step up in games like these. Obradovic further explains:
“A coach has to decide if such a kind of player can contribute. It’s always a trap. You have to feel it. Probably Saras knows best, how much he will give him a chance to be there, to change the momentum of the game. I think with the experience he has, he can, with the physical status, I don’t know. Cory Higgins, all this period, when they arrived in the first place was a little factor. You know, because they missed him all season long. I think it really depends more on the contribution of other guys. Great to see team basketball in these two teams, and I will enjoy watching those games”.
With Real lusting after a victory against Barcelona, and the latter having to fend for their place and their status as favourites, the pressure is on, though it comes down to who is more focused.
“Our job is to handle pressure and have a good reaction to this”, says the Monaco playcaller. “Who can do this and who is above the level. Who cannot do it? These guys, both teams know how to handle it. Every game, they have pressure because both are big teams. It’s important to say it’s not the same coaching somebody who wants to win [the title] and somebody who wants to protect something. It’s hard, for the coaches, for the players, for everyone to handle it. Both teams have players who did it in the past [win a championship] and they know how to handle this. Let’s see who is more focused”.
With his picks for the final set, who could win the MVP honour this year?
“For me, as a Serbian, I would always vote for Serbian [laughs]. I think Vasilije [Micic] who was MVP last year [could win it]. A lot of things depend on his presence and performance. But it will be so simple if you say only one guy. Both of them, if they play good [Micic and Larkin] there’s always a chance to win. In the end, if this is the final pair, because I don’t want to say it’s not possible the other way around for the other teams to take part in the final, I think it’s gonna be very interesting. If you remember the way the game ended in the Palau Blaugrana, with Ataman getting ejected. There will also be a lot of personal stuff in this final and not just winning the title or repeating again”
As for his favourite to win the title, Obradovic gives a slight edge to Barcelona. “I’m not sure. If it comes to this final, I would give the little 1% more to Barcelona. They probably desire it more, since last year they couldn’t finish their run with a title”, he concludes.
The Belgrade Final Four tips off Thursday, where Anadolu Efes is called to fight off Olympiacos Piraeus (18:00 CET) for a chance to return to the final and defend the championship. Later that day, Real Madrid faces archrivals Barcelona (21:00 CET) for the most exciting “El Clasico” of the season.
Photo credit: Eurokinissi