By Stelios Toromanidis/ info@eurohoops.net
Many great coaches have given European basketball their best during their careers, but few would pair up David Blatt and Zeljko Obradovic contribution to the sport. This could also be seen with both coaches’ successes with their teams.
Today it’s time for their 26th match, their 18th in EuroLeague. Blatt’s Olympiacos will host Obradovic Fenerbache in a Day 7 regular season game.
They have previously faced each other 17 times at the EuroLeague level. The 59-year-old American/Israeli coach has won the last four and totally nine of those games. He built his winning streak as Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv and Darussafaka Tekfen head coach.
Besides their EuroLeague battles, the two experienced coaches have faced each other in the Greek and the Turkish Leagues. In these cases, Obradovic has seven wins and Blatt only one. The Serbian was at teams like Panathinaikos OPAP and Fenerbahce, while his counterpart at Aris and Darussafaka, therefore the first had better players available.
In total, the “lord of the rings” has 15 victories in his 25 matches against a team coached by Blatt.
| Games | Blatt Wins – Obradovic Wins | |
| EuroLeague | 17 | 9-8 |
| Greek and Turkish Leagues | 8 | 1-7 |
| TOTAL | 25 | 10-15 |
At a personal level, the two coaches have a very good relationship. There is mutual respect between them. It’s safe to say that they are good friends. This might sound normal, but isn’t always the case between rival coaches. Below an interview they gave together: