By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
Eurohoops will select 3 players from each team in the Final Four whose performance we consider crucial regarding how their teams will fare in Madrid and will present them in 12 different parts. One by one they will “parade” through and we will focus on their role and the reasons they are important.
Why he’s a catalyst
He’s without a doubt the most talented player on perhaps the most talented roster in the Euroleague! He’s having his most mature season in the league, in continuation of the amazing world cup he had last summer in Spain. The most important facilitator and CSKA’s mastermind, his game has become more durable and his performances are more productive than ever.
He makes excellent use of his teammates and he usually presents better options in the distribution of his attempts. He works seamlessly with the team’s other ‘nuclear weapon’ along the perimeter, Nando De Colo. He feels very comfortable this year and he seems free of any stress (in the summer he signed a new three-year contract with a ‘royal’ salary) knowing that the organization in Moscow, as well as the coach, has absolute trust in him. His numbers speak for themselves. He tallied 15 points with 7.1 assists (!), 2.8 rebounds, 49.5% in two-point field goals and 41.1% in three-point field goals.
His role
He’s complicated but Milos becomes very simple when he utilizes his talent with a clear head and mental calm. He has to be a good orchestrator, involve all of his quality teammates in the game and at the same time function as an executioner when the conditions are there or when he deems that it is needed. As this year’s roster is built in CSKA it’s easy to make the difference and lead his team to the top without even having to score a lot.
The right decisions and the utilization of the talent that surrounds him are enough for the ‘bear’ to dominate. Now, in the event that players like De Colo, Weems, Jackson, the bigmen are not on a good day and are not accurate, then Teodosic has to and definitely can take over in execution as well.
Time to win it
At 27 years old he already counts 5 lost chances in final fours. In his first one (2009) he didn’t have a role in Olympiacos, in the second (2010) when he played as the Euroleague MVP he was out sick with gastroenteritis in the final and essentially the losses that really “hurt” were the last 3 with CSKA, when the team where favorites and he had assumed the leadership role.
Milos wants more than anything else to win the Euroleague in his sixth attempt. He has emerged as the best playmaker in two consecutive championships – a big feat – and we all know that we are talking about a player with a lot of talent and basketball instincts. The management of situations and experience are everything that was missing and it looks like he has acquired them. But he has to prove it, though, by putting it into practice in Madrid. Like he said in his interview with Eurohoops: “It’s not time for words, but to win the Euroleague.”