Vice versa for Final Four counts o Olympicwhich eliminated Fener with 3-2 and now waits for the three days of Kaunas (May 19-21) which will decide its champion Euroleague.
It may be that for some players, such as Slukas and Papanikolaou, this is not an unprecedented condition, but there are also cases like that of Tarik Blackwho have not competed in Final Four in their career.
The American center spoke to the official Euroleague website about his feelings regarding the presence of Olympiakos in the Kaunaswhile giving the “slogan” for winning the title.
What the American center said in detail:
“I feel fantastic going to my first Final Four. We deserve it, we’ve definitely ‘earned’ it all year, so it’s really nice to reap the rewards of your hard work.
This achievement ranks high for me. I’ve been fortunate to be a part of a lot of cool things, but through this I’ll have the opportunity to bring home a championship, so it’s coming in really high.
It was definitely one of my dreams to be in the Final Four. It’s my fourth year in the EuroLeague, so being in this league I wanted to reach the final stage. It’s a dream come true.
The level of basketball in the EuroLeague is very high, it is not easy. Especially the rules on how you can play. Everyone plays hard and every game counts so much. I think now the EuroLeague is becoming more known, how good and competitive a league it is. I hope this continues because the EuroLeague deserves this honor.
It’s sweet to be part of a team and help. At this point in my career I know I have to cheer the team on and help keep everyone motivated and other times I have to go out on the floor and perform a certain way. For me at the moment what matters is the victory of the whole. I’ve spent so many hours playing basketball and watching video and now I have the opportunity to go to a Final Four and win a championship.
I don’t know what to expect from a Final Four because I’ve never been there before. I think it’s crazy. In Kaunas they love basketball a lot and the city is not very big, so everything will revolve around the Final Four. I know our world will travel too. I know the history of Olympiakos’ previous appearances in the Final Four. I expect very competitive basketball. The four best teams in the EuroLeague are facing each other for the ultimate goal, so I expect great battles. I also expect a beautiful atmosphere, which will be unforgettable. These are the memories you want to pass on to your children.
We are a special group, I think everyone has realized that. What I think has worked really well is that we have a lot of veterans, who have played for many years and have that experience. Not only in the EuroLeague, but they have played basketball for many years. We respect each other. We all want to do our part to help victory come. Of course, the coach (Bartzokas) has implemented this. He wanted this. Push in that direction. That got us to the Final Four.
My dream is to win the title. We’ve come this far, we won’t stop now.”
Source: Sport Fm
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
