Hours before the opening of the Euroleague F4 in Berlin, Zeljko Obradovic, Sarunas Jasikevicius and Drew Nicholas gave a video interview on Euroleague’s official site. Here’s what they had to say about the upcoming event.
Zeljko Obradovic
You know all about F4s, you’ve won more than anybody. What do you think one day before the semifinals?
I believe that it will be a very interesting F4. Four big clubs, four big teams and it is a really big pleasure for us to be here once more. I believe that this is a great F4 for the fans also who will get to see many good players and I hope that everybody will enjoy good basketball.
What will you be checking, looking out for early in the semi-final game to see if you need to make any adjustment in order to win?
You must know every game we play against Olympiakos is a special game. In the Greek Cup, in the Greek championship and all the more in this game in Europe after many-many years a Euroleague semi-final game. We know each other very well. Every coach has tried to prepare something new but the most important thing is to have concentration for 40 minutes and to be ready for small details that always decide great games, which I believe the game tomorrow to be.
Sarunas Jasikevicius
It has been a few years since you’ve been here. How do you feel to be back to this event?
It’s very nice it’s ultimately where all the teams want to be, especially for us because we didn’t have success last year in Europe. It’s exciting, there’s no question about it. Everybody is exited and getting ready for the big game tomorrow.
Of course you have had some of your biggest successes in this event with Maccabi and Barcelona. What does your experience tell you going into tomorrow’s semi final? What do you have to have in mind for Olympiakos?
Just to follow the game-plan that the coaches prepared and take care of the little things, because I believe little things ultimately will turn out to be the ingredients for a good game. Hopefully we will concentrate on following instructions of the schedule we prepared, to keep focused for 40 minutes.
Three for three F4s, walking away with the cup, is there any secret to it?
No, no. It’s all about the team. This is a team game, we are in this together and hopefully as a team we will be able to maintain our composure and concentration for as long as we need to.
Drew Nicholas
After several years in Europe how does it feel to make it to the F4?
Great satisfaction, I’ve worked many years to get to this point, now finally I’m here and I am going to try to make the most of this opportunity.
Although in all your former teams you have been the go-to-guy, your role this year has been different. You adjusted though and you where a great contribution in the last games of the season. How difficult was this adjustment?
At the beginning it was a little bit difficult. But a team like Panathinaikos has many, many great players. On any given day one guy can score 20 points and we have 6 or 7 guys who can be like that every night. So in the beginning it was a bit of an adjustment but as time grew on I started to accept my role and I started to play better and better.
You picked up a top scorer trophy in the final for in Prague. What are your memories from that event?
Wanting to be there and playing. Not necessarily being happy to be there only to pick up an individual reward but just wanting to be there with my teammates and hopefully competing to win the crown.
About Olympiakos, you have already come across it 3 times this year. Do you believe that knowing each other so well will be a factor in the game?
I don’t know if necessarily it’s a factor. Obviously both teams know each other very-very well but now it is really a matter of execution and who plays harder. I know that we, Panathinaikos, are going to come out strong and give it our all in order to advance to the final.
You had your first derby this season, you must have heard about it, but how was it to actually step on court to a Panathinaikos – Olympiakos game?
Indescribable! In the first game with Panathinaikos as the host we were playing in front of approximately 25,000 screaming fans. The whole city is divided in green and red, the north being with us, Panathinaikos, the south being with Olympiakos. It is really a memorable experience and I’m sure it’s going to be a great game.
What do you have to do to beat Olympiakos on Friday?
We have to match-up their intensity. If we go out and play hard, as hard as they do and do all the all little things we need to do to win the game, I think we will be just fine.
Not everyone has seen an Olympiakos-Panathinaikos game live. How would you describe the atmosphere?
More than intense; two teams fighting their hearts out. But this is what F4s are all about. Great teams competing for a trophy that everyone has been preparing for all year, so you know that everybody is going to give it their maximum.
