By Antonis Stroggylakis / astroggylakis@eurohoops.net
ABU DHABI – After putting in seven points for Fenerbahce Beko in a win over Panathinaikos Aktor in Abu Dhabi, Nigel Hayes-Davis naturally set his sights on the championship game of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four.
“We were up 11 with five minutes left and then closed the game. We had a habit all year of giving up leads. And sometimes we shot ourselves in the foot. Luckily, we didn’t do that, extremely fortunate we didn’t do that today,” he described the final minutes of the semifinal matchup in Etihad Arena on Friday.
“I’ve never been in the championship game of the Final Four. The last two times here, I lost in the first round. I know it’s a great opportunity. But as my idol says, ‘Job’s not finished’,” added the 30-year-old forward, referring to the famous quote of late Kobe Bryant.
The winner of the other Semifinal between Olympiacos and AS Monaco will be next for Fener on Sunday.
“Try to recover as fast as possible, stretching, icing. Try to enjoy this win, it’s very hard to get. And then try to rest, relax, compose yourself,” said Hayes-Davis, “Tomorrow, we’ve got to lock back in for whoever wins this game.”