By Mete Budak/ info@eurohoops.net
Obradovic talked about the upcoming semifinal: “The Real Madrid game is going to be very interesting. They are the best team of the regular season and Sergio Llull is the most impressive player. We know them well, we are now more experienced compared to Final Four in Madrid where we played them”.
As the host of the Final Four, Obradovic wants the fans to contribute in order for the Final Four to be a roaring success in every aspect: “Respect should be the main theme of EuroLeague. For example, when Messi scored in Bernabeu, Barcelona fans celebrated while sitting next to Real Madrid fans. We want to see this in Istanbul too. Whoever the opponent is, fans should be respectful to each other. EuroLeague is a fantastic organisation. The new format is nothing but great. Everyone gets to play each other, this is especially great for the fans. The only downside is players don’t get to rest much.”
Fenerbahce‘s coach also addressed the issue of losing players to the NBA, since Bogdan Bogdanovic is on the sights of Sacramento: “Every player dreams of playing in the NBA, however, some of them go there early and watch the game on the bench like fans. We’re, as a club, prepared for every situation. If one player goes to the NBA, some others will come. We will restructure the team, no worries. We are not gonna cry over it.”
And also Obradovic once more spoke about the series against Panathinaikos: “Playing against Panathinaikos was emotionally challenging, it was tough for me. I hope I’ll never end up in a situation where I have to play against them in an important game. Prior to the series, I told my players that this is basketball, it’s played 5 vs 5. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing at home or on the road. We studied Panathinaikos’ offensive sets for hours and hours. We strengthened our defense, which led to a better offense from our side.”