MUNICH (Germany) - Andrea Cinciarini's playmaking abilities for Unahotels Reggio Emilia have been a major contributing factor to their run through to the FIBA Europe Cup Final.

Since the Play-Offs began, the Italian's assists numbers read 14, 14, 16 and 18 - the last of which came in the Semi-Final second leg victory over Bakken Bears and tied the competition's single-game record.

Cinciarini is averaging 10.2 assists per game through 14 games having recorded six double-doubles in the campaign and believes it is just the rewards of all the pre-season preparation.

"With all my experience, the most important thing for a point guard is to play for the team and with the team," Cinciarini said. "I know every characteristic of my teammates; I've observed from September how a player is better in different situations.

"I like when the season starts, watching my teammates during practice and finding the right chemistry with each player.

"On the court, you have one or two seconds to make the right choice. My kind of basketball is to share the ball and find the right shot, the better shot. The number of assists is not important, it can always be more or less, it's whether the pass is right."

Reggio Emilia have not had things all their own way en route to the Final. They came through a tough opening group with a 4-2 record before suffering an unexpected 42-point loss away at Telenet Giants Antwerp in the Second Round, though it was their only blip in Group J. 

The Italian side were then taken to overtime by Legia Warszawa in the Quarter-Finals; eventually coming through a dramatic second leg to win 80-75 on home soil. In the Semi-Finals, Reggio Emilia overturned a first-leg deficit to overcome Bakken Bears for an 18-point aggregate triumph and move a step closer to silverware.

"When we started the season, our goal was to go far in the competition," stated Cinciarini. "It's not been easy, but at the end, the most important thing is to be ready when we play in the 80 minutes.

"You have to take care of every possession because every point counts. We had some low moments in Denmark, but we recovered to only lose by two. We knew we had to attack from the first minute and try to match the energy from the gym - it was a great atmosphere."

Injuries to leading scorer Osvaldas Olisevicius, starting guard Leonardo Candi as well as Mouhamet Diouf have taken their toll in recent weeks for Reggio Emilia as they juggle the demands of league action in the midst of their European run.

However, despite the adversity, Cinciarini believes the team are in a good place as they build momentum heading into the final with their team unity a big factor.

"We have some injuries, which is really tough. We are a team of 10-11 players, so with 2-3 injuries for such a long time, it's not easy when we compete in both the Italian league and FIBA Europe Cup.

"On the other hand, we are a really great group - we stay together, fight together, play together and in my experience, this is very important if your locker room is united. In tough times, you are then able to come through these moments."

“IT'S REALLY, REALLY GOOD TO COME BACK AND BE IN A FINAL AGAIN. WHY NOT BRING REGGIO BACK TO THE TOP?"

As a result of injuries, Cinciarini is taking on even greater responsibility for Reggio Emilia and taking it in his stride. The former Italian international recorded a second triple-double in recent months with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in 47 minutes of action in Italy at the weekend.

Cinciarini turns 36 years of age in the summer and is determined to keep performing at a high level with his dedication to his well-being the key to longevity. 

"I’m the kind of player that puts his body first. If you want to play to a big age, that's the mentality you need. I don't feel the fatigue or stress on my body. I always make something good for me and my body - I eat well, rest well with massage and cryotherapy - and always work out in the summer to put something new into my game.

"I want to become a player that is an inspiration for the little guy. I have a son who is six years old and loves basketball and want to show him you can play until a great age. But you have to make sacrifices and put your body into a great position to play 30-35 minutes at 35, 36 years old - there are no shortcuts to being a great player.

"I love to play basketball, but I don’t want to be a player that plays until 40 and cannot play five minutes or cannot guard anybody. I will play until I can’t give my best on the court. I know it’s not another 15 years - four, five maybe I don’t know how many years I have, but I try to put my body in a great shape to play all these games and keep performing."

Cinciarini is back in the colors of Reggio Emilia after six years away at Olimpia Milano; winning multiple titles in a successful spell as captain. The desire to return was too strong to ignore with the Cattolica native signing a three-year contract in the summer to rejoin the club.

"I felt something inside that grew day by day," revealed Cinciarini of his decision. "I wanted to become the leader again, the point guard of the team. All the years that have passed in my career, I wanted to take a team and bring them to where their goals are.

"I think for a player, one of the most important things is the desire and what you feel inside - to follow your heart. Sometimes it can be good or bad, but it does not matter if you follow what you feel.

"I wanted to play more, to go and fight with my team, compete for big goals and to lead. I chose Reggio because we have a new owner and she wants to grow the club day after day."

The previous spell at the club certainly brings back fond memories with Cinciarini having helped deliver the club's first-ever European title as Final Four MVP in their EuroChallenge triumph in 2014.

"Those are big memories," he recalled. "The first time that we won something. The first title is always special. We also organized that Final Four in Bologna and played at home in front of 5,000 people.

"It feels really, really good to come back and be in a final again. Why not bring Reggio back to the top and re-live that experience?

"This time is different with the first game at home, but you have to give everything. When you play another game in another court it can be difficult, but I know my team and the desire they have to win." 

The challenge of repeating the feat is no easy task with Bahcesehir standing in their way of becoming the third Italian side to lift the FIBA Europe Cup title after the previous successes of Dinamo Sassari and Umana Reyer Venezia.

There are set to be great matchups all over the court and Cinciarini believes the key will be to focus on themselves and stick to do what they do best: staying together in the tough moments.

"It will be a great battle," concludes Cinciarini. "They are a good team, also under the basket they have got Tarik Black, [Oguz] Savas, Sam Dekker - really great names.

"The Turkish players are good in the team and the foreign players are really good. Jamar Smith is a great player with experience and knows how to win finals.

"For us, it’s important to play our rhythm and not to follow how they play. We have to play for each other and show to them that we want to fight and we want to win because whoever has the most desire to win, will win."

The first leg takes place in Bologna on Wednesday April, 20 with the return leg in Istanbul the following week to decide the fate of the title.

FIBA