GRE/RUS - Pana coach focused only on team

ATHENS (Euroleague Final Four) - Panathinaikos coach Zeljko Obradovic positively cringes when asked about individual players before or after games.

He usually avoids comment, preferring instead to speak only about his "team".

The Serbian lost his concentration and broke with tradition ahead of Sunday's Euroleague Final showdown against defending champions CSKA Moscow.

When someone suggested his very own Dimitrios Diamantidis or the CSKA Greek talisman,

Theo Papaloukas, could be decisive players, Obradovic said with his trademark scowl: "The teams play, not only Papaloukas and Diamantidis."

But the coach was prepared to concede the pair "are very important players" before returning to his normal approach, saying: "We will try to prepare all the players to play their very best game."

Obradovic really does not need to say anything.

Everyone knows the two players could very well decide the outcome of Sunday's game.

They are as successful as they come in Europe, having both played on the Greek national sides that won EuroBasket 2005 and claimed a silver medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship.

Diamantidis and Papaloukas sparked Greece in their 101-95 victory over Team USA - a unit loaded with NBA All-Stars - in one of the semi-finals.

Both are guards, and both could play in the NBA but have so far turned down opportunities and remained in Europe.

Diamantidis has for two years in succession won the Euroleague Defender of the Year award, while Papaloukas has driven CSKA to a pair of Russian Cups, last year's Euroleague and Russian Superleague titles.

He was the MVP of last year's Euroleague Final Four in Prague, when CSKA upset Maccabi Tel Aviv in the final.

The two Greeks will be team-mates this summer in Spain to defend their EuroBasket crown.

Obradovic had to admit he was pleased on Friday after watching his club shut down Luis Scola and Tau Ceramica in a 67-53 triumph.

The Greens held Tau to a hugely disappointing 32% (18 of 57) from the floor, while forcing the Spanish side to turn the ball over 18 times - 12 in the first half when Pana built a 35-21 advantage.

Sani Becirovic, a starting guard for Panathinaikos, admits his team's defensive philosophy will not make the final the most attractive of championship games.

"Maybe it won't be real pretty to watch, but you will see a lot of heart and desire to win," he said.

Ettore Messina, the CSKA coach who was hugely successful at Virtus Bologna and Benetton
Treviso before leaving for Russia before last season, believes someone other than Diamantidis or Papaloukas could step up.

Last year, his center Aleksey Savrasenko surprised Maccabi Tel Aviv, setting the tone for an upset with a big first quarter.

"Usually in these games," Messina said, "You have some surprises. Some player that didn't play good the day before plays better."

Messina does believe both teams can improve offensively after sluggish performances on Friday.

His players were just four of 18 (22%) from three-point range.

"It's true of both teams that we can play much better on offense," he said.

"I don't know if it's the pressure, but there were a lot of lost balls and bad shots.

"The balls were new, and honestly I am surprised that we would play such important games with new basketballs. The shooting yesterday was bad."

Messina did bemoan the absence of his key player, David Vanterpool, a great defender who was injured earlier in the season and will not play.

Last year, he did not have Australia international David Andersen, but does have him for the game this time.

"Like last year when we lost David [Andersen], this year we lost another David," Messina said.

When Vanterpool got hurt, the team compensated by signing Oscar Torres, a Venezuelan international.

"Even if Oscar helped a lot, you have to understand that for us, it's an accomplishment to be in the Final Four and to make the final game without our top leader," Messina said.

Jeff Taylor
FIBA