Greece - Coach Obradovic out on his own
Amid all of the celebrations on court after Panathinaikos had beaten CSKA Moscow 93-91 to claim their fourth Euroleague basketball title on Sunday, there was one man who stood out from the crowd
From sport.guardian.co.uk
Download source here
Amid all of the celebrations on court after Panathinaikos had beaten CSKA Moscow 93-91 to claim their fourth Euroleague basketball title on Sunday, there was one man who stood out from the crowd.
It was not Dimitris Diamantidis, who was voted Most Valuable Player, or the beaten CSKA guard Theo Papaloukas who was arguably the best player in the final.
Instead it was the Panathinaikos coach Zelimir Obradovic whose tactical know-how underlined his status as the top coach in Europe.
Sunday's victory was his third in charge of Panathinaikos and his sixth overall in the Euroleague. No one else, since the competition began in 1958, has more than four Euroleague titles under their coaching belt.
"I have said it many times that he is the best coach around," said Serbian centre Dejan Tomasevic whose 16 points were instrumental in the win.
"He really helps players and he always has a clear game-plan from the beginning of the season all the way through.
"He understands how to get the best out of each position - and how to match the big guys with the small guys. He is the best."
The 47-year-old Obradovic secured his first crown in 1992 when he was just 32 with Serbian club Partizan. Further success came with the Spanish clubs Joventut Badalona in 1994 and Real Madrid a year later.
He joined Panathinaikos in 1999 and took them to European glory in 2000 and 2002.
"He is a player's coach," says Panathinaikos forward Michael Batiste.
"He's young, he is easy to talk to. He will push you when you need it and he will pick you up when you are down. He is the kind of coach that every player wants to play for. He is a champion and he wants to make us champions."
Batiste, who played in the NBA for the Memphis Grizzlies four years ago, believes that Obradovic could make it as coach wherever he worked.
"He could easily make it in the NBA because he is extremely good," says Batiste. "But, you know, this (Europe) is his forte. He is young and he is going to be around dominating this place for a long time to come."