The players from the eight teams at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals learned some critical lessons about life off the court as part of the ANGT Educational Session, which focused on the jump from junior to senior player, dealing with social media and environmental sustainability.

Players learn important off-court lessons at ANGT Educational Session

Current Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade star Nikola Kalinic, EuroLeague Players Association managing director and former star Boki Nachbar, former EuroLeague champion Patrick Femerling and current NBA center Ivica Zubac were on hand to give tips about their experience to the youngsters.

Kalinic and Nachbar addressed the challenges of becoming a professional player.

"It's very hard at that age. I remember at that age, I didn't listen to anybody. I thought I was the smartest and I'm the best. It's normal when you are younger," said Kalinic. "For them, maybe it was boring to listen to some older guys. Let's get it over with and go to the hotel. I think it could help them to listen to the lessons from Boki Nachbar and myself. The faster they learn that they can ask older people for help and learn from them, the faster they're going to become the best version of themselves – basketball-wise and as persons."

The topics Kalinic and Nachbar talked about included listening to important lessons older teammates could give them, what to consider when looking for an agent, how to deal with contracts and getting good-minded people around you.

"This (Educational Session) should be implemented even more. Even more seminars or group meetings," Kalinic said. "These young guys are in for a ride. It's gonna be crazy. It's gonna be a lot of people, a lot of agents, a lot of successes, journalists, girls, everything. They're in for a great ride but they also have to be careful. I think if they talk to older teammates or other older people, they can learn more and go more safely and calmly through all that."

The players were also told about some of the dos and don'ts in the social media world, especially with the message that they themselves create their social media presence and should control the narrative. The third pillar of the Educational Session was sustainability and what players can do to help save the planet.  

adidas organized the event with executives from both adidas and Euroleague joining forces to prepare the presentations. adidas introduced its sustainable products to the players and also presented activations such as the Run for the Oceans program and how the players can figure out their carbon foot print. The players were also given a gift bag including sustainable products. And the evening concluded with an informal barbecue.

When asked what were the biggest lessons he learned from the session, Roi Behar of U18 Maccabi Tel Aviv said: "To fight for what's yours and know your rights and just be polite and be a good person above all."

Behar also appreciated Euroleague Basketball giving him and the other players the chance to experience the event and take in the messages.

"I feel blessed to be here. It's great to experience, these stations, and I hope this continues for others," he said.

Fabrizio Pugliatti of U18 Stellazzurra Rome said the organizers really are doing a great job to try to improve the players' lives. And he took the biggest message from the social media discussion: "Social (media) is important for me and they say control your social. So that was important."

The message about the environment was big for Noam Yaacov of U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, who said: "The sustainability talks showed how important it is to really try to do your best to keep it green."

The guard also was very grateful for the opportunity to learn more about these issues.

"It's great. If every young player could get this it would be amazing, and we're very fortunate that we are here and get to learn from such great people," he added.


Real Madrid scraped by FC Barcelona in the semifinals despite losing starting point guard Nigel Williams-Goss to injury. Now Coach Pablo Laso must add a player to the roster for Saturday night’s main event. 

Coach Laso’s point guard dilemma

We’ll never know exactly what Laso’s plans for the point guard role were at the Final Four because it all changed when Williams-Goss suffered an injury on the team’s first possession. He was helped off the court after play stopped through a foul at the other end and shortly thereafter was taken to the locker room. 

“Nigel is a player who was providing us with a lot of consistency. He played the point guard position and set the tone in defense, he was running the offense well, and losing him is really bad luck,” Laso said on Friday. “It’s a setback, but that’s all, we cannot do anything. We have to make up for that situation somehow, the best we can.” 

Championship game matchups: Real Madrid vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul

### Backcourt

Everything Efes does starts with its backcourt duo of All-EuroLeague guards Vasilije Micic and Shane Larkin. The two, as well as Elijah Bryant, each played more than 31 minutes and combined to score 52 of the team's 77 points on Thursday. Real will miss injured starting point guard Nigel Williams-Goss, and in his absence, veterans Sergio Llull and Fabien Causeur will need to step up with both scoring and playmaking, just as they did in the semifinals.

### Frontcourt

The towering presence of Walter Tavares and Vincent Poirier is arguably Real's greatest strength. The two intimidators inside, along with forwards Guerschon Yabusele and Gabriel Deck - who both started in the semifinals - dominate the glass; each of these four players has averaged at least 4.8 rebounds per game this season. Efes does not lack in size. The reigning champs have a trio of effective big men in Tibor Pleiss, Bryant Dunston and Chris Singleton, with Adrien Moerman to stretch the floor.

### Bench

With Krunoslav Simon injured and Rodrigue Beaubois contributing off the bench in a limited fashion, Efes has a shortened rotation. Dunston and Singleton were the only two players with significant minutes off the bench in the semifinals and their contributions could be key for Efes. For Real, Alberto Abalde provided a backcourt boost after Williams-Goss's injury on Thursday and Llull has thrived in his role off the bench in recent weeks, while Rudy Fernandez and Jeffery Taylor provide solutions on the wings. Real will need all of that on Saturday.

### Coaches

Both coaches have loads of experience in this situation. It is the third consecutive championship game for Ergin Ataman and the fifth overall for Pablo Laso. Both coaches not only know how to deal with the moment and the situation but also know each other well. Coach Ataman says Efes always sticks to its style of play, but warns to expect the unexpected from Coach Laso.

FC Barcelona and Olympiacos Piraeus are looking to bounce back in the Third Place Game. Here are some keys to this game. 

Keys to victory: Barcelona vs. Olympiacos 

For both teams, the psychological aspect is very important. Olympiacos and Barcelona suffered narrow losses in their semifinal games against Anadolu Efes Istanbul and Real Madrid, so bouncing back is the priority. Olympiacos has the vast majority of fans in the stands, which always counts in this situation. Olympiacos fans will want to see their team get a final win in this EuroLeague season and the Reds should be ready to play aggressively and please them with a victory at Stark Arena.

Barca has been in this situation more often and knows the Third Place Game is usually a run-and-gun showdown. Either team can go on a big run easily, and Barca should be ready for that. Barca relies on its shooters - Kyle Kuric, Alex Abrines, Cory Higgins - to make the difference in this game, looking for easy points in transition. Preventing Moustapha Fall from dominating the paint should be important for Coach Sarunas Jasikevicius's team in order to finish its 2021-22 EuroLeague season in style.

FC Barcelona v Olympiacos Piraeus (2022-05-21T14:00:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona and Olympiacos Piraeus will finish their 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague seasons in the Third Place Game at Stark Arena on Saturday afternoon. 

A look back: Barcelona vs. Olympiacos

This is Olympiacos's third appearance in the Third Place Game. The Reds were in this situation for the first time in 1999 and they downed Fortitudo Bologna 74-63 in Munich, Germany. In 2009, the Reds registered a 79-95 loss against Barca. David Andersen led the winners with 20 points. Lynn Greer had 19 points to lead Olympiacos. After that, the Reds won five consecutive semifinals in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2017. 

Barca is in its ninth Third Place Game. It lost its first four - against Aris Thessaloniki in 1989, Panathinaikos Athens in 1994, Efes in 2000 and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2006 before downing Olympiacos in 2009. After that, Barcelona beat Panathinaikos in 2012 and CSKA Moscow in 2014 and lost against CSKA in 2013. Barcelona is 3-5 in the Third Place Game. Only CSKA (11) has played the Third Place Game more times than Barca.

Thomas Walkup - Olympiacos Piraeus - EB21-RS33

Here are some insightful comments about the game from the protagonists themselves.

Pre-game quotes, third place: Barcelona vs. Olympiacos

### Sarunas Jasikevicius, FC Barcelona head coach 

"First of all, we have to know that this is our next goal: finishing third in the competition. We have to compete and get ready for the remainder of the season in the Spanish League playoffs, as well as getting some players back in shape. It is a mix of things. Like I said, winning the Third Place Game is our next goal. We have to play for our fans here, but that goes without saying. We have to give our best and this is our next game. We have to go for it. They are one of the best teams circulating the ball. They are really good at close-out situations. The key is not allowing them to find close-out situations. They have players who can decide a game like Sloukas, Vezenkov, Dorsey and Walkup."

### Rolands Smits, FC Barcelona

“It’s an important game for us, and we must give everything we have to try to win the game. We want to play hard, come out strong and win in order to finish the tournament with good feelings, as much as we can. I think we were good overall, talking about the whole EuroLeague season. Everyone is now disappointed, but now it’s time to stand up and fight hard.”

### Alex Abrines, FC Barcelona guard  

“The challenge \[of this game\] for us is to display our pride. We now have to think and prepare for the next games to come in the domestic competition and playing against Olympiacos, a great team that will be feeling almost at home, is great preparation. The past cannot be undone, so we must come out strong, play hard, and try to win the game to rebuild our confidence. Even though right now it’s not easy to think of positive things, overall, I think we did a good job this season in the EuroLeague. We fell short of playing our second final in a row, something all of us hoped for, but we will try to be back and go further.”

### Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach 

"You know, those games are really difficult for the coaches and the teams, which are very disappointed. Barca and Olympiacos are disappointed because they lost in a tight game, with a different perspective, but we lost. And we have to play now, in a few hours, this game. For Olympiacos, it is important to finish this trip with a win, especially because our fans will be also here tomorrow. Of course, we have to focus on our domestic league; Olympiacos is having an amazing year, we won the Greek Cup and are first in the domestic league, with the playoffs \[home-court\] advantage until the end and we played the Final Four. I can't complain to anybody. This game is very difficult, everybody says that, but it is what it is, we have to play it."

### Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos Piraeus guard

“It’s not about valuing the third-place game but about valuing the game of basketball. We are extremely blessed to be in Olympiacos, playing in the EuroLeague at the Final Four. It would be a shame if we just go out there and don’t take it seriously. That's how each individual has to approach the game. We know there is no significant meaning to the game, but it’s a game of basketball and that’s something I think we must take seriously. Most important is for our fans, they traveled here, they spent money getting here and that means a lot to us. That’s one of the main reasons to take it seriously.”

### Moustapha Fall, Olympiacos Piraeus center

“We just want to finish well, especially for the fans that traveled, although it's a pretty tough game to play. We had a good season, nobody expected us to be so good this year, so we are happy for that, for sure. We are still disappointed about how we finished, but it’s a good step. I think we are building something, and I hope we can keep being successful in the future.”

Here are some interesting notes about the Final Four third place game between FC Barcelona and Olympiacos Piraeus.

Game Notes, Third place game, Barcelona vs. Olympiacos

· Barcelona has gotten the better of Olympiacos this century, winning 19 of their 30 games

· During the regular season, Barcelona pulled out a 79-78 overtime win in Round 3 as Nick Calathes flirted with a triple-double with 9 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists. In Round 33, Olympiacos beat Barcelona 73-66 in Piraeus behind 20 points from Shaquielle McKissic.

· Olympiacos won its first EuroLeague title by beating Barcelona 73-58 in the 1997 championship game in Rome as Final Four MVP David Rivers scored 26 points. 

· Barcelona defeated Olympiacos in the 2010 EuroLeague championship game in Paris 86-68 thanks to 21 points from Final Four MVP Juan Carlos Navarro.

· Olympiacos forward Georgios Printezis hit the game-winning and series-clinching three-pointer in Game 4 of the 2015 EuroLeague Playoffs against Barcelona. He was also MVP of the Round for Game 2 of that series after posting 22 points, 9 rebounds and a PIR of 34 in a road win.

· Olympiacos coach Georgios Bartzokas was Barcelona's head coach during the 2016-17 season; he led the club to a 12-18 regular-season record. No player from that season remains on the Barcelona roster.

· Olympiacos forward Kostas Papanikolaou played for Barcelona during the 2013-14 season. He helped the team win the Spanish League title.

· Olympiacos forward Sasha Vezenkov spent three seasons with Barcelona, from 2015 to 2018, where he was a teammate of Sergi Martinez and Pierre Oriola.

· Barcelona point guard Nick Calathes and Olympiacos forward Georgios Printezis won a bronze medal at EuroBasket 2009 together on the Greek national team.

· Along with Printezis, Kostas Sloukas, Kostas Papanikolaou and Giannoulis Larentzakis have also been teammates with Calathes on the Greek national team over the years.

· Thomas Walkup has been a teammate of Brandon Davies, Rokas Jokubaitis and Nigel Hayes-Davis at Zalgiris Kaunas. Walkup and Jokubaitis were teammates the last three seasons, while Walkup and Hayes-Davis the last two seasons. Walkup and Davies were teammates during the 2018-19 season.

· At Zalgiris, Walkup played under current Barcelona head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.

· Olympiacos guard Thomas Walkup collected a career-high 4 steals playing for Zalgiris Kaunas against Barcelona in December of last season.

· Last season in Barcelona, Hassan Martin made a career-best 8 two-point shots and pulled down a career-highs in rebounds (8) and offensive rebounds (5) in Olympiacos's 88-96 win.

· Olympiacos guard Kostas Sloukas matched his career-high with 11 assists playing for Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul twice against Barcelona. First in March 2019 and again in January of last season.

· In the first of those two 11-assist games, Sloukas shot a career-best 5-for-5 on three-pointers. In the latter of the two games, Sloukas also tied his career-best with 7 rebounds.

· Barcelona forward Nikola Mirotic set his career-high with 5 steals playing for Real Madrid against Olympiacos in Game 1 of the 2014 EuroLeague Playoffs.

· Mirotic pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds, including a career-best 11 defensive boards in a 90-80 home win against Olympiacos in December 2019.

Here are some interesting notes about the Final Four championship game between Real Madrid and Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

Game Notes, Championship game, Madrid vs. Efes

· Real has a 26-13 lead in EuroLeague games against Efes and the teams split home wins this season. 

· Earlier this season, Real beat Efes 82-69 in Madrid in the season opener. In Round 31, Efes rallied to pull out a 93-90 win over Real in Round 31 behind 29 points and 6 assists from Vasilije Micic. He earned co-MVP of the Round honor with PIR 29.

· The 2022 championship game is a rematch of last season's best-of-five EuroLeague Playoffs which Efes won in five games. Efes dominated the first two games of the series in Istanbul, winning 90-63 and 91-68 before Real used big fourth-quarter rallies in Games 3 and 4 to send the series into a deciding game. In Game 5, Efes held on to win 88-83 and proceeded to capture the EuroLeague crown.

· In Game 5 of the playoffs, Chris Singleton posted a career-high in index rating with 38, scoring a career-best 26 points and pulling down 8 rebounds for Efes.

· Last season in their regular-season clash in Madrid in Round 32, Efes raced to an 83-108 victory. In that game, Efes scored 67 second-half points, which is the most points Real has allowed in a single half of a EuroLeague game this century.

· Shane Larkin made history in the 2019-20 season against Real in Madrid by becoming the first player with a streak of four straight MVP of the Round honors. Larkin powered Efes to a 75-80 road win, piling up 32 points along with 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals for a performance index rating of 36.

· With that win in January 2020, Efes snapped a streak of 12 consecutive defeats in the Spanish capital, a run that dated back to January 2005.

· Real Madrid ousted Efes with a 3-1 series win in the 2015 EuroLeague Playoffs. Rudy Fernandez averaged 13.5 points, 4.0 assists and 3.3 rebounds in the series.

· Real's single-game record for three-pointers made is 7, which has been done twice against Efes. Alberto Herreros made 7 triples against Efes in April 2002 in Madrid, though Efes won that game 92-109. Real sharpshooter Jaycee Carroll tied the mark by making 7 triples on 8 attempts in a 97-80 victory over Efes in April 2017.

· The Efes single-game record for assists is 15, which Thomas Heurtel set in a game against Los Blancos in April 2015.

· Heurtel played for Efes from 2015 to 2017; he was a teammate of Dogus Balbay and Bryant Dunston during his time there.

· Heurtel was a teammate of Efes forward Adrien Moerman at Barcelona during the 2017-18 season.

· Efes big man Chris Singleton was a teammate of Heurtel’s at FC Barcelona during the 2018-19 season.

· Efes center Tibor Pleiss was a teammate of Heurtel for two seasons at Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, from 2012 to 2014. 

· Pleiss was a teammate of Real forward Adam Hanga at Baskonia during the 2013-14 season.

· Hanga was a teammate of Efes guards Larkin and Rodrigue Beaubois at Baskonia during the 2016-17 season.

· Real center Vincent Poirier and Efes guard Beaubois were teammates at Baskonia during the 2017-18 season. 

· Real Madrid forward Anthony Randolph was a teammate of Singleton at Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar during the 2015-16 season. They reached the EuroLeague Final Four together.

· Randolph and Efes guard Krunoslav Simon were teammates at Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar during the 2014-15 season.

· Real guard Fabien Causeur and Efes center Pleiss were teammates at Baskonia for two seasons, from 2012 to 2014.

· Causeur had a career-best performance playing for Brose Bamberg against Efes in December 2016. He scored a career-high 28 points and earned the MVP of the Round award with a personal-best performance index rating of 35.

· Real guard Sergio Llull dished a career-high 12 assists against Efes in April 2015. He also had a career-best 3 steals against Efes in December 2011, and career-high 8 rebounds in January 2019.

· Real big man Vincent Poirier had 16 points, 12 rebounds and career-bests of 5 blocks and a PIR 35 playing for Baskonia in an 81-82 road win at Efes in December 2017. He won his first MVP of the Round honor for his performance.

· Efes forward Moerman posted his career-high PIR of 33 against Real Madrid in December 2018.

· Efes big man Bryant Dunston posted his career-high in points with 21 playing for Olympiacos Piraeus against Real in April 2014. Dunston set a career-high with 4 steals in Game 4 of last season's playoff series against Real.

· Real forward Gabriel Deck scored a career-best 23 points in Round 31 loss against Efes.

· Real guard Alberto Abalde dished a career-high 8 assists playing for Valencia Basket against Efes in February 2018. He set a career-high with 3 steals for Valencia against Efes in October 2019.

· Real Madrid big man Trey Thompkins set a career-high with 3 blocks playing for Nizhny Novgorod against Efes in November 2014.

· Real guard Carlos Alocen posted his career-high in assists with 6 in Game 4 of the playoffs last season.

· Hanga had a career-best 11 rebounds, including a career-high 10 defensive rebounds, playing for FC Barcelona against Efes in April 2019.

At high noon on Friday at Stark Arena, the head coaches and key players from the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague finalists, Real Madrid and Anadolu Efes Istanbul, met with the media. 

Championship Game press conference quotes, The Head Coaches

Here is what coaches Pablo Laso of Real Madrid and Ergin Ataman of Anaodlu Efes Istanbul had to say about their semifinal victories and looking ahead to the championship game.

### Pablo Laso, Real

“It’s the final game, it’s the Final Four, and we are happy to be here. There is a lot of work behind this, and I’m expecting a great game tomorrow.

“For sure losing Nigel \[Williams-Goss\] that early in the game was difficult. It didn’t change the game plan that much because I think some other people stepped up to cover his position. But it’s true that losing an important player that quickly always hurts. I think he is out for tomorrow, for sure. The injury is even worse than just a twisted ankle, and we will probably have to make tests when we come back to Madrid and see for how long the injury is. There are no secrets for Ergin \[Ataman\].

“\[An injury\] always affects you. Nigel is a player who was providing us with a lot of consistency. He played the point guard position and set the tone in defense, he was running the offense well, and losing him is really bad luck. When it comes to this stage of the competition, it’s bad luck to get injured before the Final Four, like happened to them, or during the Final Four. It’s a setback, but that’s all, we cannot do anything. We have to make up for that situation somehow, the best we can. In the end, I feel bad for him, because he is the one who got injured, and I’m sure he would love to be with us at this moment.

“Some people were talking to me about the legacy, about tradition, about what Real Madrid means. It’s a historic club, for sure, and, as a coach, I am proud of the fact that history is being written every day. I’m lucky that I can coach great players, but history is what pushes us to improve and be better each day. I think that for the people that are behind us, supporting us, they want to win, for sure, everybody wants, but I think they feel prouder of how the team is capable of working, what the team transmits, and that’s something that makes me proud, and I think it pushes us to do things better. I think that, in that sense, I’m lucky for being in a great club, for being the coach of a great team and for having great players.

“For sure, there are possibilities that \[Thomas Heurtel could be used to make up for Nigel Williams-Goss's absence\].

“I never doubt. I can have problems, like Ergin had, for sure. It’s a long season. I wish everything would go okay, but nothing in life is easy, nothing in life is granted or that easy that everything is going the way you want. We lose games and that’s finished. Is everything bad when you lose games? I don’t think so. Losing games doesn’t change me out of my way. That’s the way I feel. I think that right now I’m in a great position, I’m here. What else could I expect? I've been thinking about this from the beginning of the season. I don’t think about the past. The past is finished. We had problems but, which team didn’t have them? I know everyone is going to say the same thing. Ergin and I spoke behind the scenes a lot of times about this. How couldn’t you be without problems? Injuries, playing 80 games…. Everybody saying Real Madrid is not good, Efes is not good because they are losing… we had problems, for sure, but we are here. Period.”

“The first thing to do in a Final Four is to recover quickly from the effort of yesterday’s game. That’s normal. We will have to see how the team is today, as well as work on switching our minds, as we play against a different team. I see the team in good condition. The only thing I can say against that is related to Nigel’s absence. I see the team is well, but not only now, but throughout the whole season. Like I said before, we went through both good and bad moments, but I think we got here in good shape, both physically and mentally. How do I imagine tomorrow’s game? Honestly speaking, I cannot answer because I don’t know. I always imagine we win; I try to stay positive and believe we are going to win and become European champions. But I have a lot of respect for Efes, they are a great team, with great players, and I give a lot of credit to the fact that we have to do a lot of things well in order to win. If I focus on my team, I also see it in good condition.

“I don’t think that the possession stats are going to be decisive like in the previous games. It’s a different game so nothing to say about what happened yesterday either for them or for us. It's a completely different game. We got to match up a great team so we have to find solutions in our defense, in our basic defense, in some different situations we can match up, but understanding that Nigel won’t play. I think Nigel could be a good factor to play against Efes, but he is not going to be there, so we will have to adjust both offensively and defensively. For me, that’s more important than the number of game possessions.

“If my players don’t understand that they just won one game yesterday and that it’s finished, and that they have to play another one tomorrow, if they don’t understand that, then I’m going to tell them, they are pretty stupid.

“Efes is a great team beyond the individuals. I think we all can agree that Larkin and Micic are both differential players. That said, to stop Micic and Larkin can be very easy. I can put two players on Larkin and I can put two players on Micic and I will stop them. But that’s why they are so great because they will find someone else and that one will kill us. Last year, when they beat us in the fifth game of the playoffs, the best player in my opinion was Singleton. For me, he was a key player and the key three-pointer was made by Simon. And I didn’t speak about Micic or Larkin there. Even if Micic and Larkin could be the best, or among the top in the EuroLeague, I believe that what makes Efes so good is to have them and the attention they claim for them. I’m not thinking of stopping Micic or Larkin. I won’t be happy if we keep them at 0 points and Efes beats us. What I want is to play good team defense. Obviously, we have to understand we need to play good defense on them, but as a team. I don’t think anyone will be able to stop any of them. That’s the way I understand basketball, my philosophy, and I have a lot of respect for them, for their team and their staff. I don’t think they are just Micic and Larkin.

“Honestly, I don’t have a magic recipe for the team. I believe in my team’s work, and I think that the team has to understand some situations, that maybe in September for instance, I’m not telling them: Look, this will be useful later, when we play a final, or for the day we are going to have a very important game. That’s why I always believe in the development of the team. That’s my philosophy as a coach. And that’s why you could see me in games like yesterday’s, I’m pretty calm because I think all the work is done. When it comes to motivation, I always say that these kinds of games are the easiest ones for a coach, because the players are already motivated. I think that all players that are going to play tomorrow are like that. If a player doesn’t feel motivated when facing a EuroLeague final, he wouldn’t probably deserve to play it. What I believe, and I try to emphasize it from the beginning, is that we have to understand what we have to show, what we have to transmit. In the end, winning or losing is just a result. Sometimes it seems that everything is bad when you lose and everything is okay when you win, and I don’t think like that. When we lose, my approach is that we need to keep working and to make them see that this work will pay off, step by step. The most important thing for me is that the players understand where they are.

“I won’t go \[to Paris, to attend the Champions League football game\]. I can’t. I play Manresa on Saturday at 16:30. My kids want to go, but I won’t go. I will be playing in Manresa playing.”

### Ergin Ataman, Efes

“After an amazing season and an amazing semifinal that we played yesterday, it's glory for us to play in the final three years in a row. We will play one more final and we will try to defend our championship.

“Real Madrid is a great team and they have a very experienced head coach in Pablo Laso. We felt that in a great deal of games we played against each other last season and this season. He always makes surprises, secrets, and tactically he always prepares something that is unexpected. They are dominant around the hoop with Tavares, Poirier, Yabusele, Randolph, the strongest players. It will be a game of various strategies. With the creativity of our playmakers, we will try to create a difference. Real Madrid is a team that uses big guys better. We won one, lost one this season. It will be a challenging final game. The semifinals showed how close all the teams are. We want to win and we will win.

“In football, in Turkey, there are a lot of fans of Real Madrid. And one of them is my son. He is a member of the junior Real Madrid fan club. Every year we receive a gift from them. In football, we support Real Madrid, but tomorrow we want to win.

“I have to say that’s the reality of the sport. You will not find any team that will win every time all season. Okay, we had a problem at the beginning of the season; it’s true that I was upset, but more than the results. The play that we played the last three years we played great basketball, but in the beginning of the season we had a lot of problems, we didn’t find our rhythm, I was upset, we talked many times with the players, with the team strongly, but every time I talked also in that period that we are the champion team and finally I believed that when the time arrives, the real time, my players will focus and will start to play to win. That’s the reality of the sport. Now I will meet Pablo. I have great respect for him, good friend. It’s a final game. I am very happy to meet with him after this long season in the final.

“In my philosophy, every game has a different history, every game is different. So I don’t think that yesterday’s game’s possessions will affect tomorrow. Tomorrow for sure both teams will have a diff style actually our style will be the same, but Pablo now said something that we must think that he said maybe Heurtel will play. If Heurtel will not play, so they will play with five bigs. Last game in Istanbul, Yabusele was defending our guards. Last year in the playoffs he used against us matchup zone. So this will be important in our side tactically. But our game will be the same. This is my philosophy. I have especially great perimeter players and I give them full responsibility with insight to our system and we will try to play the same way.

“I think that I have champion players and they enjoy playing in our system, our system gives them the responsibility to play a running game, to play a transition game, and this is very productive for the perimeter players, for guards with this potential. At the end, I decide if I have a timeout to feel who is more hot. Yesterday Shane had an injury in the last quarter, he was out 3-4 minutes, then \[when\] he joined the game, he didn’t join the game with same rhythm that he had in the first half. One minute before he had a problem to beat Sloukas one on one; we tried to play isolation against Sloukas with him. I felt in the timeout that Micic was more ready, had more power in that situation. And we tried to use the pick and pop to attack Vezenkov with him. Honestly, I didn’t tell him to shoot the ball. Every time I tell my players, that they can take the responsibility to read what they need because if I told him 100% to go to the basket and the player stays inside, then he’s not. So he reads the situations, he has this confidence, he missed maybe two or three more easy possessions before in the last 3 minutes. We had five-six easier possession than the last one, but we didn’t find the score in the easy shots, easy penetrations. In the playoffs against Milano, Shane told me in the timeout that he was very hot and he told Micic, they are very good friends. Also during the game, they decide if I am not. Shane told me, ‘I am very hot, give me the ball,’ and Micic gave the ball to him and he finds possessions. So this is a feeling between us and a feeling between the players that they played four years together and they know how to manage to win.

“Elijah Bryant really contributed for us this season, especially last night with Micic and Larkin not able to find their rhythm. And that was critical for our system. Like Laso said, Micic and Larkin are our star players, but we cannot play with only two players. Bryant was actually the hero of the semifinal game. Everyone is talking about the buzzer-beater of Micic, but Elijah was behind the curtains. Tibor Pleiss was the MVP of the last playoff game against Milan. Our big guys work in a system to feed them all the time. But when Dunston fouled out, Pleiss made contributions on defense and we defended well.

“The most special championship game is the one when we become the champions. We will see tomorrow night how things go.”

Ergin Ataman and Pablo Laso - Championship Game Press Conference - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21