Semifinal, pre-game quotes: Anadolu Efes Istanbul

### Ergin Ataman, Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach

"Their key player is Kostas Sloukas, of course. He creates a lot off the pick and roll. Thomas Walkup is their defensive player, they have Tyler Dorsey who is dangerous on the penetrations. For sure, Sasha Vezenkov opens the court and Moustapha Fall is strong inside. Kostas Papanikolaou brings his experience, he rebounds, cuts…they have a really good balance. The whole season they played the same system, same rotation. They use many defensive situations, with Fall contesting shots inside. They use switching man-to-man and side defense. It is a very well-coached and organized team. It will be a tough game and for us will be important to improve the game tempo and find baskets in the open court. In the Final Four, it is hard to immediately start with tempo. In the beginning, our defense will be important, but our game is to push the tempo, to run. And as minutes go by, we will try to do that."

Semifinal pre-game quotes: Vasilije Micic, Anadolu Efes Istanbul

### Adrien Moerman, Anadolu Efes Istanbul forward

"Olympiacos is a great team that had a great season. They are a very physical team, and we need to play defense for 40 minutes like we did against Milan in the four playoff games. If we want to win, we have to control their main players, Sloukas and Vezenkov. We know they are a big part of their successful season... We played together in three Final Fours and that experience is very good for us. It gives us confidence in the first game. We need to play well at the right moments and I hope that we will play a great game tomorrow and that we go back to the final on Saturday." 

### Tibor Pleiss, Anadolu Efes Istanbul center

"I expect a really heated game because both teams fought very hard to get to the Final Four. So, I expect a hard, intense, and very physical game. They are bringing a lot of fans, and they support and push them like crazy, but we are bringing some fans as well so it will be a nice and heated atmosphere. We have to play together, that's the most important thing. If you play together, I would say everything is possible. Teamwork makes a dream work."

Semifinal pre-game quotes: Elijah Bryant, Anadolu Efes Istanbul

### Bryant Dunston, Anadolu Efes Istanbul center

"You don't get this kind of success very often. I am just kind of living in the moment, trying to enjoy and help my team be a great team. I hope that experience is an advantage for us. Overall, they are a very experienced team so hopefully, maybe some guys get a little nervous in the bright lights. But it is one game and I am sure that everybody is going to give their best however the outcome comes."

### Chris Singleton, Anadolu Efes Istanbul forward

"I know they have a couple of players who want the moment, who like the moment. I think that is what they count on for leadership. They have a good coach and, by the way, congratulations to Coach Bartzokas on his award. They are going to play team basketball. I think they are going to have the fans on their side. We need to get off to a good start and play solid. I don't think we need to risk on defense or rebounds and I think we will have a good chance of winning."

Olympiacos Piraeus v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2022-05-19T16:00:00.000Z)

Adrien Moerman - Anadolu Efes Istanbul practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

The stars and key decision-makers at the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four took the stage together for the Opening Press Conference at Stark Arena on Wednesday afternoon. 

Final Four Official Press Conference: Olympiacos Piraeus

Freshly-crowned EuroLeague Coach of the Year Georgios Printezis and Olympiacos Piraeus team captain Georgios Printezis were among them. Here are their answers to some of the questions asked of them by the accredited media.

### Georgios Bartzokas

“First of all, one more time, I have to say it's been an honor for us to participate again in the best tournament of European basketball, the EuroLeague Final Four. What I have to say to my players is that there is no need to exaggerate anything. We just need to focus on ourselves, have to play with confidence, we have to play for our shirts, for our city, Piraeus. For our club. And to enjoy the moment. Sometimes it is rare to be in this position to play the Final Four, to play for the title. So we don't have to exaggerate in anything, we just need to enjoy the moment.

“Honestly, I don't want to talk about myself. It is a team effort. It is an expression that we are here all together. Our fans, our presidents. We represent our city, our club, and we are here all together fighting for this goal. Everyone knows in Greece that I am an Olympiacos fan. I know exactly what Olympiacos means. It means passion, also sometimes extreme feelings in a good and a bad way. We are in a good way right now, but you never know what life brings to us. I am just happy for the moment.

“I totally respect Coach Ataman, he is doing a great job, not only this year but the last three or four years Efes is on the top of Europe. He has his own way to express his confidence. I don't see anything bad in this. We are trying to do our job, we are trying to focus on our game and what we have to do to be competitive against the EuroLeague champions and to win the game. Honestly, we don't have any talk about Coach Ataman and his expressions.”

### Georgios Printezis

“\[Being with Olympiacos\] after 20 years, that does not sound so good. Sounds really bad. For me, for our club, it is a big honor, a very big privilege to be here and participate here at the Final Four, the best four teams in the EuroLeague. It is a very big honor for our fans also. Of course, it is something that is not so easy. When we started the season, our first target was not to go to participate in the Final Four. We had to work hard to achieve it and go until the end. It is something we succeeded. I am very happy, as my team is very happy, to participate and to be here at another Final Four with this team.

“Sometimes we talk about the Final Fours, but I am sure all the players know what it means, know how much they worked to bring the team here. I am very lucky that not only me, but also our coach, also Kostas Sloukas and Kostas Papanikolaou have experience at the other Final Fours and we can give the advice. But I am sure \[other players\] know the way, and they will give their best.

“Of course, I believe the fans will give us more energy. They did it the whole season, first time after many years they gave us no pressure at all. They helped us in all games in our stadium and we are waiting for them to come and help us. What happened in Game 5 was something amazing. I understand it is not the right way for fans to enter the floor before the game finished, but all these emotions of two and a half years of COVID, a lot of fans want to celebrate, want to feel good. And we are very happy and very blessed to give them these positive feelings and I hope we give them more at this Final Four.”

Georgios Bartzokas and Georgios Printezis - Official Press Conference - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

The stars and key decision-makers at the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four took the stage together for the Opening Press Conference at Stark Arena on Wednesday afternoon. 


Final Four Official Press Conference: Real Madrid

Coach Pablo Laso and All-EuroLeague center Walter Tavares of Real Madrid were among them. Here are their answers to some of the questions asked of them by the accredited media.

### Pablo Laso

"I wish \[I could believe in Deja Vu\], but it's a different year, they are different teams. But for sure it's a great city for basketball. I said it before, for me it is always a pleasure to come to this city to play. Great teams, great players, and a great city of basketball, so for me it is a pleasure to be here, in this event, the Final Four, which talks very good about my team, the organization, my players, everyone. And… I believe a little bit in Deja Vus.

"I make decisions since the first day of practice, in September. I don't know if they are going to be good or bad. What I know is that we played very well against Maccabi. It was a great team, they were on a run, they were winning games and they were playing awesome, but we played very solid at that moment, and we achieved this goal. So right now, I'm focused on tomorrow's game, I'm not focused on what happened before.

"We are in the same country so we play each other a lot of times, but every game is different. For sure there is a big game tomorrow. I think El Clasico is big for sure in Spain. but I think it is also big all around Europe, so I know in these games big players step up. Niko \[Mirotic\], Eddy \[Tavares\], all of them can step up. But I'm sure that both coaches are very confident in their players. Anything can happen, for sure. I wouldn't be happy if we had won the last eight games against Barcelona, I would think tomorrow starts a new one. And I would have lost the last eight games against Barcelona I would think the same way. Tomorrow is a different story for both teams. We all know it.

"Luka \[Doncic\] has been a great player since he arrived in Madrid when he was 13, but he's been a great person since that day. That made him so big. When people talk about NBA and he was going to play there, I had no doubts that he was going to play good because probably the best thing he has as a person, and for sure as a player, is that he is able to adjust to any situation and that's something that you have as a person. And Luka has it. I'm very happy for him and I wish him luck for sure.

"Secrets... Yeah, who knows what Saras \[Jasikevicius\] is thinking about tomorrow's game. For sure it's going to be something different, but what I can tell you is that if I leave Mirotic open in the corner, he is going to hit it. That's not a secret.

"I don't have too much to say about Eddy \[Tavares\]. I'm very happy for his career so far, since the first day he joined us, he showed great humbleness and a great work ethic. Nobody doubts his development as a player and I say nothing new if I say that for us is a key player. If we wouldn't have Tavares, we wouldn't probably be here, and that speaks very well about him. I'm very proud of him and of having the opportunity of coaching him.

"My experience against Barcelona in the Final Four as a player was not that good. It's better as a coach, we won the two games we played before. But that's all. For me, all this has ended. It's just history, both in the good and in the bad. They are different games, but for me, honestly speaking, there is more noise outside than inside. It's just a basketball game. Obviously, you want to win. But we would want it too if we played against Olympiacos or Anadolu Efes. Like they would. We all understand, though, as the main characters of it, that the noise and the excitement are bigger in a game like El Clasico.

"I think our best moment of the season was before the COVID, until December. I have the feeling that the team had 3-4 months of playing very solid basketball, with all the players contributing. It's not only about Real, but all the other teams went through a situation like this, even though we knew it could happen, plus several ins and outs because of injuries. But I also recognize we had bad moments, and that now we are in a good one, I believe."

### Walter Tavares

"It just happened, I came at the right time and we won it, but every year is so tough to win. For us it is a pleasure to be here, just to be in a spot to fight for the title. So for us, it is a pleasure to come here, and to do it every year, to get a chance to win. It came in my first year and I don't know if it was a kind of luck to be here at the right time but I was super happy to win my first one here.

"Coach Laso's experience has a great influence on us. He takes care of the details very well and especially in moments like these when we used to do things much better. He is a coach that has been here for so many years and knows what it means to be Real Madrid, to defend the name of the club, and I'm sure he will do his best to make us be as well prepared as possible to seize this moment. "

"As a player, I always think we arrive in a great moment. I think we did great in the playoff. During the season it is normal to have some ups and downs because it's hard to be consistent. In the playoffs everybody knew we had to step up because if we didn't play well, we were going to be eliminated. So as Real Madrid, we always have to play well and step up in the big moments, so I'm happy to be part of it. They motivate me to be in this moment. We did a great \[playoff\] series, we won three games straight. We know we are here, we want to enjoy this moment, this Final Four, and try to win."

Pablo Laso and Walter Tavares - Official Press Conference - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

FC Barcelona v Real Madrid (2022-05-19T19:00:00.000Z)

The stars and key decision makers at the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four took the stage together for the Opening Press Conference at Stark Arena on Wednesday afternoon.

Final Four Official Press Conference: Anadolu Efes Istanbul

### Ergin Ataman

“It was amazing to win the title. Of course, we celebrated only in the locker room with my players, my staff, with the families. I am sure all the country celebrated this glory. Now of course, if we get successful to win again, for me it will be more fun raising my feet with the spectators, with the fans. It will be amazing, we will see.

“It was a difficult season for us. We didn’t start well this season. Actually we took our rhythm only in the second part of the EuroLeague, but I was sure if we get successful to advance to the playoffs, the team will come back to play their basketball and it happened. In the playoffs, I have great players, great team, same team. In the most important time in the season, we found a way to play our basketball that we played the last three seasons and with this confidence I want to motivate my team because it was the first time we got to the Final Four without home court advantage and it was very difficult to beat Olimpia Milano, which is a great team, great coach, and I think they found the real motivation and, of course, we are here with all the coaches, all the players at the Final Four to try to win. We will see.

“It’s a great honor for me, for my players, for the club that in Istanbul they made a statue ceremony for us for the last EuroLeague cup title. I think that this team, the last three years, deserved because really we represented excellence for our country, our sport and our basketball.”

### Shane Larkin

“We are still hungry. You can never be complacent. We obviously enjoyed last season, wining the championship, but to be back here at this great event, we’re just as hungry as we’ve ever been and we’re here to win. We understand that we have to enjoy every single moment, enjoy the Final Four because it’s tough to get here, but the goal is to leave here as the champion again and we’re all focused on that goal.

“It’s always great when you have a coach that has confidence in you and confidence in the team and I think that’s one of the most important things; you have to believe in yourself, you have to believe in the staff, you have to believe in the coaches. And we all believe in each other, the way that we’ve been the last three years and we’ve been successful. It always feels good when you have the coach’s confidence to go out and play your game knowing that he has your back and hopefully we can go out there and prove him right again.

“The league is obviously full of great players. Each and every year different guys step up and there are some guys that stay at the top of it for years to come. Obviously, that’s one of my goals, to be one of the best players in this competition, year-in, year-out, but I know that’s not an easy thing to do. So it definitely feels good to finally be acknowledged as one of the first five and hopefully as long as I’m here playing this competition I can continue to push myself to be the best player I can be day-in, day-out and try to be one of the best players of all time to play here.“

Ergin Ataman and Shane Larkin - Official Press Conference - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Final Four Official Press Conference: FC Barcelona

Coach Sarunas Jasikevicius and freshly-crowned EuroLeague MVP Nikola Mirotic were among them. Here are their answers to some of the questions asked of them by the accredited media.

### Sarunas Jasikevicius

"From whichever angle you want to look at, a Madrid-Barca Clasico is a really huge game. The EuroLeague Semifinal is obviously a huge game. It doesn't really matter if it is a Clasico or not. We are both here to try to achieve the goal and obviously, to advance to the final. We understand the difficulties of it and hopefully, tomorrow evening we will be ready.

"I don't think you can forget about what happened, I think you have to learn from it. The ball will be thrown up tomorrow and it will be 0-0 and it is going to be a new game. What we have to take into consideration is what we did well, what we didn't do well, how every game was so different - some very, very low-scoring games, some very high-scoring games. And it is a new story tomorrow, there is no question. We have to be up for the challenge. You cannot be less hungry because we have beaten Real a couple of times. It is a brand new game. Different situation, different everything.

"I think that a good start always helps, but the game lasts for 40 minutes and this is what it will take. The game against Real will go to the end, as all games against them. We have to be able to react. It is like a cup game, with a new arena, everything is new in this game. We understand there are a lot of ups and downs in these games and we have to be able to hold up in bad moments and go for more in good moments. It is more of the game - a new game, a new story, and we have to be mentally strong for 40 minutes."

### Nikola Mirotic

"The people who know me very closely, they know how much I love this country and how much I also care about this country and its people as well. There is no doubt that it will be something very special. This is also like my home, but not just because it is in Belgrade. It is also because I never won the EuroLeague so it will be, for sure, something amazing but we have to be humble, just think about that semifinal, and try to enjoy it as well.

"I see the team very well. We were really looking forward to getting to Belgrade. We had much time to prepare. The most important of it all is that the team is healthy. I think we arrive with a good mentality, knowing all the difficulties we will have. I hope we can be up for the challenge and do what our coach expects us to do. We will see how the game goes tomorrow."

"First of all, I don't believe there is a favorite here in the Final Four? Extra pressure? No, to be honest. Since day one, when I put this jersey on, I knew the pressure I was going to, the expectations from the club, from the fans. So this is something that I am used to, but of course, it is something that is pushing me to get better as a player. And as a person, I try to be humble and try to always get some extra work and get better as a player. So basically, that's it."

Sarunas Jasikevicius and Nikola Mirotic - Official Press Conference - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

The Turkish Airlines Final is off and running in Belgrade with the celebration of the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four Tip-Off Ceremony on Wednesday at Stark Arena, which opened with a welcome message from Euroleague Basketball CEO Jordi Bertomeu.

Final Four welcome from Jordi Bertomeu

Good morning. 

Before we start, I would like to pay a tribute to former player, EuroLeague Ambassador and, above all, an extraordinary person Ademola Okulaja, who sadly passed away yesterday, definitely too soon. My condolences to his family and friends.

Please join me in a moment of silence in his memory.

Welcome to the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. I remember that one year ago, I started these remarks by expressing how happy we were for the Final Four to be back. This year we are even more excited, because after such a long time, we will again have a Final Four with the presence of its most defining element, the fans.The fans are exactly the reason why we are here in Belgrade. 

As everyone knows, the plan was originally to celebrate the event in Berlin, but until January, when the decision was taken to change the plan, we weren’t sure if we would be able to celebrate this moment with the fans. The fans are why we do this, why the players and coaches go onto the court, and we could not have yet another Final Four without them.

Today, exceptionally, I wish to thank two cities. First, the city of Berlin and Mercedes Benz Arena, for their understanding in such a difficult situation. And second, obviously, Belgrade and its mayor, who, amazingly, have been able to turn everything around despite such a challenging timeframe.

These have been an incredibly hard two years for everybody. But it has been a great joy this season to see our arenas progressively fill up as restrictions were lifted. The stands have again become full of the color and the energy that makes the EuroLeague what it is. Over these two years, despite everything, we have still felt that passion from the fans who continued to support and to cheer for their teams and players in different ways. In fact, we are extremely happy that during this difficult time, our fan base has continued to grow and that we continue to attract new people to feel devotion for what I believe is the most competitive basketball competition in the world.

These two years have proven that the EuroLeague has enormous resilience. The EuroLeague today is a solid and strong property that, with the support of its fans, continues to overcome challenges.

Difficult times continue today with the terrible, ongoing war in Ukraine.  This brings, yet again, many challenges and uncertainties that surely will last for some time. 

For the first time in 22 years, some of the teams that started the competition back in October were not able to finish it. We remain hopeful that peace will come back again soon. And despite all these challenges, in Belgrade this week, we aim to throw the biggest celebration in European basketball. 

Our mission is to deliver an incredible fan experience, full of emotion, bringing people together around one passion, basketball. That is why it is so important that we celebrate with the fans who will come to Belgrade, and also with those who will follow the Final Four from home. The teams are committed to this and ready to offer this great spectacle. 

I want to congratulate FC Barcelona, Olympiacos, Real Madrid and Anadolu Efes for having arrived this far, and thank them, their players and coaches –  alongside those of all the other teams – for the thrilling season they have delivered so far. From the very first moment to the very last, every one of them has embodied the words "Every Game Matters",  giving their all on every single play.

I also want to congratulate in advance those individuals who will now be recognized with their season awards, and also thank our legends and ambassadors. They have tirelessly helped us off the court, most especially with their commitment to our One Team program, which is 10 years old this season and helps us make a real impact in building a more inclusive and supportive society.

Last but not least, a heartfelt thank you to all our media partners and sponsors, with a special mention to Turkish Airlines. Thank you for standing with us even in the most difficult times.

Once again, welcome to Belgrade. A vibrant city, a basketball city, and the city that will crown the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Champion.

Thank you and enjoy!

Jordi Bertomeu - CEO EuroLeague - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Here is what Nikola Nikodijevic, President of the city assembly Belgrade, said in his words to welcome the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four to his city. 


Welcoming statement from the President of the city assembly of Belgrade

Dear Mr. Bertomeu, dear friends, dear guests,

It is a big honor to have the chance to welcome you to Belgrade again. Four years ago, in 2018, Belgrade was a Final Four host for the first time. It was a remarkable tournament that was left in memories of all us here in Belgrade and also everyone involved who was with us four years ago.

Back then, we knew already we will be candidates again for the Final Four, but we hoped it would be in different and better circumstances. We are very sorry that this year Berlin could not organize this tournament for epidemiological reasons and we believe it will be a host in the coming years and with our sporting friends from Berlin that we will be able to participate in it and it will be our pleasure to go there.

We are glad you are here with us today. Belgrade is the city of basketball, a city that loves this game, and we are sure you will feel at home. We believe the arena will be full, the it will be a true basketball atmosphere and I believe you will take best possible impression from our country's capital.

Thanks to the Turkish Airlines, EuroLeague's title sponsor, without which this would not be possible. Also to thanks all the people who helped us in organization, especially Mayor Goran Vesic, who first took the initiative that Belgrade become the host when we realized Berlin would not be able to organize it. Also to all the volunteers, all the sponsors, all the people everyone helping us make this one of the best Final Fours ever organized.

Also, congrats to all the players, especially the award winners. All the guys you saw on the stage had a phenomenal season and really deserved it. I am sure they will show the best they can on the floor this weekend and we will be enjoying another basketball spectacle.

I believe it is not the last Final Four we will organize in Belgrade. And that in a few years again, we will see each other again, because Belgrade is really a basketball city. We wait for you with our arms open and we are sure we will enjoy the best basketball the next four days.

Nikola Nikodijevic, President of the city assembly Belgrade

Cory Higgins is at his sixth Final Four and is a two-time winner with CSKA Moscow (2016, 2019). Barcelona features two more EuroLeague champions; Nick Calathes lifted the trophy with Panathinaikos Athens in 2011 and Sertac Sanli did so with Anadolu Efes Istanbul last season. Nikola Mirotic is at his fifth Final Four and has a chance to reach his fourth championship game. Alex Abrines and Calathes are in their fourth Final Fours and Brandon Davies has made it to this stage for the third time. Most Barca players were with the team last season when it reached the championship game - all the players mentioned plus Rolands Smits, Pierre Oriola and Kyle Kuric. 

Previous experience: Barca vs. Real 

cory-higgins-fc-barcelona-final-four-cologne-2021-eb20.jpg

Experts agree that experience can be a very important factor in Final Four games. Olympiacos Piraeus and Anadolu Efes Istanbul players have been through many Final Four clashes. 

Previous experience: Olympiacos vs. Efes 

Olympiacos only has three players with previous Final Four experience, but they combine for 19 Final Four appearances among them. Kostas Sloukas is at his eighth Final Four; only Sergio Llull of Real Madrid has been to that many among this year's teams. Sloukas has a chance to make it to his seventh championship game, which would tie him with Matjaz Smodis and Derrick Sharp for the most in the Final Four era. Georgios Printezis is at his sixth Final Four, all of which have come with the Reds. Kostas Papanikolaou played four Final Fours with Olympiacos and one with FC Barcelona. All three players won back-to-back titles with Olympiacos in 2012 and 2013. Sloukas added his third EuroLeague crown with Fenerbahce Istanbul in 2017. 

Efes returns to the Final Four as the reigning champion and is back with 11 players and the head coach who won the competition last season. Efes's 12th player from the 2021 championship game, Sertac Sanli, is now with FC Barcelona. Vasilije Micic, Bryant Dunston, Rodrigue Beaubois, Dogus Balbay, Adrien Moerman, Tibor Pleiss, James Anderson, Krunoslav Simon and Coach Ergin Ataman have been to the last three Final Fours with Efes. Chris Singleton is at his third Final Four, too; his first appearance came with Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar in 2016. Micic and Dunston are in their fourth Final Fours. Micic made his Final Four debut with Zalgiris Kaunas in 2018 and Dunston with Olympiacos in 2015.