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: FC Barcelona
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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."