De Colo to Sportando: CSKA need to forget everything in the Final Four
De Colo speaks with Sportando about the next Euroleague Final Fpir
CSKA Moscow has seven years to win Euroleague. It was in 2008 in Madrid that the Russians became for the last time Champions of Europe. After that, they had many chances to repeat such a success, but couldn’t. The way they lost the trophy was a nightmare for them in most cases. However, that didn’t bring them down and they were repeatedly in the big games. The one he tries, in the end manages to have success and that can be the moto of CSKA in order to change the painful tradition.
Their new star that leads them nowadays, Nando De Colo, speaks with Sportando and suggests everyone in the team to forget all those bad memories and focus on a new situation in the Final Four of Madrid. Congratulations for your qualification in the Final Four of Madrid for one more time for CSKA. Since 2008, your last title in Euroleague, CSKA is always in the F4 –except of 2011- but hasn’t managed to win the trophy.
You are new in the team. Have you explained that in your mind, why your team has seven years to win the title while being a top team?
"I don't know. The Final Four is something special. There, you can be the best. At the end is only one and one game. So, you need to be ready at this moment. All the details count. We saw it in the past with CSKA. Little details make the difference. So, that's what all is about. We hope to do our best to be focused on all these details".
The last time that CSKA won the Euroleague trophy was in Madrid. Do you think that this déjà vu can be an additional motivation for your team?
"I don't know. We don't think too much about the last time we won the title. We just try to be focused on our team and what we did until now this year. This is the most important. Of course, we will do our best to win in Madrid".
Your opponent in the semifinal is Olympiacos. Was it a surprise for you that the Greeks qualified over Barcelona from the play offs?
"No. I don’t pay too much attention to all the theories that say that only one can win. I don't think that there was a team that was already favorite from the series. You cannot say who the favorite is. Both teams are great and they did a great season. We know how Barcelona can play very good and how Olympiacos can play with lot of aggressiveness. I am not surprised that Olympiacos is in the Final Four".
You beat Olympiacos at home but lost at SEF. In a different court for both teams –in Madrid-, which one do you think that has the advantage to get the win?
"I don’t know. The most important is to think about us, about our team and just try to be ready for this game. We know that the team that will play with more aggressiveness has got the chance to win the game”.
You have the best offense, while Olympiacos the best defense. Offense or defense will be the key for winning this year’s trophy?
"We need to play a very aggressive defense. We know that they’ve got players who can score and I think that the best way to play this game is to play together, joined, in the whole game. If we play good defense and together, offense will come".
The last years in Final Fours, CSKA had games, which should have won but lost and that were the final of 2009 and 2012 against Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, respectively and the semifinal last year with Maccabi Tel Aviv. Do you think that this year’s team of CSKA has whatever it takes to avoid similar bad circumstances?
"I think we need to forget a little bit about the past. We are a new team. We have some players from the past, but we are a new team as we have a new coach. We just need to be focus on our team. I said that before and I repeat it because it is the most important. We are going to play against Olympiacos, a very good team. But we need to be focused on our team first. This is what we are going to do. We‘ve got the team and all the players to do what it takes. When we play together and do our job, we are better. So, we must focus on this".
Dimitris Itoudis is new as a head coach, but has already brought great results in Banvit last year and in CSKA now. How is your cooperation with him and how do you expect him to be in this Final Four?
"He is a young coach, but he’s got a lot of experience even if he was an assistant a lot of years before. He’s got experience of this Final Four. He’s got good coaches with him to help him. We‘ve already start to prepare for the Final Four even if we’ve got the playoff games against Astana. They are focused, they know what they are going to do, and they know what the team needs in order to beat Olympiacos. So, he is ready since the first day of the season for this moment, like everybody. We just need to trust each other and go the same way".
You personally have shown great performances this year in CSKA after NBA, but you don’t have Final Four experience even though you are a top European player. Can any of your teammates or coaches tell you something in order to be more ready?
"I don't know. I don’t have previous Final Four experience, but that doesn’t mean I cannot adopt to a final. We try to practice better and better to be the best players until the end of the season. Everything starts since the first day of the season. I just try to be focus. I don’t have too much stress about these kind of events. I just try to do my best, to play my basketball, what I did until now and the best for the team and the team will help me".
Do you have an opinion of the other semifinal: Real Madrid – Fenerbahce Ulker?
"It will be tough. Real play at home but Fenerbahce showed during the season that they have a great team. And not only that plus they have great players, but they play together with lot of aggressiveness. And this is the most important in those kind of games. There is a lot of pressure on Madrid team so I don’t know. It will be tough to say who is going to win”.
Interview by Maria Karvouni
Their new star that leads them nowadays, Nando De Colo, speaks with Sportando and suggests everyone in the team to forget all those bad memories and focus on a new situation in the Final Four of Madrid. Congratulations for your qualification in the Final Four of Madrid for one more time for CSKA. Since 2008, your last title in Euroleague, CSKA is always in the F4 –except of 2011- but hasn’t managed to win the trophy.
You are new in the team. Have you explained that in your mind, why your team has seven years to win the title while being a top team?
"I don't know. The Final Four is something special. There, you can be the best. At the end is only one and one game. So, you need to be ready at this moment. All the details count. We saw it in the past with CSKA. Little details make the difference. So, that's what all is about. We hope to do our best to be focused on all these details".
The last time that CSKA won the Euroleague trophy was in Madrid. Do you think that this déjà vu can be an additional motivation for your team?
"I don't know. We don't think too much about the last time we won the title. We just try to be focused on our team and what we did until now this year. This is the most important. Of course, we will do our best to win in Madrid".
Your opponent in the semifinal is Olympiacos. Was it a surprise for you that the Greeks qualified over Barcelona from the play offs?
"No. I don’t pay too much attention to all the theories that say that only one can win. I don't think that there was a team that was already favorite from the series. You cannot say who the favorite is. Both teams are great and they did a great season. We know how Barcelona can play very good and how Olympiacos can play with lot of aggressiveness. I am not surprised that Olympiacos is in the Final Four".
You beat Olympiacos at home but lost at SEF. In a different court for both teams –in Madrid-, which one do you think that has the advantage to get the win?
"I don’t know. The most important is to think about us, about our team and just try to be ready for this game. We know that the team that will play with more aggressiveness has got the chance to win the game”.
You have the best offense, while Olympiacos the best defense. Offense or defense will be the key for winning this year’s trophy?
"We need to play a very aggressive defense. We know that they’ve got players who can score and I think that the best way to play this game is to play together, joined, in the whole game. If we play good defense and together, offense will come".
The last years in Final Fours, CSKA had games, which should have won but lost and that were the final of 2009 and 2012 against Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, respectively and the semifinal last year with Maccabi Tel Aviv. Do you think that this year’s team of CSKA has whatever it takes to avoid similar bad circumstances?
"I think we need to forget a little bit about the past. We are a new team. We have some players from the past, but we are a new team as we have a new coach. We just need to be focus on our team. I said that before and I repeat it because it is the most important. We are going to play against Olympiacos, a very good team. But we need to be focused on our team first. This is what we are going to do. We‘ve got the team and all the players to do what it takes. When we play together and do our job, we are better. So, we must focus on this".
Dimitris Itoudis is new as a head coach, but has already brought great results in Banvit last year and in CSKA now. How is your cooperation with him and how do you expect him to be in this Final Four?
"He is a young coach, but he’s got a lot of experience even if he was an assistant a lot of years before. He’s got experience of this Final Four. He’s got good coaches with him to help him. We‘ve already start to prepare for the Final Four even if we’ve got the playoff games against Astana. They are focused, they know what they are going to do, and they know what the team needs in order to beat Olympiacos. So, he is ready since the first day of the season for this moment, like everybody. We just need to trust each other and go the same way".
You personally have shown great performances this year in CSKA after NBA, but you don’t have Final Four experience even though you are a top European player. Can any of your teammates or coaches tell you something in order to be more ready?
"I don't know. I don’t have previous Final Four experience, but that doesn’t mean I cannot adopt to a final. We try to practice better and better to be the best players until the end of the season. Everything starts since the first day of the season. I just try to be focus. I don’t have too much stress about these kind of events. I just try to do my best, to play my basketball, what I did until now and the best for the team and the team will help me".
Do you have an opinion of the other semifinal: Real Madrid – Fenerbahce Ulker?
"It will be tough. Real play at home but Fenerbahce showed during the season that they have a great team. And not only that plus they have great players, but they play together with lot of aggressiveness. And this is the most important in those kind of games. There is a lot of pressure on Madrid team so I don’t know. It will be tough to say who is going to win”.
Interview by Maria Karvouni
Sportando
@Sportando
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