Maccabi`s 13th Euro Final (21:30, Sazka Arena, Prague) vs CSKA Moscow will feature two of Europe`s most experienced and shrewdest coaches. Messina has an 8-0 record vs Maccabi.
The Sazka Arena in Prague will host tonight, with a year delay, the Final that European Basketball has been looking for – Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv bs CSKA Moscow. It should have happened at the Olympiski Arena in Moscow but the hosts crumbled under pressure and did not make the Final. Here, in Prague, they are playing their fourth Final Four in a row and for the first time have reached the final by beating Winterthur Barcelona 84-75. “Now we go into the Lion`s heart vs the Euroleague Champions for the last two seasons”, says cocah Ettore Messina, “you all saw how they played last night vs TAU Vitoria”.. Maccabi`s coach Pini Gershon, is not impressed by Messina`s declarations: “He is trying to shift the pressure towards us and this is legitimate. But we are used to perform under pressure. This will not decide the fate of the game”. Gershon arrived to the press conference after walking the 8 kilometers from the hotel as a believer he will not travel by car on the Shabath. The Israeli coach, leading Maccabi to his fifth Eurolegue Final (three wins), has doubts whether his players can give another brilliant display like the one that destroyed TAU in the semi final (86-70). He also knows that most of the pre game advantages he had vs Velimir Perasovic, will not be repeated tonight vs Mesina. For the 47 years old Italian it is his fifth Final Four with three different teams and he has won the trophy twice with Virtus Bologna: in 1998 when they beat AEK Athens 58-44 and in 2001 beating TAU Vitoria 3-2 in the final series. He has also won the Saporta cup with Bologna, four Italian Championships (3 with Bologna, 1 with Treviso) and with the Italian National Team he won the silver medal in the 1997 European Championship. But what should worry Gershon most of all is Messina`s record vs Maccabi which stands at 8-0 including two over Gershon in 1999. “This suits me”, says Gershon, ” I have broken many records with Maccabi and I believe there is always a first time for everything”. Since the happy days in Virton 1977, Maccabi and CSKA met on 21 occasions and Maccabi has a 12-9 lead. Maccabi won the last two encounters in 2004: in Moscow 83-80 from an Anthony Parker`s three pointer with the buzzer and in the Final Four semi final in Tel Aviv 93-85. CSKA is a tough, well organized team as we saw in the semi final here. Their most important player is Greek point guard Theodoros Papaloukas, with averages of 8.4 pts, 4 asts & 3.1 rbds. Another all around player is Slovenian Matjaz Smodis with averages of 11.6 pts (39% for three) & 5 rbds. Smodis faced Maccabi in the Final in Tel Aviv two years ago when Skipper Bologna were thrashed 74-118. Other leading players are Americans David Vanterpool, Trajan Langdon and Jon Robert Holden. Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv has not lost in the Final Four since the semi final in 2002 in Bologna.. And if they can play anything like they did last night vs TAU, they will be clear favorites to win their sixth title. “We owe it to our fans who have given us such tremendous support all season and over here”, says Tal Burstein, who will be one of Maccabi`s main assets. The Yellow Army, 10,000 of them will be there hoping to return once more to Tel Aviv with the Cup.
