\t <\/span><\/p>\n \tThe 2012 Adriatic League Final Four festivities got underway Friday afternoon with a gala press conference in the V.I.P. <\/span>L<\/span>ounge at Nokia Arena. Attending the event were the League management, the ma<\/span>nagement of Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, and representatives from each of the four teams that are taking part in the tournament: Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, Partizan mt:s Belgrade, Cedevita Zagreb and Budućnost.<\/span><\/p>\n \t <\/span><\/p>\n \tMr. Shimon Mizrahi<\/span>, president of Maccabi, opened<\/span> the event: “It’s marvelous that everyone is here. This is the second-best league in Europe. The champion of this league is one of the best teams. It is a great honor for us to host an event such as this. Tomorrow, and on Monday, no one will have an easy time winning.<\/span> This is going to be a top-notch event, with the best possible conditions for all of the participants. I am sure everyone will have a great time.”<\/span><\/p>\n \n \n \t <\/span><\/p>\n \tThe General Manager of the Adriatic League, <\/span>Mr. Roman Lisac<\/span>, said in his remarks to the gathering: “I would like to thank Mr. Shimon Mizrahi for his remarks, and I would like to thank Maccabi for hosting us here. I am happy that everything is ready for the Final Four. Maccabi is a great club, and we never had a doubt that everything would go smoothly. I would also like to greet the other three teams that will be taking part in the Final Four. We are looking forward to some very interesting and tough games both tomorrow and on Monday. The winners will of course receive gold rings.”<\/span><\/p>\n \t <\/span><\/p>\n \t“For us in Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, our experience in this competition has been just fantastic,” said head coach <\/span>David Blatt<\/span>. “It’<\/span>s a wonderful league;<\/span> <\/span>the level of basketball is high. Everywhere we went in the league we were well-received. It’s been a wonderful journey. Obviously, playing at home we feel the responsibility and the need to win. We participated ten years ago in the Adriatic League, I was a member of <\/span>the <\/span>coaching<\/span>staff of <\/span>that team, and we lost in the <\/span>F<\/span>inal. So that’s a precedent we’d like to change. We’re really looking forward to the competition. I wish everybody good luck.”<\/span><\/p>\n \n \t \t <\/span><\/p>\n \tGuy Pnini<\/span>, who will be attempting to win his first European title in this tournament said, “<\/span>We are very happy to be in this event. It was one of our main targets at the beginning of the season, and I’m happy we’ve achieved it. We have two more games to go, and we are focused now on the first one against <\/span>Budućnost; they are a very good team. I think that all of<\/span> the<\/span> four<\/span> teams that have <\/span>arrived here <\/span>are <\/span>the best<\/span> teams<\/span> in this league<\/span>, and this is going to be a high-level <\/span>Final Four with a great atmosphere.”<\/span><\/p>\n \t <\/span><\/p>\n \tHead coach of Budućnost <\/span>Dejan Radonjić<\/span> said, “We’<\/span>ve reached <\/span>an important goal<\/span>, and I think there is less pressure on us than on the other teams. I would like to thank Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, their coach and players, but we are going to do all we can to make it to the Final.”<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/20120427-0158-2.jpg\")
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