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EUROLEAGUE INTERVIEWS 2006-2007 |
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There was one big winner at Final Four weekend who went quite unnoticed by the majority of fans - even though he was very much one of them and a champion in his own right. Jorge Martinez, the 2006-07 Fantasy Challenge winner from Valencia, Spain, had the time of his life as Euroleague Basketball's VIP guest throughout Final Four weekend in Athens. The special privileges Jorge enjoyed are almost too long to list: a flight to Athens for him and a friend, an executive room at the headquarters hotel where all the Final Four teams stayed, VIP passes to all games and to the Gala Awards Dinner, where he was the last person brought on-stage to be recognized with the best Euroleague players of the season. Finally, Jorge and his friend were allowed on the floor after Panathinaikos won the final to join in the celebration. After returning home, Jorge talked to Euroleague.net about his once-in-a-lifetime weekend. "We couldn't ask for more," Jorge said.
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(Wednesday, May 16, 2007)
Panathinaikos
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In the history of European basketball, the 2007 Final Four at Athens Olympic Indoor Hall (OAKA) will be forever associated with victory by Panathinaikos and the role of Dimitris Diamantidis as MVP.
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(Monday, May 14, 2007)
Panathinaikos
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It is time to consider the obvious: we have before us, in the prime of his career, not merely Europe's most successful coach, past or present, but one of the all-time greats to ever sit on a basketball bench.
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(Friday, April 27, 2007)
CSKA Moscow
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His team will remain champion until another is able to stop it - whether in the 2007 Final Four or beyond - and until that moment, CSKA Moscow head coach Ettore Messina is at the top of his profession, too. |
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(Friday, April 27, 2007)
Unicaja
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If there is any coach who can teach his players about what a unique opportunity the Final Four represents, it is Sergio Scariolo of Unicaja. Despite performing at the top of his profession since 1990, when he became a head coach, the chance to live through a Final Four has come only once for him until now.
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(Friday, April 27, 2007)
Tau Ceramica
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When one of the most ambitious teams anywhere needed a new head coach to continue its already stellar Euroleague season, Tau Ceramica did not hesitate to call on Bozidar Maljkovic. He was not only the most successful coach available, but also the second-biggest winner of the entire Final Four era.
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(Friday, April 27, 2007)
Panathinaikos
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This season marks the end of the second full decade in which European clubs have been using the Final Four to decide a champion. More than half of those Final Fours have had Panathinaikos head coach Zeljko Obradovic as a protagonist. His debut appearance came as a player with Partizan at the very first Final Four in 1988.
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