Player analysis: Khimki vs. Köln 99ers
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Khimki vs. Köln 99ers
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Maciej
Lampe, Khimki
 Although injuries sidelined him for much of the regular season, there is little doubt that big man Maciej Lampe of Khimki could become a dominant force the rest of the way. His points and rebounds have increased in each performance, and prior to the Last 32, Lampe led his club to its first trophy ever – the Russian Cup. Now he will look to push Khimki one step closer to its main goal - the Final Eight.
"The ULEB Cup season has been good for us so far. We wanted to be our group champion, but lost against Pamesa Valencia by 3 points over there. The point differential meant that we were second in this group. We weren't happy about that game, especially in the third quarter when they outplayed us totally. We are still positive, looking forward to beating Koln and then facing Joventut, the team that we will probably face in the next round. Koln, however, is the next team on our list."
"I only played three games in the ULEB Cup so far because of an eye injury. The level has been good, Pamesa is a very strong team and the ULEB Cup is a great competition. We are not really worried about Koln's situation. We are preparing well for the game and not taking anything lightly. We have to respect every opponent, try to beat them and get to the next round."
"I have been playing well lately. I have been working hard and trying to get my team to win games. I am playing in Europe now and I want to win, it is the first thing in my life. I am looking forward to playing in the ULEB Cup. We have a great team and a great coaching staff. This is a good situation, we are really excited about it. We really want to get more titles – Khimki won the Russian Cup last week – and we will do our best for that."
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Derek
Raivio , Köln 99ers
A rookie playmaker just coming into his own, Derek Raivio has recently become a central piece of the Koln 99ers backcourt. After a standout college basketball career at Gonzaga University, it took Raivio some time to carve out his niche with Koln. However now, the budding scorer and passer is on his way to taking the reins of the team's attack and could become a key figure as the 99ers try to make some noise in the Last 32. "It has been a kind of slow ULEB Cup season for us, up-and-down, but we made it to the next round. We are without three main players, so it will be interesting to see what happens from now on. The ULEB Cup is a solid competition. In our group, Besiktas was a very tough team, FMP had a lot of young talent, Ventspils was also a great team all-around." 
"I don't know too much about Khimki right now, we still have to study them a little bit, but they are one of the top teams in Europe right now, with a lot of good players. We have to play really well in the first leg to go on to their place with options. We hope that playing the first leg at home is a big advantage, because we will have our fans supporting us right in the beginning of the series."
"Now that some of our players left, I am seeing more playing time on court. I am playing well and I hope to keep doing it against Khimki. Everyone has to step a little bit from now on. It will be a tough matchup, that's for sure. Khimki is a great team and we have to take one game at the time now."
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Friday, February 08, 2008
ULEBCup.com
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