Finals
Game 1
Finals
final
Gran CanariaGCA
7167
Turk Telekom AnkaraTTA
final
Overview
w
w
w
w
w
l
w
w
w
w
Jaka Lakovic, Gran Canaria: 'It is a new situation for me, too'
Article
3 Mins read
Jaka Lakovic, Gran Canaria head coach
"It has been a long road and we are very proud of reaching the final. We are really looking forward to playing this game, but are aware that it will be a tough game in which we will have to put our maximum effort. Turk Telekom is a very good team, tactically very rich, and very physical. They play with a short rotation, something similar to Bursaspor. They didn't make it to the final by accident, but on their own merit. We have a very tough game and will do everything to win it. It is a special game, because it is a game against a maximum-level team, and that is the way we have to face it. We did that in the last four weeks against teams like Joventut and Bursaspor. It will be a similar game on Wednesday, and that is what I will ask my players to do - play with maximum intensity and a lot of concentration to know the things we have to do well, and see where that takes us. We have to docus on the things we must do in each moment of the game, in each possession.
"It is easy to say that we have to enjoy, but nobody is going to escape from the nervousness before the game, it's normal. When you work all season and the time comes, and you are not nervous, something is not right. Once the ball goes up in the air, there will be no room for nervousness. As a former coach of mine, Dusko Ivanovic, said, 'you have to enjoy suffering.' It is a strange sentence but it is right many times. As a coach, I face my first final and it is a new situation for me, too. I have lived many of them as a player, but it is different. As a player, you are nervous and worry about the things you have to do, but as a coach, even more. In the last days, I have been completely focused on the game's analysis along with my coaching staff. Everything is going well until now."
Gran Canaria guard Ferran Bassas:
"We are ready and looking forward to it, as well as everyone in the club, our fans and the island. It is a very tough game, but we are ready. There are no favorites in a final. Whoever made it this far deserved it. It is a single-game final with a lot at stake, so anything can happen. We earned the right to play the final at home and that gives us a lot of credit. They will try to change things but have a well-defined style, with a lot of players able to generate from one-on-one opportunities. I don't think they will change a lot regarding that. What took us here is having a way to play and understand basketball. We must do that, being loyal to what brought us here. Jerian Grant is one of the best players in the competition, with a lot of talent, physicality and able to score from different spots. We have to put pressure on them and not allow them to feel comfortable. We have to take them out of their comfort zone. They don't depend on him only, and we must miniminze their options."
Gran Canaria guard Vitor Benite:
"I think we are very excited and a little nervous, all in a positive way. There are players who naver had the chance to play a final and we have to take all these feeling in a positive way. It is an unique opportunity to make history, and we are looking forward to the game on Wednesday. Luckily, the team has a lot of good players and the chance to do rotations. I was hit in the game against Joventut and we decided that I should rest. I feel well and am practicing with the team. I will be 100% on Wednesday. Every final gives you a different feeling. There are some little things that we all have to do. The first thing is to shake off all the euphoris, because the game has to be won on the court, and we will play against a very talented team really willing to play against us. We have to take care of small details and each other's tasks. We have to take into account that there will be pressure and mistakes will be made, but it's OK, because the team that wins is the one that reacts to those mistakes. We have to focus on the details to shake that pressure off. We will study Turk Telekom to know what we have to do in the game."