Dimitris Itoudis, CSKA Moscow head coach
"Good evening everybody. It’s always a pleasure and I feel honored to be once again here at the final stage of a great organization, Euroleague Basketball. Regarding this season, it was challenging. It was challenging for all of us due to the pandemic, restrictions, injuries and everything. But as I said to my players, when you make it happen, you will always remember with fondness those memories when you shared the hardship. We shared a lot of hardship this year. When you know that you have people on your left side and on your right side that can help you go through the hardship, that makes you come closer and become a real team. And this is what we enjoy. I think fans also enjoyed this: watching team basketball and very competitive basketball in the EuroLeague."
On the obstacles CSKA has faced
"Your question makes me think how simple things are. In a few seconds, you mentioned all the drama we had as a club - from the president to the players and everybody. It was a really challenging year. But the fact that we stood united and the fact that the players talked a lot and they embraced the moment and they saw the potential that we have is actually what we are fighting for, and what we are fighting against. Obviously, we are playing great opponents throughout the season, great opponents here in the Final Four, but we also compete with our potential. And that’s what we’re doing every day. When you see that you have potential, it’s a pity to waste it. Things could have happened other ways: could have gone south as we say. But because of the players and the commitment and the decisiveness that they have we’ve seen a different team. It’s not easy for the coach or the management during the season to create another re-start. But we did it as a team and all the congratulations should go to them because they did it. They made it happen on the court."
Is it different coaching at the Final Four after renewing his contract
"Those eight Final Fours with Panathinaikos, it was a great club, it still is. A great club, great fans, a great organization. The six Final Fours with a big club like CSKA, we are proud to defend the colors and the history of CSKA. Regarding the other question. I can only be thankful to Andrey Vatutin and Norilsk Nickel and all the people that support our job. It’s obvious that something good is happening in all these seven years. We wanted to extend that. The fact is that we are working together and sharing a lot of common expectations and desire and the fact that our tank is not empty, we still have the fire and we still have the desire. And actually, I’m not working. I’m enjoying every day. I have great fun. It’s not work. When you go to work with so much pleasure and so much enjoyment when you see these kinds of people having fire, you’re not working. It’s not a burden. It’s a joy to go there and work for this club and those people."
On rebuilding the team mid-season
"In answering this question I can also bring into the talk Will Clyburn. I have Will Clyburn and the other players. It’s not easy, but they made it happen. When they come together, you see them fight through that and that they really believe in what they have as a team and unit. I’m proud of that."
The biggest challenge on Efes
"Efes is a great team. They play great together. You might say this is a repeat of the 2019 championship game. They have the same coach, the same players and the same great philosophy. That’s obvious. We’re facing a lot of things. But it’s not going to be only one and the moment will show us the way. But we’ve been there. We practice ourselves to be challenged. The Efes team can definitely shoot the ball very well. They move the ball very well. They have multiple creators - from the bench or starters. Simon is very important with all due respect to Micic and Larkin. They have other players who can step up. I can mention all the players. But we definitely need to do something to distract them in order to make it difficult. Or if the moment shows that we can pretty much shoot the ball well and create the ball well, we might play an offense-minded game. We don’t know right now. We have several plans and we have been working on them. We have been in the shoes of being the favorite many times. And then all of a sudden 3 minutes decide the game. I’m not just throwing all our hopes to luck. There are certain details we will use. We will try to contain them - not to stop them. They cannot be stopped."
About his pride in this team
"It makes us proud how this Final Four happened for us. You can see how the players use every practice and video session. And they make it happen on the court, which is the difficult job. For me to theoretically bring up ideas and to try to lead them, it’s a different perspective. But for them to make it happen is tremendous. But we’re not just here to enjoy what we have accomplished. In the past, I have told my players, let the success rest in peace. That belongs to the past. And the past cannot define the future. For us now, the real moment is the one that matters. We want to compete the best possible way."