Partizan’s basketball coach Zeljko Obradovic spoke at a press conference before the first match against Real in the quarterfinals of the Euroleague, which is scheduled for tomorrow in Madrid.
To begin with, the black and white coach spoke about the ambitions of the club from Madrid and the playing quality they possess.
“It is clear to everyone that we are playing against a team that has the desire to win the title, such ambitions do not change. It is clear that this is a team with enormous experience. Sergio Rodriguez, Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Llull have gone through so much behind them both in the club and in the national team. Edy Tavares, Guerschon Yabusele, Gabriel Deck. Players who are experienced. Mario Hezonja and Dzanan Musa, young players from this area, give great quality, Alberto Abalde plays with great energy, they have a combination of youth and experience. Everyone is capable of jumping out and scoring 15-20, even 25 points if needed,” Obradovic said at a press conference in Belgrade.
In the previous match, Partizan was a guest in Podgorica when it defeated Buducnost in an uncertain ending, with a score by Kevin Panter from the free throw line with two seconds left (82:83).
In the last match, Partizan was convincing against Real in Belgrade (104:90), while they were defeated in the first match in Madrid (105:97).
“I expect that the match will be different than these two league matches. They will try to adapt to the way we attack, we knew that too, and we tried to react after returning from Podgorica. Until we go out on the field, let’s see who will be in the lineup. No matter who is in their composition, they will always be favorites. We have no health problems. We want to see what we can do in Madrid. How we behaved both in the league and now. This is specific, three wins are required. I expect it to be at least interesting”, added the coach of Partizan.
The first match between Real and Partizan will be played on Tuesday in Madrid at 20:45, and the second two days later also in the capital of Spain.
A big factor in this series can be precisely Zeljko Obradovic, who was defeated only once in the Euroleague playoffs, and he played 21 times.
“These players have a great opportunity to understand what it means to win a playoff series. As far as I’m concerned, that doesn’t matter, the important thing is that Partizan goes to the Final Four. I can’t be more motivated than this, we were sixth. We want to take those three steps and move on,” concluded Obradovic.
