Coach Simone Pianigiani met the media today to talk about the upcoming EuroLeague season. Here some of the thoughts that he expressed.
About the team – “I want to see a proude team. Physically and mentally the season will be tough but we want to get more wins. Last season we played a lot of close games that we lost. Now it’s time to win more close games. The mental strenght of the team is going to be key. This week we’ll play in Podgorica on Friday, then in Bologna on Sunday and we are well aware that the defending Champions of Real Madrid are coming to town on Wedsneday. And whatever happens against them, on Thursday we will be on our way to Athens. Then by Sunday we have Pistoia and we think about the past and not about the future, we’ll be in trouble. That’s why we need to be mentally strong”.
About the start – “If you start the season well then you’ll come to the gym happy and with more enthusiasm. But with this format, you can get depressed because you lose some games. Baskonia started 0-5 last season and it made the playoffs. The season before it was Efes”.
About Milan potential – “Three teams are beginning the EuroLeague thinkins about winning it all, Real Madrid, Cska and Fenerbahce. But all the other teams are playing for the playoffs, to compete for the playoffs. The difference between making the playoffs or not could be irrelavant. And you need to get some big wins. Even the best teams are going to experience difficulties, injuries and some times they could be vulnerable. I’d like for Milan to stay legitimately behind the best, in the group of teams competing for a post-season spot right through the end. At the end the goal is to feel like we made some more strides in the right directions. It’s not about winning one game more or less. Then I know the story: twice I made the Final Four as a head coach and both times we were coming from big changes and went that far unexpectedly. You got to be ready to ride the momentum”.
Milan home court advantage – “It’s up to us to create the best atmosphere, and to be able as a consequence to win some more home games. In the Italian league playoffs, our fans were crucial in helping us. I’d like for them to be that decisive in the EuroLeague right from the beginning, regardless of the opponent. We want to live some special nights, beat some big teams”.
About depth – “Compared to other teams we have couple of players less, but that’s what we wanted. We have many players who are capable to play multiple positions. Mike James for example is our point-guard but he can play along Andrea Cinciarini just like he did in Athens with Nick Calathes; we can play with Nedovic and Della Valle together; we can use Kuzminskas at both the 3 and 4 spot; we can finish a game with Micov at the 4 and so on”.
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