Krunoslav Simon, a two-time EuroLeague champion, spoke to Basketball Sphere ahead of the Final Four in Athens.
As someone who lifted the trophy for the best team in Europe on two occasions, he shared his thoughts on all of the teams participating in the Final Four, talked about Valencia’s remarkable run, the coaching growth of Sarunas Jasikevicius, and did not hide that his biggest wish is for Mario Hezonja to win the EuroLeague, which does not come as much of a surprise.
We also took a closer look at both semifinals, where Olympiacos will face Fenerbahce and Real Madrid will battle Valencia for a spot in the championship game.
The overall impression of this EuroLeague season, 20 teams, two new clubs – Hapoel Tel Aviv and Dubai. How much did the arrival of those two teams contribute to the quality of the competition and how did it all look from your perspective as an observer?
“A very balanced season. The arrival of Hapoel Tel Aviv and Dubai with strong budgets actually weakened some other teams, because several great players left for those clubs from teams already competing in the same tournament. Even that is not as big of a problem as the rise of the NCAA.
With so many young and talented players leaving, I am not sure there are enough elite players to fill that many clubs. It was certainly an interesting season. By far the biggest surprise is Valencia, not only in the playoffs, but also during the regular season. Nobody expected this, especially not to see them at the Final Four.
The biggest disappointment is Panathinaikos, especially considering they are the hosts, but taking into account that they finished seventh in the regular season, they did not deserve to be at the Final Four either,” said Krunoslav Simon.
Let us say a little more about Valencia’s huge comeback. Looking at it from a basketball perspective, Valencia won the series 3-2, but Panathinaikos won two games based on individual quality. The result was 3-2, but Valencia outplayed Panathinaikos in all five games and looked like the better team, at least in my humble opinion.
As Dusko Vujosevic used to say: “A team is not made up of the best individuals, but of the group that functions best together.” Following that idea, Valencia absolutely deserved to write its name into EuroLeague history books. How do you see everything that happened?
“I absolutely agree with every sentence you said. In my opinion, Panathinaikos undeservedly won both games in Valencia, but like you said, a team won the series. Fast and modern basketball, a lot of energy, risk-taking, a very avant-garde team in the EuroLeague.
The proof of their character is that they managed to bring the series back to Spain after trailing 0-2 while playing two games in Athens. Very few teams, not only this year but throughout EuroLeague history, could have expected or achieved that, but they deserved it.”
What does the preparation for a Final Four look like for a team? How different is it to play those games, which can completely change some players’ lives? The pressure is different, what kind of atmosphere exists in the locker room?
“It is a completely different sport from what is played during the season, even the playoffs do not carry that level of intensity and psychological preparation. That is where I see Valencia’s biggest challenge and disadvantage, because they will be in that kind of situation for the first time.
I went to my first Final Four at the age of 34, so I already had experience and appearances at the Olympic Games, but you still feel that it is different from everything else. All eyes are on that court, the pressure is different and it is not easy. No matter how relaxed Valencia may seem and how they supposedly have nothing to lose, those games are always more difficult to prepare for.
It is a special environment and psychological preparation plays an equally important, if not even more important role than tactical preparation itself. It will be a very interesting Final Four, practically on neutral ground because there is no true host, and I am really excited about it. I cannot wait to see how the teams handle all of that.”
The Olympiacos vs Fenerbahce matchup is statistically the best offense against the best defense in the EuroLeague. It seems that Sarunas Jasikevicius has gotten more than the maximum out of this roster, with several players stepping into bigger roles. He now has a chance to defend the EuroLeague title as a coach, something he already accomplished as a player, while Georgios Bartzokas is still chasing another trophy. How do you see all of that?
“If someone looked at it from the outside, they would probably say Olympiacos is a slight favorite simply because they are playing in Athens and because they are at the Final Four almost every year. They are the best offense in the EuroLeague, like you said, but I would never count out Sarunas Jasikevicius. Individually, the quality is on Olympiacos’ side, especially in the paint. Fenerbahce does not have players who can play at the level of Vezenkov and Milutinov, but Saras is an old fox.
He won three straight EuroLeague titles as a player, this is already his sixth Final Four as a coach, and he won the trophy last year. He is at an even higher level as a coach now than he was four or five years ago. It is a very interesting matchup and I am sure Jasikevicius will find some kind of surprise to put Olympiacos in serious trouble. If we only look at the players, I give a slight edge to Olympiacos, but my feeling says Fenerbahce could pull off an upset,” explained Krunoslav Simon.
Real Madrid quietly reached the Final Four, playing fantastic basketball at home but showing some weaker performances on the road. Coach Sergio Scariolo has enormous motivation to add a EuroLeague trophy to his collection.
However, the big disadvantage for Real Madrid is that Walter Tavares will not play. You had the chance to play against him, and the stats do not fully show how much influence he has on Real Madrid’s game. How do you think they can compensate for that absence?
“Real Madrid’s entire system has been built around Tavares for the last seven or eight years. It is a very specific system because he is a unique player that no other team really has. Because of that, Real Madrid will have to change some concepts, but they still have a lot of players and options.
Coach Scariolo rotated a lot this season, using more of an American-style substitution pattern where everyone knows exactly when they are coming in and out. I am not a fan of that type of thinking in Europe, but they reached the Final Four, so you cannot question the experience Scariolo has.
They definitely have more depth than Valencia, but after watching Brancou Badio, Jean Montero, and those five games against Panathinaikos, I would not dare to say they are favorites. If those guys play at a high level, Real Madrid will have serious problems. What helps Real is experience, they have many players with Final Four and championship experience, players who have been at the top of the EuroLeague for years, while Valencia has none of that. A very interesting matchup.
My friend and my player Mario Hezonja plays for Real Madrid, so of course I will support him with all my heart, but if he were not there, my sympathies would definitely go to Valencia.”
Mario Hezonja had an outstanding season, so what you said served as a perfect introduction to the next question. He has always had personality, confidence, and tremendous talent, but even beyond the numbers, this may have been the most mature season of his career. You know him very well, and he belongs to that category of players capable of scoring 30 points against anyone. Is he the most important factor on this team?
“He is definitely the most capable player, probably in the entire EuroLeague, of doing exactly what you said – scoring 30 points against anybody. He matured a lot this season, he plays much differently now and has more assists. He is involved in parts of the game where he used to be absent.
When I said Scariolo coaches with an American-style rotation system, I am not sure that really benefits Hezonja. He is a player who can easily play 37 minutes and score more than 40 points, and there are very few players in Europe capable of that. We will see in which direction things go at the Final Four. Coach Scariolo will almost certainly shorten the rotation without Tavares and give more minutes to the players he trusts the most.
If Mario Hezonja gets into rhythm, very few teams have an answer for him. Of course, solely because of him, I will support Real Madrid because I truly want him to win that trophy.”
There has been a lot of talk about players labeled as disappointments in the EuroLeague, especially those who arrived with major NBA experience. Personally, does Talen Horton-Tucker seem like one of the rare cases of a player who adapted almost immediately and turned out to be a perfect signing?
He showed physicality, speed, penetration, the ability to dunk, push the pace in transition, and that was exactly what Fenerbahce and coach Jasikevicius needed after losing some key pieces from last year’s championship team, especially Marko Guduric and Nigel Hayes-Davis.
“I see we think exactly the same way about Horton-Tucker (laughs). Probably, after Kendrick Nunn, he is the player who came directly from the NBA and showed the biggest dominance in his first EuroLeague season. He does not play exactly like Nunn, who is purely a scorer, Horton-Tucker is a different type of player. He has unbelievable physical tools and, alongside Biberovic, he is probably the most important player for Fenerbahce. I expect him to be at his best during the Final Four.
You also have to consider that he is a defensive machine. He will be fully ready, not only to provide everything he gives offensively every game, but also to stop Olympiacos’ best players. Definitely one of the best players in the EuroLeague and a perfect move by Fenerbahce and Sarunas Jasikevicius.”
How good is it for the EuroLeague and for the positive image of basketball that Valencia, a team with a much smaller budget compared to the competition, reached the Final Four through system-based work and smart planning?
“It is encouraging for all of us and that is the essence of sports. Money alone does not play. Manchester City invested 20 billion and after years of trying they only managed to win the Champions League once. All of these people investing their money into clubs are very important, interesting from a media perspective, and there should always be a little spark off the court as well, but Valencia is the perfect example that money is not everything. With a smart plan, a sustainable sports philosophy, and excellent player selection, you can reach the very top.
They are now just two games away from the title, with probably half the budget of the other Final Four teams, and even less than some other clubs that were considered title contenders. If they were not playing against Real Madrid and my guy Hezonja, I would support them to win it all. If they manage to do it, they will absolutely deserve it, and even now they are already a beautiful story that will be remembered…” concluded Krunoslav Simon in his conversation with Basketball Sphere.
