15 years have passed since David Blatt's amazing win with the Russian team at the European Championship held in Spain in 2007.
As in many cases in the career of the Israeli-American coach, this time too the Russians surprised against all predictions and amazed France in the quarter-finals, the strong Lithuania in the semi and the host Spain with its host of stars with an unforgettable 59:60 from a dramatic basket by JR Holden.
"This entire tournament was in Spain," Blatt recalled in a special conversation with Israel Hayom.
"Spanish basketball is very popular in the country and there were games with a lot of people on all the courts and it was beautiful. People there love basketball and we felt it. I remember the tournament as if it were yesterday, and what I remember most is that no one expected us to go far, certainly not to reach the highest stages late. Only as time went by did they start paying attention to us. Of course no one thought we could win a medal. Today a lot of people complain that there is not enough rest, but then the tournament was longer with more intensity and no one complained. We understood how to conduct ourselves and how to use the players at our disposal To get to the games in the best condition."
The Russian team is happy.
"No one gave us a chance", photo: FIBA
No one thought you would go far, but you did think and feel that you could do something great?
"I didn't think we could win Eurobasket. I did know that we were a team with a lot of abilities, especially on the defensive side, we were the best defensive team in the tournament in almost every parameter, and we weren't bad in attack either. Our main strength was in defense. We were very long, athletic, physical and tactical In this way we surprised and beat many teams that were not ready."
"No one gave us a chance to beat Tony Parker's France, Lithuania with Charas, Siskauskas and Klaise, nor Spain in the final. It was a very strong team with current and future NBA players and everyone expected it to win the title. It was a favorite to win at least by 15, and they really led by 15 during the game. We came into the game and we wanted to control the tempo because we knew they had great players with great offensive abilities like Gasol, Calderon, Navarro and others, and we knew that our only chance was if we controlled the tempo, Nate game and make them nervous. In the second half we changed our defense and they couldn't find themselves and started to get stressed. As soon as we got the opportunity we knew how to take it."
secretly.
"We got an opportunity and we took it", photo: Reuters
The fact that the tournament was in Spain put a lot of pressure on the Spaniards in the final and helped you?
"There is always pressure on the home team. But they were such favorites that they waited for the celebrations and thought less about the pressure and really started the game crazy, but we slowly slowed them down with our defense and then put them under pressure when they realized it wasn't going to be easy."
Jokic, Yannis and Luka out? David knows why
Blatt (63), who currently serves as the chairman of the professional committee of Maccabi Tel Aviv, knows how to praise his big star in the same tournament, Andrei Kirilenko, who was also chosen as MVP of the championship.
"Andrei, in my eyes, is one of the greatest European players of all time. He is a special person who knew how to positively influence his teammates. He is not only a great player, but also a great personality in every sense. It is not enough to be the most talented player, more than that is required. He is a first-rate personality And he had a big impact on what we did."
Kirilenko.
Blatt congratulates him, photo: AP
We see that the current EuroBasket also has many big surprises. What is special about this tournament that causes so many surprises?
"There are many differences between playing in the NBA and European basketball. I'm not saying which is better, but I'm stating a fact. One of the big differences is that in Europe basketball depends more on teamwork and in the NBA it depends more on the individual. You have to be aware of this style and EuroBasket has to build the The team in this way. That's why the three best players in the tournament and maybe even the best in the NBA, Jokic, Janis and Luka, did not succeed with their team. It does not detract from their value at all, but it is a completely different game in many ways and this is one of the main reasons for the surprises ".
"The coach's ability to introduce the stars from the NBA to the system played in Europe is not easy at all and sometimes you don't succeed sufficiently. That's why the teams of these three stars didn't even reach the semi-finals. What's more, when you get to the knockout stages, it's one game and anything can happen - A matter of a day, of tactics, pressure, injuries and fatigue. These things can determine."
Who do you think will win the championship?
"In my opinion, the favorite team today is Germany. They play the best basketball, they have a great team, the coaching staff does a great job and the crowd is behind them as well. Basketball in Germany is on a crazy rise and it's nice to see that. This Eurobasket is the goshpenka for the progress of German basketball and I'm happy about it ".
"I see Derrick Nowitzki sitting in the games and enjoying himself, he has a big part in the progress. He is the greatest in the history of German basketball. Like Kirilenko, he was both a great player and a huge personality, and he symbolizes a lot of positivity in relation to German basketball."
German national team.
David Blatt's favorite, photo: Getty Images
Finally, you won the Euroleague with Maccabi Tel Aviv, you reached the NBA finals with Cleveland and with Russia you won an Olympic medal, where do you rank winning the Eurobasket in your list of achievements?
"The atmosphere in national teams is something completely different. It's a different type of competition. I can't compare them, because it was something completely different. It was something special, also thanks to winning of course, but also thanks to the way we did it against all the odds ".
Blatt concludes by referring to the happenings in the country he knows so well and has worked there for many years both as a national team coach and as a team coach.
"I remember those days in the Russian national team very fondly, but unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world and especially today when, unfortunately, politics wins the sport. I hope that this period will pass soon and that the sport will win and that other terrible things will not happen."
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