At Sport Mediaset, coach Ettore Messina spoke ahead of the final. Hers. His Olimpia Milan arrives at the best moment: “In the championship probably yes. We also won important games in the Euroleague, against teams that were very advanced. It is the best Olimpia in terms of continuity: in the last 6 games we have always done a little more, this hadn’t happened during the year. This is also thanks to the fact that we managed to play 6 games with the same 12 players, apart from Shields who had a physical problem that made him miss part of the series with Trento.”
Despite this, he doesn’t feel favored over Virtus Bologna. “Not even a little. For two years now, apart from just one time, those of us who played at home have always won, between the Euroleague and the championship playoffs. And in these finals they have the advantage of home advantage. We definitely don’t feel favored. We are facing a very high level team in a series that has become shorter than in the past: a 5-game series has a very narrow margin for error.”
Balance found and Mirotic growing. “We found a good team balance which helped not only him. Voigtmann, for example, played some very good games, Tonut is doing very well. Nikola stands out more because he shoots more often, he has more possessions in which he finishes the action. But everything is the result of a balance and team cohesion that is now different.”
