Let's ride!

May 20, 2012

Friday, April 16, 2010

Let's ride!

Hello again, Eurocup fans! This is Javi Salgado, team captain of Bizkaia Bilbao Basket. You cannot begin to imagine the great atmosphere in Bilbao these days! The press is all over us, and of course our fans. People just can't wait for the Eurocup Finals, and to go to Vitoria and support the team. They are all looking forward to seeing us win the title but we have to keep our feet in the ground. We are a young club that doesn't get the chance to play for a European title very often. Not only can we win a title, the first-ever for the club, but we can double the reward by playing the Euroleague next season. A local newspaper, El Correo, took a team picture of us "riding" Harley-Davidsons, all of us in sunglasses, looking like bad boys! It was great fun, even though I am not into motorbikes much. Some of my teammates like Harleys, however, and it was fun to sit on one even if when we didn't ride them. But who knows? Vitoria is so close to Bilbao, maybe...on second thought, maybe not.

Of course, all we care about right now is the game against Alba Berlin. My teammate Javi Rodriguez missed a Spanish League game, but will be back to help us. He will make an effort to play, for sure, because he is the kind of player that gives everything for the team. Javi is very unselfish on and off the court, so he will be back to help us. Alba is a very solid team, without major weaknesses, very tough to play against. They are a physical team on defense, using their hands a lot, very aggressive - it will be difficult to have a good offensive flow against them. They have great pick-and-roll defense. They also have great offensive players like Derrick Byars, Julius Jenkins and Blagota Sekulic. They can damage any opponent and we must try to stop their backcourt. They generate a lot of options for Jenkins and Immanuel McElroy, who are able to make plays in bunches and break open a game.

I had time to see their point guards, Rashad Wright and Steffen Hamann - both are very physical players. Hamann is a good on-the-ball defensive player who likes to drive to the basket. Wright can score and organize his team's offense. He is a very dangerous player who can hurt you in many ways. They complement each other really well. If they want to improve their defense and intensity, they can use Hamann, or opt to play under control with Wright. We have to make them feel uncomfortable to prevent Alba from playing its best basketball. Apparently, Alba is having injury problems, but we expect them all to be ready to play their best game this season. We are working hard, getting focused for the big game, just like them. Nobody will give you any gifts now, two games away from winning a European title. Whoever steps on court for Alba will give his best, I am sure. Injuries are not a decisive factor in a game like this unless we are talking about severe ones. Everyone will be ready to play.

I want to mention my teammate Marko Banic, the new Eurocup MVP! He is an outstanding player and a great guy. He managed to adjust to Bilbao very quickly and is already a veteran on this team and in the city. He has been here for five years and this is a really well-deserved award, I think. He has been really steady in terms of his contribution to the team. Marko is a key player in our frontcourt, because he is big, mobile, can shoot from outside, finish around the basket, with great hands and a lot of talent. We are very happy for him... We all contributed for him to be the MVP, not as much as he did, but we helped, so let's see if he buys us dinner!

Let's not forget the other semifinal on Saturday. Valencia is seen as the favorite, but I wouldn't discard Panellinios in a do-or-die situation - not even for a second. We have played against both teams this season, so here is my analysis. First of all, both teams are really different. Valencia plays more up-tempo due to the talent of players like Nando De Colo, Rafa Martinez, Matt Nielsen - playing away from the basket and directing his team's offense - or Perovic as the main man in the paint. They try to run the break and play quicker, fun-to-watch basketball. Panellinios plays under control, rarely runs the break and knows exactly what it wants, with a similar playing style to Alba Berlin. They have a lot of talent with a great shooter in Kostas Charalampidis, a good big man in Ian Vougioukas and several veteran American players, especially Devin Smith, who played nearby in San Sebastian not so long ago. It will be a very attractive semifinal, with a battle between different playing styles. Everyone says that Valencia is the clear favourite... but I wouldn't bet too much money on that.

I would like to finish this blog with a message to all Bilbao fans out there. It is very important for us to feel that you fans are backing the team. There may be - I mean, there WILL be - some tough moments during the game in which knowing that you have 4,000 fans backing you in the stands and giving you some support definitely helps a lot, no matter if you are on the court or on the bench. It is something you feel, and we are very proud to know that they will be there for us. We will give our best to beat Alba and fight for the Eurocup title. We cannot guarantee a positive score because basketball is not math, but we will give everything we can to win the game, reach the final and be a little bit closer to the ultimate goal - winning the Eurocup title! So please come to Buesa Arena because the more of you who are there, the better for all of us!

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Javi Salgado - Bilbao, Spain

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