Hi to everybody from Athens once more... Last time for this season... I am writing to you feeling happy... Just happy... We accomplished our goal, getting the Turkish Airlines Euroleague title. Panathinaikos's sixth title! We felt great joy and lived great moments that are difficult to describe. It's not the first day after the final, not even the second, but the feelings remain the same. It is impossible to forget what we experienced in Barcelona, not to mention all that took place upon our arrival to Greece. We found out that we were not alone; almost 2,000 Panathinaikos fans were waiting for us at 4:30 in the morning and followed us with motorbikes and cars all the way to OAKA. It's unbelievable to see and feel all this love, to see so many happy faces in a difficult period for Greece. We had our difficult times, too, as a team.
It was a strange season for us, because nobody believed in us when everything started. Important players had left the team during the summer, some other players came along… The season could have been a transitional year, since new players were added. But we managed to get to the highest place in the Euroleague once more. It was very important for us, for the effort we made since the beginning of the season. Only thing is that we could not hang on to this joy too much, given fact that the final for the Greek Cup against Olympiacos is just ahead of us, on Sunday, just a week after the Euroleague final. This is the life of a basketball player, of an athlete in general. To go from one goal to another, to try to achieve more and more, to be ready for the next game no matter what has happened in the previous one. We must always try for the best. The entire team...
Basketball is a team sport, but it's almost impossible not to mention two names separately: Diamantidis and Obradovic. What can anybody say about these two? This was the year of Diamantidis. I wish for him always to be healthy. He carried the team on his shoulders all year long. He was our leader since day one, and it was more than fair for him to be presented all his awards. The only thing is that he must be better prepared for the next Final Four: He must have an extra suitcase for all the trophies he earns!
About Obradovic… He is the coach with the most wins, the most trophies and it's nothing but a pleasure to work with him. There are difficulties working with him, but at the same time you cannot feel luckier than if you get to work with him; to be under his commands.
I hope God will help me to remain a part of this team and therefore be able to live the moment that Panathinaikos reaches the record of the eight Euroleague titles, which up until now belongs only to Real Madrid. For the moment I will stick with the sixth. It's not a small number either, is it? I would like to dedicate it to the fans of Panathinaikos, who stood by us during difficult times, like the ones we experienced last year, to my family and to my daughter, who has changed my life. I hope next year, at the next Final Four in Turkey, when she will be a little bit older and capable of understanding more, that she will be able to celebrate alongside us.
Thank you for being there with us all year through and thank you for following this blog, which brought us luck once more...
Take care and enjoy every minute of your life.
