Basketball Cheat

Yugoslav basketball still hasn't hit Europe but there's more talk of it than ever before. In expectation of the return of the national team to the international scene (qualifications in Sofia on May 31-June 4 and the European championships in Athens June 22-July 2) and clubs to the European cups next autumn, the "best basketball players in Europe" are playing triumphantly all over the continent.

The games in Saragosa will also see Paspalj, Vrankovic and Pecarski for Panathanaikos as well as Tarlac, Tomic and Nakic for Olympiakos. Enough to prove the dominant role of Yugoslav basketball.

In a recent interview to the Spanish basketball weekly Gigantes del Basket, Limoge coach Bozidar Maljkovic explained: "We're the best. It would take a lot of time to explain but in short that formulation is the shortest and most exact explanation."

Maljkovic, the European coach with the most trophies, explained why for VREME: "Because we had Aca Nikolic and Ranko Zeravica, founders of our basketball school which is now the most influential in Europe. We also had good organization, smart policies, we learned for a long time and matured and then some natural elements came in such as spirit, imagination." The genetic heritage of the so-called Dinara man are a huge advantage. In Herzegovina, Dalmatia and Montenegro you have big healthy boys, made for basketball. Add talent for all sports with a ball to that and work above all."

Zeljko Obradovic was also asked why we're the best and he laughed: "Because God is a Serb. I'm joking, but that's what they say here and my assistant kept saying all season: Zeljko, don't worry, God is a Serb, we'll win." We had people to learn from and the most important thing in creating a great player are the coaches. Later players pay back more than they owe and I am extremely grateful to all my players who helped me get to where I am."

The European league has seen that kind of final since 1987/88; just one final four winner has been without a Yugoslav coach since then.

All the predictions before Saragosa put Maljkovic or Obradovic at the top.

Today, the two are fashionable coaches. They have many similarities but great differences as well. Their greatest similarity is their firm character or Mano Dura (strong hand) as the Spanish say. Maljkovic's career saw that character trait grow gradually until he realized just how superior his knowledge was to everyone else. Obradovic has been like that since he started. He's younger and more impulsive than Maljkovic and perhaps that's why he let's fly an imprudent statement on occasion; he said recently that referees in Spain treat Real differently, then added "Perhaps its because I'm Yugoslav".

Their coaching style is similar; strong defence and adapting their game to the players they have not vice versa. Interestingly, Maljkovic opened the road to Obradovic twice. The first time in the summer of 1993 when he refused to coach Juventud but recommended Obradovic. The second time was last summer when he refused Real Madrid. Maljkovic opened the door to Europe for Obradovic and the younger man did his best to push them wide open with a European championship title.

So it's Zeljko versus Boza. So far, the score is 2-3 in titles. One of them goes to the finals.