“Virtus-Olimpia, final show Word of coach Dan Peterson”

The interview

He has seen and lived so many, in 49 Italian years not only inside the basketball enclosure, that he does not have to hide behind clichés. And if Dan Peterson, 86 years old but a twenty-year-old brain and gab, puts the stamp of absolute quality on the upcoming championship final, contested for the second year in a row by Virtus Bologna and Olimpia Milano, it is to be believed. . Maybe even listening to some suggestions from the former coach, manager, commentator for the enhancement and the best exposure of the product of the series that will award the flag.

Starting from the idea for which he has just published “All Dan Peterson’s Basketball. Basic rules, techniques and schemes for learning with the coach “(Centauria editions):” I wanted to make a book for everyone, at 360 degrees. It is no coincidence that I always say that basketball is a sort of triangle made up of players, the public and the mass media ».

For this triangle, Peterson, what kind of final will Virtus-Olympia be?

«My goodness, this final is a dream. For everyone. Opposite the two teams with the most titles, the strongest, the richest, the most followed, with the two most successful coaches. There is everything to have fun and see a great show. Milan has 28 league titles, Bologna 16. Both, then, also have a great European dimension: Segafredo has just won the EuroCup and next year they will make the Euroleague; AX Armani, after last year’s Final Four, made a more than decent Euroleague, going out with Efes which won the competition ».

Even on the bench, with Sergio Scariolo on one side and Ettore Messina on the other.

«They are the best coaches on the square, they have triumphed everywhere, they are the best. Sergio has won many titles as head coach, with Spain, Pesaro, Real and Malaga, and also an NBA champion ring as deputy to the Toronto Raptors. Ettore is in the Fiba Hall of Fame: he has won everywhere, even a historic silver with the national team at the European Championships in ’97, and despite not training for a long time in Italy he has become the record holder of victories in the Serie A playoffs ” .

In the dualism Scariolo-Messina, do you see the one between you and Valerio Bianchini at the time of the Milan-Rome final?

“That dualism was especially triggered by Bianchini, an adorable pain in the ass. Messina and Scariolo are more diplomatic and times have changed. For me, the most fitting comparison is with another dualism in the early seventies: that between Cesare Rubini, the Milan coach, and Aza Nikolic, the Varese coach. The three play-offs in which three championships were played in a row marked the boom of Italian basketball. And this can be repeated with Virtus and Olimpia ».

The real show, however, is done by the players: in this voice, Virtus and Olimpia, how are they put together?

“I see wizards on both sides: Teodosic, Rodriguez. Defense magician Hines, rebounds Shengeila. And then Hackett, Datome, Belinelli, Melli. But it doesn’t end here … ”

Please continue ..

«Virtus has a defender like Pajola, who was fundamental in their success in the second leg in the league. And then I see a Mannion recovering: it can be a very important factor. On the other hand, however, there is someone like Shields: if I were Scariolo I would not sleep at night to think about how to mark him. He would almost serve as a reincarnation of Michael Jordan. “

Would you live this final better as a coach or as a commentator?

«Better as a coach, but I’ll let him do it to Scariolo and Messina. Of course, if someone offered me the microphone for race-7 I wouldn’t hold back ».

You are also a double ex, how do you live it?

“Neutral. Emotions cannot be weighed. With Virtus I won an Italian Cup, when Serie D teams were also facing each other, and my first Scudetto. In Milan I did the Grand Slam and won everything. If I have to make a prediction, but it is very difficult and I can make a mistake, I say 4-3 for Olimpia. I will enjoy the show ».

Show that can relaunch the entire movement?

«Absolutely, indeed I would also show the games on Rai 2 or Rai 3, not only on RaiSport. This final, together with the national team at the European Championships, can be the springboard to bring basketball back to the popularity of the boom years ».

Your opinion on the Sacchetti-Pozzecco alternation, barely three months from the European Championship, on the bench of the National team?

«It is not true that Pozzecco has no experience. If I can give him some advice, choose two great deputies: they can facilitate him in many aspects of the work. I understand Sacchetti’s regret: the Italy of the PreOlimpico was the national team closest to perfection I have ever seen. But, despite the criticisms, I also understand Petrucci: he has always shown that he has the magic touch in choosing the Azzurri coaches ». –

© breaking latest news