Bologna –
Interviewed at the Media Day ahead of the LBA Finals UnipolSai 2024, Virtus Segafredo Bologna captain Marco Belinelli told what is the secret of his performance at the highest level at the age of 38: “You should tell me. I always go on the court to express my talent, with the goal of winning and being an example for kids. I feel good. In the summer I started to work physically earlier than usual with trainers Tibidetti and Panichi, this helped me a lot to face the season in the right way.”
And now there is the big challenge with EA7 Emporio Armani: “Season that has come to the epilogue expected by everyone. Milan is the team to beat and is playing better basketball than in the regular season. It will be a battle and we will try to be ready. There are the conditions to make it in front of our fans. I hope the home-court advantage will count. There is sorrow for last year’s final: the first thought after the victory in Game 4 in Venice went there. We have a lot of charge to do better. They are strong in all positions. We often suffered Shields, but I have great confidence in my teammates, in my defenders: we have an outside department that they envy us and will do everything to stop one of their best.”
Belinelli has a great relationship with all his teammates, like a true captain: “I love all of them, we are a big family and I know what passes in a season: one day you are a hero and the next you are a sheep, but that’s how this world goes. We are very close, I know how hard they work to bring trophies to Virtus. As leadership I took from those I thought were intelligent, humble and with a desire to win, remaining myself. I could say Ginobili, but then it lags behind someone like Duncan, who only needed a glance to let you know how the world works.”
What will be the key to the final? “They are playing great basketball, both offensively and defensively, Messina will be ready as always and we are doing an important job to make something positive happen. Fair to say they are the team to beat, but we are not afraid. I am proud to be in the finals again, now we want to close in the right way. Tiredness? We have played a lot, but each of us knows that there is still something left in the tank. We have three to five games left and there is a desire to finish in the best way.”
