We've made it to the EuroCup Playoffs. That's just one of our goals; we have a long way to go, but we gotta take it really just one game at a time. We accomplished getting into the playoffs and now we have to focus on the next task, which is facing Lokomotiv. Obviously, anytime you start something that is the end goal, especially in a tournament like this, and I know we have the ability to do it, I don't think it's wrong to be ambitious. And that's the goal, going all the way, but you know you have to take it one step at a time. Everything is a process and we're just on the next step of the process, and it should be fun. 

Loko is a bit of our rival, so that's exciting. That's something that you know it should be fun. This is my fourth EuroCup season and I have never been so close to the title. It's a great opportunity, the furthest I have ever been, so it is definitely a great opportunity to try to accomplish something big. It is exciting, but at the same time, you know it is still basketball, so you have to take it one game at a time. 

 Like I said, Lokomotiv is our rival. Both teams' arenas are exactly the same. I guess there's not really much of a home-court advantage, it is basically played in the same place. It's a rivalry and that's always fun. It's two teams that are very similar, have a very rich history. I'm looking forward to the challenge. They are a solid team. I think that they're a bit of a different team since we played earlier in the season, plus we play them in the VTB, in which we are also a different team. This time, we will be able to play all of our players, so it is a different look; they had Alan Williams and Jordan Crawford back then, so the lineups are a little different.

They are a great team and to get to the playoffs, they had to go through a lot of adversity. I think that made them a stronger team for having gone through and been able to come out where they're at right now. That's great and we have to what we have to do, focus and try to do our best. It is definitely a different game, but it's still exciting. And more even more exciting because of the rivalry in the VTB League that we have with them. I think they're a few games behind us in the VTB League. I think we're in a second and they are fourth. It's always fun to play somebody that you play in your league, that you know really well. And yes, I'm excited. I think it's gonna be fun. 



I think for us, it all starts on defense. Obviously, our defense has been one of the things that we really pride ourselves on, so I think it's going to all start on the defensive end and they're a very talented offensive team. I think we really gotta be locked in on the defensive end if we want to be able to win and achieve our goal of moving to the next round. So yes, I think it all starts and ends on defense with us. So that, to me, is the key in any of our games.

The quarterfinals are going to be exciting. We have some very interesting series! Obviously, I'm interested to see in the other side of our bracket, Virtus against Joventut. I think that's going to be a really interesting matchup. It should be fun, I am very interested to see how that turns out, obviously, and I think that's a really good series. That's an exciting series that I'm really looking at. And the rest of them, they are good too and I really can't tell you who's gonna come out. It is going to be a battle, I'll tell you that for sure. We play a day ahead of everyone else. We get to know where we stand and we get to watch other teams play, so Tuesday it will be a good day to watch games! That's one of my favorite things to do on the off days: to watch games and especially games that have to do with us and pertain to us. It is gonna be fun.

Both Loko and us are going to play with fans in the stands, which is great! It is going to be one of the most normal playoffs series that they are going to have this year, maybe the only one with fans in all games! So here is a message for UNICS fans out there, who will come to see us play. We have been trying to send a message all year just in the way we have been playing. We obviously want you to come out and support us, and we're a great team to watch. We are fun and we are going to play hard! I'm looking forward to it. It's gonna be fun!

Veteran guard John Holland of UNICS Kazan does not hide his nor his team's ambition in his latest EuroCup blog post on the eve of a playoff showdown against Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar.

John Holland, UNICS: 'It's gonna be fun!'

The 2020-21 7DAYS EuroCup Top 16 was a non-stop battle that finished with only one undefeated team left standing, Virtus Segafredo Bologna. For his outstanding play in leading Virtus to the playoffs and keeping his team undefeated for the season, Euroleague Basketball has chosen power forward Vince Hunter as this season's Top 16 MVP. Hunter led the competition's second phase in performance index rating at 20.7 per game. He ranked fourth in rebounds with 7.2 on average and tied for sixth in blocks with 1.2. He improved his team's overall performance at both ends of the court and took Virtus to a new level that now comes with a guarantee of home-court advantage in the remaining playoff rounds.

The Top 16 MVP award was introduced in the 2016-17 season. Kyle Kuric of Zenit St Petersburg was its first winner, followed by Bojan Dubljevic of Valencia Basket in the 2018-19 campaign and Devin Williams of Tofas Bursa last season. Hunter's teammate Milos Teodosic was the recipient of this season's 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season MVP award.

Hunter improved his numbers in every major statistical category from the regular season to the Top 16. He averaged 6.8 points on 60.5% two-point shooting, 2.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.4 blocks in 10 regular season games. Then, he boosted those averages up to 13.3 points on 69.2% two-point shooting, 7.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks in six Top 16 showdowns. His PIR more than doubled from 8.5 per game in the regular season to 20.7 in the Top 16.

Hunter was consistent throughout the Top 16, recording PIRs of 27 or better in four out of six games and putting up at least one monster game against every opponent in the group. He opened the phase in style, getting 22 points on 9-for-12 two-point shooting and 9 rebounds in a 90-76 win against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana. Next, Virtus went on to face JL Bourg en Bresse on the road, recording an 87-99 victory as Hunter dominated with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Hunter had a very rare perfect game in an 87-65 victory against Buducnost VOLI Podgorica. He posted 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks and 3 fouls drawn without any missed shots, turnovers or fouls committed. Every move he made in that victory counted as a positive for his team. In a battle for first place against Cedevita, Hunter capped a great Top 16 with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks for a PIR of 28, leading Virtus to a 98-108 overtime win.

This is Hunter's second EuroCup campaign, both with Virtus. He started his professional basketball career with Reno of the D-League in the 2015-16 season. Hunter also played for Panathinaikos and AEK Athens of Greece, Avtodor Saratov of Russia, Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA, and Memphis Hustle of the G League. He helped AEK win three titles: the Greek Cup and Basketball Champions League in 2018 and the Intercontinental Cup in 2019. Hunter also lifted the Greek Cup trophy with Panathinaikos in 2016. He will try to go even further by leading Virtus to its first 7DAYS EuroCup title!

Top 16 MVP: Vince Hunter, Virtus Segafredo Bologna

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The 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals feature eight teams that have all previously qualified for this stage. One series pits two former EuroLeague champions against each other, while another is between former EuroCup champs from the same country. Adding to the quarterfinals intrigue, three of the four teams with home-court advantage – Virtus Segafredo Bologna, AS Monaco and Boulogne Metropolitans 92 - have never won a quarterfinals series before.

### AS Monaco vs. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica

This series guarantees a first-time semifinalist. Monaco will play its first-ever EuroCup Quarterfinals game, having qualified last season before the COVID-19 pandemic interfered and stopped the competition, denying its quarterfinals debut. Buducnost is in its fourth quarterfinals, but has never gotten past this stage. Monaco had a 5-1 record in the Top 16, averaging a second-best 91.3 points in six games, which came after allowing a regular season-low 72.4 points. Buducnost, on the other hand, enters this series full of confidence, having won two must-win games to end the Top 16, on the road at JL Bourg en Bresse before dismissing Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana in a do-or-die Round 6 game. Both of those wins have come under the new head coach Dejan Milojevic, who took over the team in late January. Whatever Buducnost does, however, should come as no surprise for Monaco and its Podgorica-born head coach Zvezdan Mitrovic, who spent many years as part of Buducnost's staff and has coached several Buducnost players during his tenure as coach of the Montenegrin national team, including Nikola Ivanovic, who has averaged 15.2 points this season.

### Boulogne Metropolitans 92 vs. Herbalife Gran Canaria

Metropolitans is back to this stage for the first time since 2015, while Gran Canaria has reached at least the quarterfinals in each of its last four EuroCup seasons, including a EuroCup Finals appearances in 2015. The two teams essentially took opposite routes to get to the quarterfinals. Metropolitans opened the Top 16 with a 3-0 record, but needed to rally from 9 points down by hitting a season-high 14 three-pointers in a must-win Top 16 Round 6 game against Partizan NIS Belgrade to advance. Gran Canaria started the Top 16 with a 0-3 record and faced elimination in every game afterward. Led by A.J. Slaughter and his 19.2 points, the team won each of its last three games – the first two on the road before holding off UNICS at home – to reach the quarterfinals. No team still playing in the competition has made more threes this season than Gran Canaria's 11.6 per game, while Metropolitans has made more than 10 three-point shots just three times this season and has averaged 74.5 points during the Top 16, the lowest of any team that qualified for the quarterfinals.

### Segafredo Virtus Bologna vs. Joventut Badalona

Two former EuroLeague champions will clash in a series where Virtus comes in with a 16-0 record and has won its games by an average of 12.8 points this season. Led by regular season MVP Milos Teodosic, Coach Sash Djordjevic's team has averaged a PIR of 107.7, which is second-best in competition history behind only 108.5 set in 2007-08 by – Joventut, which went on to win the EuroCup that season. Joventut is now back to the quarterfinals for the first time since that season. It is second to Virtus with 12 wins this season and it has the offensive production to counter Virtus. While the Italian side leads the EuroCup in scoring (89.2 ppg.), assists (24.8 apg.), and two-point shooting (61.2%), Joventut enters the quarterfinals ranked second in assists (20.1 apg.), third in scoring (86.4 ppg.), and third in two-point accuracy (58.8%). Virtus has its stars on the perimeter, Joventut's strength comes inside with big men Ante Tomic, Vladimir Brodziansky and Conor Morgan. We might see some serious offensive fireworks in this series.

### UNICS Kazan vs. Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar

It's an all-Russian showdown between two former champions and perennial contenders that know just about everything about each other. It is also the third time UNICS and Lokomotiv face each other in the EuroCup Quarterfinals; UNICS has gone through both previous times, first in 2015 and again in 2019. UNICS is entering this series coming off a dominant Top 16, which it finished with a 5-1 record. Few teams have been as up-and-down this season as Lokomotiv, which looked all but eliminated with a 1-3 record, but then won its last two games by a combined 36 points to storm into the quarterfinals. UNICS features two of the best five three-point shooters this season; Isaiah Canaan and Jamar Smith have combined to make 85 three-point shots this season. Lokomotiv has the second-best scoring offense, averaging 87.4 points, and the team leans on small forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas, who was the Top 16 Round 6 MVP to lead Lokomotiv into the quarterfinals.


7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals at a glance

In a must-win situation on the final day of the 7DAYS EuroCup Top 16, Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas stepped up to the task of carrying his team to a win just big enough for a place in the quarterfinals and, in so doing, earned the MVP of the Week award. Lokomotiv clinched its seventh quarterfinals berth in eight EuroCup seasons with a 100-86 win over Dolomiti Energia Trento. Kuzminskas led the way with a career-best 26 points by making 6 of 10 two-point shots, 3 of 5 threes and 5 of 6 free throws. Kuzminskas had another pair of career highs, 37:42 minutes played and 9 rebounds, contributing to a performance index rating of 33, the highest in Top 16 Round 6 and the second-best of his EuroCup career. Two players, Rashawn Thomas of Partizan NIS Belgrade and Mathias Lessort of AS Monaco, came next with PIRs of 31 each. Thomas compiled 20 points, 6 rebounds, 6 steals, 2 assists and 1 block despite his team being eliminated against Boulogne Metropolitans 92. Lessort posted career highs of 21 points and 11 rebounds in a road win over his former team, Unicaja Malaga. Lokomotiv point guard Mantas Kalnietis followed with a PIR of 30 based on his 21 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in that win over Trento, whose center Jacorey Williams was among three players, along with UNICS Kazan teammates Jamar Smith and Jordan Morgan of UNICS Kazan, who rounded out this week's top performances with PIRs of 29 each.

### Individual highs: Rashawn Thomas, Partizan, 6 steals

Jamar Smith had 32 points in Round 6, the most of any player in any Top 16 game this season. Jaka Blazic of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana finished as the Top 16's leading scorer with 21.2 points per game. Lessort of Monaco had 11 rebounds, the most of any player this week. Morgan was the best rebounder in the Top 16 with 9.0 rebounds per game. Kalnietis and Trento's Gary Browne each dished 10 assists to lead all players in Top 16 Round 6. Milos Teodosic of undefeated Virtus Segafredo Bologna ranked first on the final Top 16 assists chart with 7.2 per game. Thomas of Partizan had 6 steals to lead all players this week and increase his Top 16 average to 2.4, joining Marcquise Reed of Nanterre 92 as the co-leaders of that category. Unicaja big man Yannick Nzosa had 4 blocks, more than any player this week. Maxime Roos finished as the Top 16's shot-blocking leader with 2.5 rejections on average.

MVP of the Week: Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Lokomotiv

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Things did not look very good for Herbalife Gran Canaria halfway through the Top 16. Gran Canaria was at the bottom of the standings with a 0-3 record after consecutive losses to Mornar Bar, UNICS Kazan and MoraBanc Andorra. Two of those losses, against Mornar Bar and Andorra, came at Gran Canaria Arena.

Head coach Porfi Fisac's team was in a do-or-die situation for the rest of the Top 16 and it overcame injuries and departures to keep its chances alive. First, it beat Andorra 74-79 on the road, gaining a tiebreak advantage that proved to be critical down the stretch. Gran Canaria went on to defeat Mornar Bar 81-85 in Montenegro, also snagging the tiebreaker. That allowed Gran Canaria to hold its destiny in its own hands - a home win against UNICS would send the Spanish club into the EuroCup Quarterfinals, regardless of any other score.

It was not an easy task, of course. UNICS arrived to this game undefeated in the Top 16, and needed to beat Gran Canaria to secure home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. It didn't happen, as Gran Canaria played close-to-perfect on offense for 30 minutes to take the go-ahead victory.

A.J. Slaughter and John Shurna combined for all the points in an opening 10-2 run which allowed Gran Canaria to lead the game from start to finish. Tomas Dimsa, Matt Costello and Slaughter each struck from downtown, and big man Aleksander Balcerowski added a three-point play that made it a double-digit game, 28-16. Gran Canaria boosted its margin 31-17 after 10 minutes and then again to 47-30 at halftime.

Gran Canaria had better shooting percentages in the first half, which decided the game. Gran Canaria (65.0% 2FG, 42.9% 3FG, 92.9% FT) shot the ball much better than UNICS (55.0% 2FG, 27.3% 3FG, 81.8% FT) and had 14 assists to just 4 turnovers. UNICS had 7 assists and just as many turnovers before the break.

Gran Canaria was without two of its main backcourt players, Stan Okoye and former All-EuroCup First Team choice Andrew Albicy, but Slaughter had an outstanding performance. He finished the game with 24 points on 4-of-9 three-point shooting plus 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block and 5 fouls drawn for a PIR of 22.

"I am exhausted! It was a tough game for us. Everybody knows we are missing two key players, but we fought tonight," Slaughter said right after the game. "We had a 0-3 start in the EuroCup [Top 16] and always believed we could get to this moment and win this game to get us back to the playoffs."

Gran Canaria completed its comeback and is set to play against Boulogne Metropolitans 92 in the quarterfinals. After reaching the EuroCup Finals in 2015, Gran Canaria will see if Slaughter and co. can lead them deep again.

Gran Canaria completes Top 16 comeback

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When facing a do-or-die situation, clubs always prefer to have some experienced veterans to lean on. On Wednesday, Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar was able to rely heavily on its only two players on the roster born in the 1980s; Lithuanians Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Mantas Kalnietis, shouldered much of the burden in a 100-86 victory over Dolomiti Energia Trento that clinched a ticket to the quarterfinals.

The two players combined to play 35.5 percent of the team's minutes, scored 47% of its points (47 of 100), made 60% of its three points (6 of 10), grabbed 37.1% of its rebounds (13 of 35), dished 44% of its assists (11 of 25), collected 75% of its steals (3 of 4), and had 49.2% of its cumulative PIR (63 of 128).

Kuzminskas scored 6 points in an 8-0 first-quarter run and had 11 more in the second quarter as Lokomotiv pulled away. He added 5 points in a 10-0 run early in the fourth quarter for a critical 88-69 lead. Kuzminskas finished with career-highs of 26 points and 9 rebounds.

Kalnietis notched his second double-double of the season with 21 points, 10 assists and 3 steals. The point total was 1 behind his career-best and he tied his career-best in steals. Kalnietis's 33:51 minutes played were also a season-high. He improved his EuroCup-leading assists average to 7.0 per game and stormed into the competition's all-time top 10 in assists, leapfrogging two players to climb to ninth with 323.

Teammates and two-time EuroBasket silver medalists with the Lithuanian national team, the duo has played in countless big games before and were clearly ready for this one. Moreover, they made each other better; 4 of Kalnietis's assists went to Kuzminskas.

Lokomotiv has been a team in flux. Star big man Alan Williams was lost for the season due to a knee injury and top-scorer Jordan Crawford was released. Their replacements, Drew Gordon (12 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists) and Nigel Williams-Goss (13 points, 5 assists), have not been with the team long enough yet to fully develop the needed chemistry. But it is building and when those two, former EuroCup champ Will Cummings and first-year forward Kevin Hervey put it all together, Lokomotiv may just have the talent, versatility and – of course – the experience needed to go all the way in the EuroCup.

Loko's Lithuanian elders led the way in must-win game

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Joventut Badalona arrived at Maurice Thorez in a good position to reach the playoffs from Group E. Despite a home loss in Round 5 against already-eliminated Unicaja Malaga, Joventut controlled its destiny; it needed to beat Nanterre 92 on the road and could even afford to lose by up to 5 points due to its 95-90 home victory against the French powerhouse in Round 2.

Things went south quickly, however, as Nanterre surprised its opponent with a small lineup, leaving center Alpha Kaba on the bench and using Tyler Stone at the '5' position. It paid off, as Stone and Isaia Cordinier helped Nanterre to a 25-17 lead late in the first quarter.

Joventut needed a go-to guy and found one in Ante Tomic. It may be his first EuroCup season, but Tomic was by far the most experienced big man in this game. Joventut ran its offense through Tomic, who finished the first quarter with 14 points. Joventut trailed 29-26 after 10 minutes.

Once Joventut adjusted its defense, the game changed. Joventut capitalized on Nanterre's mistakes, before and after the break. Neno Dimitrijevic, Ferran Bassas and Conor Morgan combined for all of the visitors' points in a 2-12 run that put Joventut ahead for good, 41-47, soon after the break. Xabi Lopez Arostegui had 6 points in a 0-11 run that Albert Ventura capped with a three-pointer to break the game open, 47-61.

Nanterre kept trying until the end and managed to get within 80-84 in the next-to-last minute. Joventut did not panic and found two-time EuroCup champion Pau Ribas, who made 9 free throws without a miss in the final 72 seconds to ensure that Joventut traveled back home with a win and a playoff ticket.

Ribas had 16 points and recorded the club's second-most free throws in a game without a miss (11). Klemen Prepelic downed 12 free throws in as many attempts against Tofas Bursa on January 22, 2020. Tomic and Ribas did what veteran players are supposed to do in big games: make the difference.

"I think we played a really good game and deserve [to be in the playoffs] after a very good season in the EuroCup. We go for the next chapter," Ribas said after the game. "We had the bad luck to play against one of the top teams in the EuroCup [Virtus Segafredo Bologna]. They didn't lose any game and it is going to be a tough series, but it will be tough for them, too, because we have no pressure. We are a young team with a lot of ambition, and we will try to get the win to Badalona."

Joventut will not have the home-court advantage in its playoff series against Virtus, but it offers the club a historical chance for sporting revenge. In 1992, Joventut lost the EuroLeague Championship Game against Partizan Belgrade, 71-70 in Istanbul, Turkey. Sasa Djordjevic buried the game-winning shot in the final seconds, allowing Partizan to grab its first - and to date only - EuroLeague title. Djordjevic now coaches Virtus. Ribas was 5 years old when Djordjevic hit that shot and head coach Carles Duran was 16.

Action resumes for Virtus and Joventut in Game 1 of the quarterfinals, set to take place at Virtus Segafredo Arena on Tuesday, February 23.

Veterans carried Joventut to playoffs

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On Buducnost VOLI Podgorica's second possession of the second half on Tuesday against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, Melvin Ejim finished a four-chance play by leaping for an offensive rebound and sticking it back. On his team's next possession, Willie Reed grabbed a missed Danilo Nikolic three and was fouled. He made the first and missed the second. Nikolic was there for the offensive board, cycled the ball to the perimeter and Ejim buried a long jumper. In the first 3 minutes of the second half alone, Buducnost scored 5 points from 5 offensive rebounds while keeping Olimpija scoreless.

That same rebounding and defensive effort throughout the game made the difference as Buducnost defeated Olimpija 79-66 to clinch a ticket to the EuroCup Quarterfinals for the fourth time in club history. Buducnost outrebounded Olimpija 45-31 for the second most boards in club history. It scored 15 second-chance points from 15 offensive boards. Reed, Ejim and Nikolic accounted for two-thirds of the team's offensive rebounds and more than half of Buducnost's points.

"It was a very tough game. We were physical. We disrupted the best players of Cedevita," Coach Dejan Milojevic assessed after the game. "The defense today was excellent and we showed that we can play great defense for the second game in a row – Zadar in a domestic game and now this. We were really tough and I am satisfied."

That toughness could be seen in what are traditionally known as "hustle stats", which Buducnost won nearly all of. In addition to the rebounding and offensive rebounding, Buducnost also had 3 blocks to 0 for Olimpija. The hosts also made the most of Olimpija's 13 turnovers by converting them to 18 points, while the visitors scored just 7 points from Buducnost's 16 turnovers.

In what was a do-or-die game for both teams – Buducnost needed to win by more than 3 points to advance, otherwise Olimpija would have clinched a playoff berth – the home team managed to squeeze out just a little bit more, to hustle just a little harder, to claim victory and keep its EuroCup season alive.

Buducnost hustled its way past Olimpija

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Despite a 0-3 start to the 7DAYS EuroCup Top 16, Herbalife Gran Canaria has been able to stay alive and arrive at Round 6 with good chances to reach the playoffs. Experienced forward Javier Beiran played a big role in Gran Canaria's Round 5 victory and the team knows it can rely on him in this week's decisive clash against Group H leader UNICS Kazan. Though Beiran is cautious about his team's game against UNICS, he knows his team worked hard for this opportunity and has to make the most out of it, as he said in this EuroCupBasketball.com interview. "We have been improving since the beginning of the season," Beiran said. "If we manage to beat UNICS and make it the playoffs, we can go far and dream of repeating the great results the club had in previous seasons."

**Hello, Javier. Congratulations on a great win in a do-or-die situation. You played a great game. How did you manage to overcome the pressure and get that victory?**

"Thank you. I think we started a little bit soft, being the kind of game that it was, like a final for us. Like you said, if we lost, we would have been eliminated. We had not competed in a month and we paid the price in the beginning of the game. Little by little, we got into the game and started being more aggressive on defense, switching more, and that allowed us to run and share the ball a little bit more. We took the lead early in the fourth quarter. Mornar had a strong start, but once they saw themselves trailing, it was hard for them to bounce back." 

"We play at home and depend on ourselves." 

**That win, combined with MoraBanc Andorra's loss, gives you full control of the situation. If you beat UNICS Kazan, you will be in the playoffs. Even though UNICS has been strong until now, it is surely good news to control your destiny?**

"Yes, of course. We lost our opening three games in a four-team round-robin group stage, we earned the right to play the last game depending on our own result. It is true that we play against the best team in the group, UNICS is still undefeated, but we play at home and depend on ourselves. We will do all we can to make it to the EuroCup playoffs, which was our goal when the Top 16 started. We already played against them and they beat us, playing a good game. They are a physical team that plays hard and won't make things easy for us. But we reach Round 6 with playoffs options and want to make the most out of them."

**UNICS is mathematically first in our group, but is fighting for the potential home-court advantage in the semifinals and the finals. Is that an added problem in such a critical situation?**

"Yes, probably. We were watching the game between Olimpija and Virtus the other day, which went to overtime, and we were all rooting for Olimpija so that UNICS did not need a win to be the top-seeded team in the playoffs. They will give their best, I am sure, because they may have to play against Virtus in the semifinals and want the home-court advantage in that series, so it won't be easy. We don't expect UNICS to be relaxed or sit out any player. Of course, the trip will be tough, but just as tough as the one we made to Kazan, but UNICS will play at full speed."

**How did Gran Canaria handle the four-week break? What allowed you to stay in shape and compete so well against Mornar?**

"To tell you the truth, we didn't play the Copa del Rey tournament and the team sat out in the Spanish League round after that. There are 19 teams in the Spanish League and one sits out in every round and it was us this time. So we are probably the team that played the least during the break. Some players went to the windows and others were given a one-week holiday, which I think was really good for us to disconnect. We kept working out on our own to be physically ready when we were all together again. And once we did, for the 10 days before this game against Mornar, we practiced hard, knowing it was one of our goals to win it, getting physically and tactically ready for it." 

"What my parents taught us, our personal growth, made me be the player that I am today." 

**A.J. Slaughter joined the team midway through the season and is seeing a lot of playing time - almost 34 minutes in Round 5. How has he helped the team since he arrived?**

"He is a great player and is showing it in every game, both in the Spanish League and the EuroCup, with us and also with his national team. He is a very good player and a threat on offense, because he can also make his teammates better, reading the double-team situations opponents force him into. He is a great one-on-one shooter and is playing really well. We had signed him before the start of the season, but he couldn't come due to his heart problems. Since he arrived, he has been a very important player for us. He is playing point guard, but we can also use twin playmakers with him and Andrew Albicy. He probably played at the '2' position more often in the past, but in his last season in Sevilla and now with us, he has been playing '1' and is really generating for the team and creating his own shots, which is one of his main strengths."

**Your father Jose Manuel Beiran is a sports psychologist and a former basketball star. How has he helped you in your career, on and off the court?**

"My parents helped me a lot, not just my father, but also my mother. I couldn't say if the education and values they gave me can be considered as psychological work. I am always asked if my dad did some sports psychologist work on me, but other than some specific day, I didn't work with him, but my parents gave me these values since I started playing basketball as a kid. In the end, it was all about listening to him and the work he did with me and my brothers. I was the only one of us who played professional basketball, but what they taught us down the road, our personal growth, made me be the player that I am today."

**Your father was an Olympic silver medalist with Spain in 1984 and you won the World Cup in 2019. Do you talk and joke about it?**

"Yes, of course! When I came back from China, we had both medals in the same place and we took a nice picture together. We talked about it and compared what meant more, making it to the Olympic final or being a World Champion. On one hand, going to the Olympics, the biggest and most beautiful event as an athlete, is great... but they were second and we were first! You always want to be the champion and that is what we did in 2019. So I would keep that World Cup gold medal. I am not sure what he would pick. He would probably pick the World Cup gold medal, too, because of the winning feeling. But it is also true that the 1984 Olympic silver medal changed basketball in Spain and after that, you saw all the success that followed, with that 1980 generation and the players that were added after them." 

"It is very important to be one of the best teams in the EuroCup." 

**You have been playing in the Canary Islands, Gran Canaria and Tenerife, for over a decade. The word out there is that you are an excellent tour guide. Is that true?**

"Well, yes. I always volunteer to recommend places, not just restaurants, which I also know a lot of, but hidden places that may be overlooked by basic tour guides, both in Gran Canaria and Tenerife. I indeed like to investigate and when I have time, I love to find those hidden corners in both islands. For instance, in Gran Canaria, the Maspalomas Dunes and Roque Nublo are basic tourist spots that everybody knows, but there are many other beautiful places which I recommend visiting. When friends come to Gran Canaria, or even when friends of friends ask me, I always try to help because I have been here for many years. I have been enjoying life in the Canary Islands for 11 years and like to share what I've learned in my time off." 

**This is your first EuroCup season in nine years, since 2012. How great is it to be back?**

"It has been growing, little by little. When I went to Tenerife, I played the Champions League and now that I came back to Gran Canaria, I was excited to be back. I remember my years in [Gran Canaria's former arena, Centro Insular de Deportes] playing in the EuroCup. I played against young players who had long careers. I remember playing against Cedevita, which had Damjan Rudez, Dontaye Draper and Bracey Wright. Rudez went on to play in Zaragoza and then in the NBA. I am mentioning him because he scored 12 three-pointers combined in back-to-back games against us. Draper would play one-on-one and find him all the time. And like him, I played against many other players who had great potential and ended up playing in stronger teams. That makes the competition more prestigious. The EuroCup has very strong teams and a clear idea of where it stands. I am enjoying it a lot."

**Last but not least, Gran Canaria is a classic team in the competition and gives the EuroCup a lot of value. What would it mean for the club, and for you, to reach the playoffs and fight for the title?**

"Personally, and for the club, it is very important to be one of the best teams in the EuroCup. Right now, in the Spanish League, we are not in a situation in the standings which would allow us to qualify for European competition, so we need to improve, but at the same time, we need to reach as deep as possible in the EuroCup. We believe that by playing in the EuroCup playoffs, we can be a dangerous team. We have been improving since the beginning of the season. If we managed to beat UNICS and make it the playoffs, we can reach far and dream of repeating the great results the club had in previous seasons."

Veteran forward and 2019 Basketball World Cup winner Javier Beiran is one of the players Herbalife Gran Canaria will look to during for leadership in its critical clash with UNICS Kazan on Wednesday, which made him a perfect choice for this week's interview.