Full Circle Closing: Bryant Dunston against Olympiacos in Final Four / News - Basketnews.com

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On the eve of the Euroleague Final Four in Belgrade, you might be coming across Bryant Dunston's name mostly in the context of EuroLeague's record books. As he is the current holder of the all-time blocks record of the competition, it is all legit.

3-pointers this season

37%9,8Points made:9,8Accuracy:36,6%Place in standings:2Record max:22Record min:4Most made 3FGs:Shane LarkinTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

But actually, he has a much bigger place in European basketball than just numbers.

As he is getting ready for his 3rd Final Four and a potential championship game, Dunston revealed his thought in an interview with Ismail Senol from Bein Sports Turkey.

"I am not someone who cares about the stats that much," Dunston admits.

"In the season where I broke the blocks record, I was not even counting them. I wanted to be the champion and win games. The individual accolades do not mean much if we lose in the end."

Dunston might seem to be settled in Istanbul for the last 7 years, but the US-born and naturalized Armenian center is an underestimated journeyman. As the oldest guy on the team, he is a first-hand witness of all the hardships that Anadolu Efes endured from the very last place in the EuroLeague standings to the top of continental basketball.

"Back then, in my first seasons at Efes, it was really bad. I kind of took it personally because I hate losing. I went home and kept working," Dunston reveals. "I didn't want to be at the bottom of the league. I didn't want to be in the middle of the league. Just the top. That's where I would like to be."

"But regarding our current team, the chemistry that this group built has always been something rare from the first day. It happened out of nowhere, and it happened fast."

"We all focused on one goal, and this has always been our focus in the last four years. Right now, there is the same amount of calm but focused atmosphere in the locker room, and we understand what is at stake right here. We just focus on our next game. We are taking one game at a time," says the forward.

Bryant Dunston

MIN:18.19PTS:7.14 (69.55%)REB:3.34As:0.89ST:0.86BL:0.97TO:0.63GM:35ProfileEuroLeague2021/2022

Regarding Dunston's individual contributions and the overall team effort, this season did not go well for a long time. Efes started the season by losing the first five games out of six in the Euroleague, and even after the mid-season, the playoffs did not seem that certain.

"We were kind of waiting for something to happen," Dunston recalls. "We knew there were adjustments to make, but he hesitated to make them. We lost some games that we even had big differentials. But our best trait is to be able to come back."

"However, it was particularly important for me to come back to Final Four this season because I don’t want people to say, 'Ok, it was one good season, and they won the title.' Every year I’ve been here, we have been very good in the last 4 years. And that's why I wanted to repeat our success once again," Dunston says.

During his different tenures in many different countries, Dunston improved his basketball skills in many different areas to become a complete player. From South Korea to Italy, Israel, Greece, and finally Turkey, Dunston became a master of adaptation and a symbol of longevity at the summit of European club basketball.

During his career, basketball changed abruptly throughout the years regarding the roles of a center.

That includes learning how to play defense against the famous Big Sofo, Sofoklis Schortsanitis, when playing for Hapoel Holon in 2011-12. As he delivered quite frankly and illustrative, it was quite an experience for Dunston.

"When I first came to Europe, there was not much pick&rolls. It was more like 'throw the ball to the big man on the block and let him post it up' type of plays," Dunston rewinds.

"I was not strong enough to deal with some post-up heavy players, and I was going into foul trouble.

So. The Big Sofo was playing for Maccabi, and he was not playing much, maybe 14 minutes per game. But they were throwing the ball to him every possession. He was constantly trying to post it up and my task was to stop him.

I realized that I had to change my body and adapt to this style. I was faster than anybody, but if somebody could push me up like that, that was not meaning much," recalls Anadolu Efes forward.

Dunston also shared how he prepared before the big battles against Sofoklis.

"So before the games against Sofo, I had to sleep well, eat well, and keep one thing in mind while getting back into the defense: not to be pushed around the 3-point line.

Because I knew that when he hit me, I would be pushed back to the free-throw line, and when we hit me the second time, I would be around the rim. Once, he just fell onto me because he got slipped, and my entire life came into my eyes like flashbacks."

It might be overlooked, but Bryant Dunston is one of the players who know a lot about EuroLeague Final Fours. Back in 2015, he played with Olympiacos against Real Madrid in the final. But it was not an easy task.

He was asked to fill the shoes of Kyle Hines, who was the part of the triumphant Olympiacos who won the EuroLeague in Istanbul.

"Kyle is the guy who opened up the path for smaller, faster, and more explosive centers," as Dunston notes.

“When I was in Olympiacos, I saw this mentality: ‘If you don’t win the title, you have not achieved anything’ mantra.

As I told in the Big Sofo example, I finally could match with much bigger players with my enhanced body weight. But then, basketball changed again. This time, I was becoming too slow!” Dunston reflects.

Dunston shared his experience on another transition of being a center.

"In my second year at Olympiacos, coach Sfairopolus asked me to show up while defending pick&rolls. At first, I questioned this and asked why we were not switching and doing this. But he was persistent on that," Dunston says.

"I had to run for a show-up and get back. For that task, I had to adjust my body shape once again," he adds.

Dunston remained in Piraeus for two years and got acquainted with many people who had important places in his life, like his wife and Kostas Sloukas, who became his godfather.

"It's great and feels like a full-circle kind of moment to play against Olympiacos in the semi-final. Just because I will play against some of my friends there where I played a final before. Also, I worked with Bartzokas as well when I was there," Dunston expressed.

"But once the ball goes up, there are no friends. It's only the other people on the court and what matters is my teammates and coach. It is going to be a tough battle."

"I know Olympiacos and their fans too well," Dunston admits. "They will create a hot environment. But we have experience, and we are used to playing these types of games. We focus on ourselves and how we play.”

Likewise, Dunston could potentially play against a familiar old friend/new foe: Sertac Sanli of Barcelona. He seems unfazed:

"That will be awesome. He killed us when we played against him (against Barcelona) in Istanbul, and it will be a tough battle again. I'm looking forward to the challenge if our paths cross once again, but we haven't talked about it all. We'll see," Anadolu Efes forward comments.

Despite having injury problems and struggles to find good form in the first part of the season, Dunston found his groove back towards the EuroLeague playoffs and gave very crucial contributions.

His 1.29 points per possession indicate a good efficiency in the offense, and 1 block per game shows that Dunston is a big defensive threat around the rim no matter what.

"I don't have to be the guy. I just want to be a part of something. That was the reason why I came to Efes in the first place," Dunston admits. "I want to be a piece of a whole puzzle."

Let's see if Bryant Dunston manages to become yet another cog in the machine for Efes to be the first team to defend a Euroleague title for the first time after Olympiacos 2013.

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