Vladimir Micov: 'I never liked playing against Real Madrid' / News - Basketnews.com

Vladimir Micov admitted that he never held warm feelings toward Real Madrid and their players in his playing career. He thinks the return of Kevin Punter and the absence of Gabriel Deck will swing the series in favor of Partizan in Game 5.

Credit: ZUMAPRESS.com - Scanpix Credit ZUMAPRESS.com - Scanpix

The EuroLeague playoff series between Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and Real Madrid has seemingly had it all. There was a game-winner, there was a fight. There were injuries, there were suspensions, and there was a tragedy amidst all the basketball action.

Real Madrid / Schedule

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade Real Madrid80-82 Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade Real Madrid78-85 Real Madrid Partizan Mozzart Bet BelgradeWed19:00

The series is now going to Madrid once again where the teams will meet for the fifth time, which will decide which club will be going to the Final Four.

Talking about the match, former EuroLeague player Vladimir Micov told in an interview with Nikola Stojkovic from Mozzart Sport that he didn't hold warm feelings toward the Spanish club in his playing years.

"Let me tell you, throughout my career, I never liked playing against Real," he said. "They don't tolerate contact, which I always hated. When you start hitting them, they whine, complain to the referees, and annoy you. That happened in the first two games, Partizan knew how to balance it and that's why they won."

"Then in the third and fourth games, the complete opposite happened because Real had nothing to lose. That fight happened, the penalties were enforced. They realized that they have to catch the last train, and if they don't win - the season is a disaster," Micov explained. "They tried everything and succeeded."

After being victorious in the first two games of the series, Partizan returned to Belgrade with a comfortable lead. All that was left to do was win one of the two matches in the Stark Arena while being cheered by their record-breaking crowd.

Micov is sure that it ignited an extra spark in Real players and might have caused some unneeded pressure for Partizan.

"Neither of them expected something like this, namely, that Partizan would return home with two wins and that Real would have to fight it out in Belgrade and succeed [to tie the series]. Likewise, the public already saw it as 3:0 in the sold-out Arena. It was said that even the stadium in Humska would not be enough [to fill all the fans], and we all expected 3:0," Micov recalled. "Unfortunately, due to the way the second game ended, Real came out on the floor with a special motive, while we might have thought it would be easy, and you saw what happened."

2-pointers this season

58%20,6Points made:20,6Accuracy:58,1%Place in standings:5Record max:31Record min:13Most made 2FGs:Walter TavaresTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

When Partizan were on the brink of capturing their second victory in Madrid in a row, a massive brawl happened that changed the course of the entire series. Guerschon Yabusele was suspended for 5 games, while Kevin Punter was given a two-game ban.

Neither of them played in Belgrade this week. However, the Partizan star will return to the roster in Madrid. At the same time, Gabriel Deck will not be able to help Real Madrid after suffering an MCL tear in Game 4.

"It will mean a lot," he said about Punter's comeback. "The problem for Partizan will be the absence of [Aleksa] Avramovic. That's one less player in the rotation of backcourt players, Deck will not play for them. Every player is very important for the black-and-whites. Real are weakened in the frontcourt, especially if Poirier doesn't play."

"Real have that slight psychological advantage because of the way they came back into the series," Micov continued. "There are a lot of experienced players there, who have played big games, played in final tournaments, and won trophies."

With the teams going into Game 5, one of them will certainly become the first to do it in EuroLeague history. So far, no team has won the series after trailing 0-2 in the series. At the same time, no away team has won Game 5 since the new format was introduced.

"There is a first time for everything," Micov said. "Punter is coming back, he proved to be a very important player, we will see how he will look on the court after so much time without competitive basketball, considering that Partizan have no games in the ABA League."

"It affects the player, especially in this situation when you [usually] play every two or three days, and then you don't have a game for ten. As a Partizan [supporter], I'd like them to qualify for the Final Four, they've played well and deserved to go further."

Thank you for reading us! We have even more content for you.