Basketball Playoffs: Fortitudo challenges Cantù with captain Fantinelli on the front line

Here we are, we are entering the decisive phase. We are at the playoff and to give the charge at home Fortitude it could only be the captain, Matthew Fantinelli. Experience, quality, charisma, the Fante is one of the cornerstones of the locker room that from tomorrow challenges Cantu in the quarterfinals.

First of all, how is Fantinelli? "Good, I have pubalgia that has been bothering me for over a month and that I haven't overcome and I have to manage. I've been working for 8 months and even if I'm not XNUMX% I want to be there".

Tomorrow is already game one. "We're facing a very strong team like Cantù, we know it will be a tough quarter, but it will be tough for them too. We want to play it without any fear".

What series do you expect? "In the playoffs the physicality grows. In front of us we will find the one that from this point of view and not only is the strongest in the championship, with quality of Serie A".

The most dangerous opponent? "I struggle to name just one. Basile, Moraschini, Okeke, McGee just to name a few but there are many others".

On defense, she always gets the most talented opponent. "I have a two-dimensional role based on the phase of the game. In modern basketball, with rotations and changes, you start on one opponent and mark another in the same action, but in fact I'm usually the foreign outside guard."

So McGee? "Probably. I'll try to stop him knowing I'll be facing the best guard in A2."

How important is the home field factor? "For me, a lot, just look at our path last year. If you play on hot fields, like ours or the one in Cantù, the crowd makes itself heard. We are an experienced team, we will try not to be influenced by this. With Fossa always following us, I am sure that there will be a show in the stands too".

He had said that Udine was the big favorite to win the championship and so it was. Now who sees good in these playoffs? "Cantù is the big favorite, then you know in the playoffs anything can happen, you play badly and lose a game and that changes the inertia of the series".

Cantù-Fortitudo is an early final? "We are already in the quarterfinals, it will be a high-level challenge, but if you want to win, you have to face and beat strong opponents".

How is Vencato? "The medical staff is monitoring him, the hope is that he will be on the pitch tomorrow. It is very important for us".

Just as important is a rediscovered Gabriel. "He played a great game against Pesaro, he can really be an added value. We will try to put him in the conditions to continue like this, but as captain I underline that we are a team, that we win or lose all together with the attack but above all with the defense that is what supports you when the percentages, like in the playoffs, usually drop".

What should I say to the club and the fans? "I thank them for their continuous support, for always being present, for this warmth and closeness that pushes us to always go further".

And to his teammates? "I'll say that we're going to play at the home of the strongest and there's nothing better than winning at the home of the strongest, putting in a bit of nerve and fighting with grit and heart on every possession".