Basketball-Fenerbahce, CSKA coaches ready for emotional Euroleague final

By Zoran Milosavljevic BERLIN, May 14 (Reuters) - Fenerbahce Istanbul coach Zeljko Obradovic and his CSKA Moscow counterpart Dimitris Itoudis, once an almost unbeatable duo who won five Euroleague titles together, will face each other in an emotional final on Sunday. The 56-year-old Obradovic steered Panathinaikos to five titles in Europe's premier club basketball competition during his 1999-2012 spell in charge, with Itoudis as his assistant. The pair became very close but the friendship will be on hold when fiery Serb Obradovic, seeking a record-extending ninth Euroleague title with his fifth club, faces his 45-year old Greek rival. "We will do our best to beat each other," Obradovic told Reuters with a wry smile after Fenerbahce ground out an 88-77 overtime win over Spaniards Laboral Kutxa Vitoria in Friday's semi-final. CSKA had a somewhat easier path to the final as they were in cruise control throughout their 88-81 defeat of fellow Russians Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar in the other semi. Sunday's showdown in Berlin's Mercedes-Benz Arena will be a fitting climax to the season, featuring the competition's favourites who have very different traditions. Six-time winners CSKA are looking for their first title since 2008 while nouveau riche Fenerbahce aim to become the first Turkish club to win the Euroleague. MYSTERIOUS WAYS "Just a few years ago when we were still together at Panathinaikos, neither of us could have imagined this scenario but sports obviously works in mysterious ways," said Obradovic. "I am delighted for him because it's a great accomplishment to have reached the final. Dimitris and I are close friends and best men to each other so it's a very specific situation." "He has been much more than an assistant to me all those years and we have kept that special relationship to this day." Itoudis said both coaches were optimistic before the season started that they would be in the present situation. "I called Zeljko and said to him 'See you in the final', and he was also confident it would happen so here we are," he told a news conference on Saturday. "We shared a lot of moments during those 13 years, family issues and all. In 1999, I was about go to another club but I had no doubts when Zeljko called me and asked me to be his assistant. "We built our mutual trust brick by brick. Now, both teams want the trophy and the glory." (Editing by Ken Ferris)