Dubai Basketball kept alive their dream of going all the way in the ABA League by booking a spot in the play-off semi-finals with a superb win over Cedevita Olimpija at the Coca-Cola Arena on Tuesday.
Meeting the Slovenians in the rubber match of their best of three series, Dubai were clear and deserved winners as they held the lead throughout the match before finalising a 85-76 triumph.
Making their debut in the ABA League, Dubai will next meet Serbian giants Partizan Belgrade, who swept aside Spartak Office Shoes 2-0 in their quarter-final. Game 1 of the semi-final series will be in Belgrade on May 26, ahead of a return in Dubai on May 29.
In the other semi-final, Serbian side Crvena Zvezda and Montenegro’s Buducnost VOLI clash after overcoming BC Igokea and KK Mega, respectively.
The Dubai head coach Jurica Golemac felt “really proud” and congratulated his players for their accomplishment on the night.
“We’ve worked for this. We didn’t perform well in Slovenia [in Game 2]. We watched the tape and knew that wasn’t us. We analysed and had two good practices leading up to today, with a lot of faith in each other – which is crucial when playing together,” the Slovenian said.
“Today we missed 12 free throws and hit only seven threes, but defensively everyone was on their feet, helping each other and fighting for all 40 minutes.
“Congratulations again to the players. I also want to thank the fans – they were our sixth player. Whenever we felt a bit tired, they lifted us up.
“Congratulations to Olimpija on a great series. We knew they were our toughest quarter-final matchup, but we didn’t shy away; we wanted to prove we were the better team.
“Now it’s Partizan – we’ve already played them twice. They’re favourites, having been the favourites in this quarter-final, but now it’s Partizan’s turn. We’re confident we can compete with them and will do everything to reach the finals.”
Awudu Abass dazzled with 17 points and six rebounds while Nate Mason (18) and Dubai’s NBA veteran Davis Bertans (12) chipped in with useful contributions in the win.
“It was a good game,” Abass said. “Ljubljana was our toughest matchup because they beat us at home – one of the few teams to win here in Dubai.
“So they know how to play well here. But today, we really controlled the game. We fought for each other, we shared the ball – something we didn’t do in the last games.
“I’m very proud of my teammates because, at the end of the day, we’ve been working since August for these moments. This was a great game for us.”
The Olimpija head coach Zvezdan Mitrovic, acknowledged Dubai were deserved semi-finalists.
“This was a very interesting series – three games. In the end, it was our worst game,” he said. “Maybe we struggled because of the roster and the players available. In the second half, we were without one of our best players – Devin Robinson – who was out with an injury. But definitely, Dubai deserved to go to the semi-finals.”
ICC men's cricketer of the year
2004 - Rahul Dravid (IND) ; 2005 - Jacques Kallis (SA) and Andrew Flintoff (ENG); 2006 - Ricky Ponting (AUS); 2007 - Ricky Ponting; 2008 - Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI); 2009 - Mitchell Johnson (AUS); 2010 - Sachin Tendulkar (IND); 2011 - Jonathan Trott (ENG); 2012 - Kumar Sangakkara (SL); 2013 - Michael Clarke (AUS); 2014 - Mitchell Johnson; 2015 - Steve Smith (AUS); 2016 - Ravichandran Ashwin (IND); 2017 - Virat Kohli (IND); 2018 - Virat Kohli; 2019 - Ben Stokes (ENG); 2021 - Shaheen Afridi
Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
Mental%20health%20support%20in%20the%20UAE
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA
Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600
Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
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Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
Tank warfare
Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks.
“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.
“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Company%20profile
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1.
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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7.
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Singapore
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8.
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Australia
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9.
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Saudi Arabia
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10.
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South Korea
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