A tribute to the greatness of Dario Šarić by a popular American sports and pop culture portal.
The Philadelphia 76ers dominated the quarterfinals of the NBA Playoffs. In the round of 16 against Miami Heat, they proved they have the championship gene, and against the Celtics in the semifinals, they will confirm their class, reports Index.hr on May 1, 2018.
Before the first game of the semis in Boston, which the 76ers ended up losing 117-101, The Ringer wrote that Dario Šarić - along with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons - are the leaders of the present generation Philadelphia 76ers.
One of the most popular American portals for sports and pop culture characterized the Croatian national team player as the “heart of the team“, a player who grew into a full-fledged shooter this current season and organizer of the game.
"I really love Dario Šarić. He loves to win. I was surrounded by a lot of players who thought only about winning, but Dario Šarić is special," explains Timothy John McConnell, the Philadelphia 76ers playmaker who says the fans are so crazy about the Croat they honor him with t-shirts of his face that say “The Homie Dario".
"No one will ever question his heart and his toughness," said Philadelphia coach Brett Brown, describing the personality of Dario Šarić, who has already justified his arrival in the NBA with his character and play.
"I love to play basketball. I like to train. I like to be with my teammates and progress with them. I love to compete against others,” Šarić entrusted to The Ringer, revealing his motivation and his inner drive.
According to official NBA statistics, in the current season, Dario Šarić refined the Philadelphia 76ers game. The analyst concludes that he has found his role and as evidence, he points to the matches against Miami Heat when he demonstrated his versatile potential.
"You've seen the passion that he radiated. His body language said everything. It's fantastic," Brett Brown said.
The Ringer remembers that Šarić was born in a basketball-crazed Šibenik, as his basketball career was predestined by birth and was often compared in basketball circles with Dražen Petrović, though Šarić has never accepted comparisons to the Croatian legend.
“Comparisons in the media are unfair. It is not fair to compare me to Dražen. Dražen Petrović was a different player with a different style of play. He is a legend. Everyone knows it and the price,” says Dario Šarić, whose father is still on the side of the media.
"I would dare to say that my Dario is like Dražen, perhaps more talented than Dražen," says Pregrad Šarić, but admits that the hard work ethic is still on Petrović's side.
"Dražen was a worker, unlike anything you’ve seen. He was a subordinate to work, to training. Dario trains for three or four hours a day. I always tell him to get up early to practice, but he is not a fan of such a working regime. Simply put, he is not a hunter like Dražen.”
The Ringer claims that Šarić could only prosper in the future so that the Croatian national team could restore their former status.
“The energy, crowds, players - everything is different in the playoffs. I do not want to stop," Šarić said with the desire to win the NBA championship title with Philadelphia 76ers.
You can read the full tribute to Šarić on The Ringer here.
