Scariolo: “This game will remain in the historical memory of the Cup”
“It was a very balanced game, and we had faith until the very last moment,” added the coach after the victory against Valencia Basket.
Sergio Scariolo spoke at a press conference following Real Madrid's spectacular comeback against Valencia Basket in the Copa del Rey semifinals: “It was one of those games that will remain in the historical memory of the Copa del Rey. Two great teams faced off without holding back until the very last moment. It was a very balanced game. It took us a while to get into Valencia Basket's rhythm, as it happened during the game in Madrid, but little by little, we adapted.”
“We won the second, third, and fourth quarters because we managed to keep running whenever we had the chance while limiting their ability to play in the open court, which was tremendous, and they were very accurate. But we had faith until the very last moment.”
Key factors
“It wasn’t easy, but we had faith and performed well both offensively and defensively, with some great defensive plays by Deck, a block, and a 2+1 by Tavares. And Hezonja was tremendous today in his ability to capitalize on the opportunities created for the team. He showed great composure and accuracy in the final moments.”
The greatness of the victory
“For them, it wasn’t an easy situation because they were hosting the Copa del Rey at home, they have a great team, and it’s not easy to stay calm and composed until the very last second, but they responded very well. Beating such a good team has double merit.”
Final
“I’m excited because this is the first opportunity in an important competition to reach the final. You can’t let yourself get carried away, not even if you’re me with my history, nor if you’re Real Madrid with its much greater history, just because you’ve reached a final. The work so far has been good, I have no doubt, but then comes the moment when you have to play a game to win the title, and you have to know how to play it, prepare for it well, and compete well.”
“When you’ve had so many decisive games in the past, so many playoffs, so many finals, you gain experience in preparing for and playing them. In my team, I have many players who have played in this type of game and have experience, like Campazzo, Llull, Tavares, Hezonja, and Deck… The baptism of fire has also been good for those who have never played in a game like this, and they’ve had it, so after the baptism, I hope we do well in the first communion.”
A worthy opponent
“Here in Valencia, I’ve had several very important playoff victories, EuroCup semifinals… You come to play against a great team like Valencia Basket, which has invested so much in this gem of a pavilion, carefully choosing players according to the coach’s recommendations. They’re a fantastic opponent, and you can’t expect to win by 15 points away from home against them. It’s true that in the first two quarters, there were ups and downs, but that also happened in Madrid.”
Disclaimer: Translation generated by artificial intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies.