Chus Mateo: “Llull is the soul of this team, a club legend”
“We were very strong mentally and the team was able to recover well from the exertion the other day,” said the coach after the win against Baskonia.
Real Madrid coach Chus Mateo gave his thoughts on the team's win over Baskonia in round 17 of the league season. The coach commented on Sergio Llull's record: "Llull is the soul of this team. He's been at Real Madrid for eighteen years, playing at the high level he's playing at, bringing us so much joy. He drives the team, his character, the way he communicates. I always want him with me. He's a legend, it's an honour to be able to work with him. When we all look back at our time at Real Madrid, we'll always remember that we were with a certain Sergio Llull, who is a legend of our club."
Match analysis
"Baskonia are an outstanding team and they've been playing very well. We were coming off the back of a huge physical exertion in the Euroleague and we knew we had to be physically ready. We started by making a lot of outside shots, eight three-pointers, and that gave us a big lead. They are really strong at home and as a team we had to be ready for their attacks."
"They got back into the game but we were very strong mentally and the team was able to recover well from the 60-minute exertion the other day. We were able to strike a good balance in attack and defence and it's an important victory for us because we keep on winning and that gives us a good boost. It's a very difficult court."
The team's key to the campaign
"It's very difficult to win games in the league and in the Euroleague. We're in this position thanks to the fact that the players understand that you always have to respect the other team. There is also the motivation of beating Real Madrid, but that helps us to be stronger as well. It hasn't been easy to do what we're doing."