Chus Mateo: "I can only congratulate my players for fighting until the end"
"The game was decided in the final seconds. We had the chance to win it and we could enter into a debate about how it was decided", explained the coach.
Chus Mateo analysed Real Madrid's defeat against UCAM Murcia. After the game, the coach told the press conference: "I'm very proud of the players. We probably didn't play a good game on a pure basketball level, but the desire to fight, to battle and to get back into the game when we were 15 points down and take the lead was amazing. They were able to put us off our offensive game, which was more disorganised than at other times, also due to the players we were missing. Congratulations to Murcia, who played very well and fought hard."
"The game was decided in the final seconds, with that 63-61. Although it seems like a big difference, it wasn't like that. We had the chance to win it and we could get into a debate about how it was decided in the last few minutes. But we're not going to get into that. We're going to turn the page. We know we've lost a regular league game, that's fine, and I'm delighted with the attitude of my players after the marathon we've been through. There are teams that play 34 games over the course of the year and we've played 40 this season. You have to be proud of the attitude of the players who don't want to let a single one go."
Sustained effort due to the schedule
"We have 11 other players who have fought, fought very well. This is going to happen. We try to have very demanding objectives, to go as far as possible in the competitions we participate in. They are very demanding and we understand that this competition, La Liga, is very difficult, very tough and there are teams that have the chance to prepare to play against us. We've played 6 or 7 games, with five overtimes in between, and other teams have played 1 or 2 games."
"It's what we have to do, we have to accept it and be prepared. With the injuries, it's exactly the same. We're going to keep fighting. Today we lost, it's normal for games like today's to slip away from us. To a certain extent, I can understand that. The only thing I can say is congratulations to my players for fighting until the end and for not giving up. They never let their heads drop."
Assessment
"Since September when we started the preseason, this is the fourth game we've lost. We've lost two in the ACB and two in the Euroleague. The balance couldn't be better. We're in a good, positive vein and now we have to get over our injuries and think about the next game."