Chus Mateo: “I'm proud of my squad for fighting to the end"
“We were smart, moved the ball well and kept up the pace that we like,” added the coach after securing a place in the Euroleague final.
Chus Mateo spoke to the media after Real Madrid's victory over Olympiacos in the Euroleague semifinals. After booking their place in the final, the Madrid coach was very proud of his team's work: “Olympiacos is a winning team and this is a Final Four. However, this team does not give up and we knew that the first half lead was not enough. We did things very well, we withstood the onslaught and bounced back at the right time.”
“I'm fortunate to coach an extraordinary group of players, with enormous experience and who know how this type of game works. We were smart, we moved the ball well, we chose our shots well and for long stretches we kept the rhythm we like to play.”
Euroleague Final
“It'll be very tough to play Panathinaikos because it's the Final Four and every opponent is very difficult to beat. Everyone is going to give their all, we want the second consecutive title and we are going to fight for it.”
Mentality of the squad
“I'm proud of my squad, which fought and fought until the end. We were very good at the start and played a great game both in defence and attack in the first half. I'm very happy with how my players understand what a team is. They understand that no one is stronger than the other, but that together they are all stronger."
Great defensive approach
“The players I have are magnificent. We had prepared well for this game, aware that there were going to be difficult moments. We were able to play great defence in the first two quarters. The most important thing is that the team held on when Olympiacos tried to come back."
Real Madrid DNA
“We've known this club's trademark ever since we joined. You can't stop fighting for a single minute and things are won as a team, not as individuals.”