Chus Mateo: 'Character always comes out in difficult moments.'
'We are happy for the victory, it puts us in the right frame of mind for what is to come,' said Deck.
Chus Mateo and Gabriel Deck analysed Real Madrid's victory over Valencia Basket in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals. The Madrid coach said: 'We knew they were going to make things difficult for us. They are in a good moment of form and competing very well. We had beaten them in both games during the season with some ease but this was the first game of the Copa del Rey. We started quite well, defending and playing at the pace we wanted. Because of the game and some mistakes we made, they saw that they had a chance to get in and they made us a bit anxious because they wanted to win the game.'
'Winning in this way, by controlling the rebound and defending intensely, especially in the first half, has to be the line to follow. The important thing is that we are in the semi-finals. When the chips are down, you have to show your mettle and that's what we did today.”
More Continuity
'We are defending acceptably well. We need to have a bit more continuity because the first half was good and we found our rhythm from there and the rebounding, which allows us to run and play our game. In the second half we were not as accurate. Their perimeter play is difficult to stop and that made it more complicated. I'm happy, although it's not enough with today's performance, but we were conditioned a lot by our lack of success from three pointers and free throws.”
Sergio Llull's Situation
'A player fell on him and bent his knee a little bit, on his internal lateral ligament and we don't know the extent of the injury but it is likely that he won't be able to take part in the rest of the Copa del Rey. We have to do tests and we'll see the extent of the injury but in principle it will be difficult for him to continue in the cup.”
'Winning in this way, by controlling the rebound and defending intensely, especially in the first half, has to be the line to follow. The important thing is that we are in the semi-finals. When the chips are down, you have to show your mettle and that's what we did today.”
More Continuity
'We are defending acceptably well. We need to have a bit more continuity because the first half was good and we found our rhythm from there and the rebounding, which allows us to run and play our game. In the second half we were not as accurate. Their perimeter play is difficult to stop and that made it more complicated. I'm happy, although it's not enough with today's performance, but we were conditioned a lot by our lack of success from three pointers and free throws.”
Sergio Llull's Situation
'A player fell on him and bent his knee a little bit, on his internal lateral ligament and we don't know the extent of the injury but it is likely that he won't be able to take part in the rest of the Copa del Rey. We have to do tests and we'll see the extent of the injury but in principle it will be difficult for him to continue in the cup.”
On Deck
'He is a born competitor. When things get tough he never shies away from the challenge. He works quietly, he doesn't make a noise but he always shows up when you need him. The whole team knows that. He's an extraordinary player, first class, but not just because of how good he is as a player but because of what he gives you in terms of heart, character, commitment, fight, getting down in the mud when you need him to. He played a good game as did the other players. In that sense, we are very close and we know that one day a specific player can perform better than the another, but we have to keep winning games.”
The Last Play
'We considered fouling but instead chose to make some defensive changes and in this case it worked out well. You evaluate everything and decide. We believed in ourselves and we made the decision to change in the blocking aspect and keep Jones at bay with a taller man.”
Deck: 'I'm going through a good patch.'
'We are happy for the victory. It was a tough and demanding game. In the third quarter they saw that they could get into the game and they did. They are a good team and they did well until the end but we remained focused and we were able to seal the victory. It puts us in the right frame of mind for what is to come.'
'In the next game we will try to be a bit more focused. We pulled off some good shots but they didn't go in. We hope to improve our shooting in the next game. As for me, I'm going through a good patch. I owe it to the coaching staff and my teammates, who trust me every day. We are all in the same boat because we win and lose as a team.”
'He is a born competitor. When things get tough he never shies away from the challenge. He works quietly, he doesn't make a noise but he always shows up when you need him. The whole team knows that. He's an extraordinary player, first class, but not just because of how good he is as a player but because of what he gives you in terms of heart, character, commitment, fight, getting down in the mud when you need him to. He played a good game as did the other players. In that sense, we are very close and we know that one day a specific player can perform better than the another, but we have to keep winning games.”
The Last Play
'We considered fouling but instead chose to make some defensive changes and in this case it worked out well. You evaluate everything and decide. We believed in ourselves and we made the decision to change in the blocking aspect and keep Jones at bay with a taller man.”
Deck: 'I'm going through a good patch.'
'We are happy for the victory. It was a tough and demanding game. In the third quarter they saw that they could get into the game and they did. They are a good team and they did well until the end but we remained focused and we were able to seal the victory. It puts us in the right frame of mind for what is to come.'
'In the next game we will try to be a bit more focused. We pulled off some good shots but they didn't go in. We hope to improve our shooting in the next game. As for me, I'm going through a good patch. I owe it to the coaching staff and my teammates, who trust me every day. We are all in the same boat because we win and lose as a team.”