Chus Mateo: 'They had an edge of intensity over us at the end'
'We needed to score from outside, but we didn't do that when everyone was closing down Tavares on the inside,' the coach explained.
Chus Mateo spoke to the media following the game against Zalgiris. At the press conference the coach stated: 'We played a very tough game for 40 minutes. They had more energy than us in some points of the game and they got there first in the split balls. In addition, their offensive rebounding allowed them extra possession, which they then converted by running out the clock. We knew we had to defend the rebound and open the court with shots and we needed to score from outside, but we didn't do it when everyone was closing Tavares inside.'
'They had an edge of intensity over us at the end of the game and surely followed their game plan well. They closed Tavares down well when he got the ball. They often turn them into a dunk or a basket but that’s not how it went today. Zalgiris played hard, they played well and that was probably the key.'
'The schedule is what it is and we have a lot of injuries, especially in the perimeter. That's not the best thing to maintain a high level of freshness throughout the season but it's normal and it happens in the regular season.”
'They had an edge of intensity over us at the end of the game and surely followed their game plan well. They closed Tavares down well when he got the ball. They often turn them into a dunk or a basket but that’s not how it went today. Zalgiris played hard, they played well and that was probably the key.'
'The schedule is what it is and we have a lot of injuries, especially in the perimeter. That's not the best thing to maintain a high level of freshness throughout the season but it's normal and it happens in the regular season.”