Chus Mateo: “We dedicate the win to Pablo Laso”
'The team showed an awful lot of character and we handled our emotions really well,' he explained after the match.
Chus Mateo, Pablo Laso’s assistant, reflected on Real Madrid’s win over Bitci Baskonia and the team's passage to the league final: “We dedicate this win to Pablo Laso. It's no mean feat to win in Vitoria, but the team showed an awful lot of character out there. The players were aware that they had to perform very well in all of the moments of the game when they had an advantage and when Baskonia closed in on us. We handled our emotions really well.”
“Tavares played a big part in the win. He did an amazing job against Baskonia’s centers, did really well on rebounds and managed to get in some good shots from the high post. I'd like to particularly point to the experience offered by players such as Hanga, Causeur and Rudy to help us deal with the significance of the game, whilst Deck showed his ability to claim rebounds, which really helped us out, as well as posting important treys.”
On Laso’s heart attack
“Sunday was a really crazy day and Monday’s training session was a disaster in terms of our concentration levels, but the players managed to detach themselves from it.”
Final time-out
“Despite us having a good advantage, basketball is a changeable game and you sometimes have to stop the opposition when they are trailing in the game. It was most certainly not a lack of respect. I have Immense respect for Baskonia and Neven Spahija, who is an absolute gentleman. I congratulate Baskonia because they're a team with great resources who have had their ups and downs, but they boast real talent. They've got some amazing players.”
“Tavares played a big part in the win. He did an amazing job against Baskonia’s centers, did really well on rebounds and managed to get in some good shots from the high post. I'd like to particularly point to the experience offered by players such as Hanga, Causeur and Rudy to help us deal with the significance of the game, whilst Deck showed his ability to claim rebounds, which really helped us out, as well as posting important treys.”
On Laso’s heart attack
“Sunday was a really crazy day and Monday’s training session was a disaster in terms of our concentration levels, but the players managed to detach themselves from it.”
Final time-out
“Despite us having a good advantage, basketball is a changeable game and you sometimes have to stop the opposition when they are trailing in the game. It was most certainly not a lack of respect. I have Immense respect for Baskonia and Neven Spahija, who is an absolute gentleman. I congratulate Baskonia because they're a team with great resources who have had their ups and downs, but they boast real talent. They've got some amazing players.”