Chus Mateo: 'We weren't accurate from the perimeter in the cup.'
'We didn't have a good game and Unicaja put a higher level of intensity into everything,' explained the coach after the game.
Real Madrid coach Chus Mateo analysed the semi-final match against Unicaja Malaga: 'Congratulations to Unicaja. They were the deserved winners of the game, because they put in a higher level of intensity in all aspects of the game. We didn't have a good game, especially in the second half. They shot much better than us and they were also more intense when it came to rebounding, which was an area we had to win. We had a good two-point shooting percentage, we played well inside, but in this Copa del Rey we weren't very accurate from the perimeter or from free throws. That's what weighed us down.'
'We would have liked to have been both more accurate and aggressive. We didn't play the way we have been playing and that was noticeable. They played with a lot of intensity and they won the turnovers and rebounds, which are an essential part of our game, and they also scored a lot of points.'
Turning the Page
'It's an important tournament in the middle of the season, but we have to keep working. We wanted to win and play in the final but it wasn't to be. What we can't do is throw away all the work we've done and we have to keep moving forward.'
Psychological Factor
'We definitely missed Llull and Rudy a lot. Rudy only just made it to the cup and we wanted to have him very close to us. He was ready to come on for a while, but the game was even at half-time, he hadn't come on and with an adductor injury if you stay cold it's complicated. Llull is another player who would have helped us by transmitting what only a handfull of veterans are capable of.'
'We would have liked to have been both more accurate and aggressive. We didn't play the way we have been playing and that was noticeable. They played with a lot of intensity and they won the turnovers and rebounds, which are an essential part of our game, and they also scored a lot of points.'
Turning the Page
'It's an important tournament in the middle of the season, but we have to keep working. We wanted to win and play in the final but it wasn't to be. What we can't do is throw away all the work we've done and we have to keep moving forward.'
Psychological Factor
'We definitely missed Llull and Rudy a lot. Rudy only just made it to the cup and we wanted to have him very close to us. He was ready to come on for a while, but the game was even at half-time, he hadn't come on and with an adductor injury if you stay cold it's complicated. Llull is another player who would have helped us by transmitting what only a handfull of veterans are capable of.'