Laso: “Bayern is a solid and very competitive team”
'It's a good opporunity to show that we're capable of playing well and winning', stated Hanga.
Pablo Laso and Adam Hanga spoke in the build-up to the final match of the EuroLeague Regular season, which sees Real Madrid face off against Bayern Munich Friday, 8:45pm CET. The coach had the following to say ahead of the match-up: “I’m not interested solely in results. We’re now at a tough and difficult stage of the season. However, we qualified for the playoffs with home-court advantage and are now going to fight to secure second spot. In our last two games, we made poor starts in Athens against Panathinaikos and we finished poorly against Tenerife, we’re lacking that consistency in our play”.
“In sport, when you win it’s as if everything is going well and when you lose games, is when the doubts begin to creep in. We could well end up facing Maccabi, Anadolu Efes and Monaco. I've got great respect for all three teams. I don't feel as if that would mean that we are under more pressure because we’re guaranteed home-court advantage”.
Team’s status
“We've now welcomed everyone back. In that sense, it's been a good week for the team so far. In terms of our spirits, it's always tough because every player is completely different, all the more so in a season like this one, which has seen all of the teams face strange situations with games being postponed, having to play four matches in the space of seven days and many injuries. You get seasons when everything goes perfectly and others in which things are more of a struggle”.
“In sport, when you win it’s as if everything is going well and when you lose games, is when the doubts begin to creep in. We could well end up facing Maccabi, Anadolu Efes and Monaco. I've got great respect for all three teams. I don't feel as if that would mean that we are under more pressure because we’re guaranteed home-court advantage”.
Team’s status
“We've now welcomed everyone back. In that sense, it's been a good week for the team so far. In terms of our spirits, it's always tough because every player is completely different, all the more so in a season like this one, which has seen all of the teams face strange situations with games being postponed, having to play four matches in the space of seven days and many injuries. You get seasons when everything goes perfectly and others in which things are more of a struggle”.
“My confidence in the team always remains the same, from 1 September right through until the end. There may well be things that I like more than others, but I believe in all of my players. For example, if Poirier fails to net 25 points and claim 15 rebounds, which I hope he does, I will continue to believe in him”.
Bayern
“They’re a solid team and they've shown that when, after beating Crvena zvezda and clinching their playoff place, they have been very competitive in the two games in which there wasn't so much at stake. They've got two good centers in Hunter and Radosevic. Rubit in is a very good player on low post, and injuries have seen the likes of Jaramaz and Obst step up to the plate. Hilliard is their most dangerous player and then you've got the likes of Dedovic and Lucic”.
Hanga: "It's a really important game"
“It's a really important game because a win would see us clinch second place. Bayern has played some really solid basketball right throughout the season, although they've had many issues with COVID and injuries. They come into this game on the back of two good performances in Istanbul in which they competed very well despite losing. It's important that we head into the playoffs in the best possible shape and so we need to win games and pick up that confidence. That whole process begins with tomorrow's game, which presents us with a good opportunity to show that we're capable of playing well, competing and winning”.
Bayern
“They’re a solid team and they've shown that when, after beating Crvena zvezda and clinching their playoff place, they have been very competitive in the two games in which there wasn't so much at stake. They've got two good centers in Hunter and Radosevic. Rubit in is a very good player on low post, and injuries have seen the likes of Jaramaz and Obst step up to the plate. Hilliard is their most dangerous player and then you've got the likes of Dedovic and Lucic”.
Hanga: "It's a really important game"
“It's a really important game because a win would see us clinch second place. Bayern has played some really solid basketball right throughout the season, although they've had many issues with COVID and injuries. They come into this game on the back of two good performances in Istanbul in which they competed very well despite losing. It's important that we head into the playoffs in the best possible shape and so we need to win games and pick up that confidence. That whole process begins with tomorrow's game, which presents us with a good opportunity to show that we're capable of playing well, competing and winning”.