Laso: “We face a very demanding schedule, but I'm relaxed”
“Zenit has some good scorers and is very well organised defensively', added the coach.
Pablo Laso spoke to the media to preview the EuroLeague Round 25 match-up between Real Madrid and Zenit St Petersburg Friday, 8:45pm CET: “They are a very independent team. They have lost some key players, but have quickly managed to bring new ones in and get them settled and play some very good basketball. They've got some good scorers and a strong inside game. They’re a team with a lot of offensive balance. They are very well organised defensively and it is very difficult to pick any holes in their team. They have discovered a path under Xavi Pascual that is is reaping lots of rewards”.
“We face a very demanding schedule. I've got some players who have niggling injuries and won't be able to play tomorrow, but I've also got a lot of depth in the roster that allows me to rotate players. We managed to step things up yesterday in terms of our fitness in the second half. I've got a great coaching team and am relaxed and confident in that sense. Every game is demanding, and all of them are difficult and there are different situations that you have to read”.
What do you ask of your team?
“One absolute must is to try and control the tempo of the game and to make sure that we don’t make it easy for other teams to run and ensure that it's down to us to decide when we run and when we don't. That isn't always easy and in the match against Olympiacos I get the feeling that in the first half we lacked energy, but in the second half we maintained the standards of our play, but we lacked that little bit of extra energy that allows you to steal balls, run and launch counterattacks. We did some good things, but in the first half, we lacked that little bit of extra energy you need and that we managed to regain it later on in the game”.
“We face a very demanding schedule. I've got some players who have niggling injuries and won't be able to play tomorrow, but I've also got a lot of depth in the roster that allows me to rotate players. We managed to step things up yesterday in terms of our fitness in the second half. I've got a great coaching team and am relaxed and confident in that sense. Every game is demanding, and all of them are difficult and there are different situations that you have to read”.
What do you ask of your team?
“One absolute must is to try and control the tempo of the game and to make sure that we don’t make it easy for other teams to run and ensure that it's down to us to decide when we run and when we don't. That isn't always easy and in the match against Olympiacos I get the feeling that in the first half we lacked energy, but in the second half we maintained the standards of our play, but we lacked that little bit of extra energy that allows you to steal balls, run and launch counterattacks. We did some good things, but in the first half, we lacked that little bit of extra energy you need and that we managed to regain it later on in the game”.
Unbeaten at home
“I'm happy with that record. We need that warmth of our fans and we've had that. The Palacio has helped us and it's something that we need because we're up against some great teams. In the second half, we had the feeling that the fans really helped us out, whilst being aware that the team has to be the one that gets them going in the first place. That togetherness proved to be really important in us winning the game. It's a really good record. We've had a lot of games against some very good teams and there's always the odd game that can end up getting away from you when you don't perform. All of the games are tough and we're now edging closer to our objective of making the playoffs and then finishing amongst the top four”.
Absences of Deck & Taylor
“They will both be sidelined for a few days. Muscular problems are complex when you've got so many games. Hanga has also had to stop, but we hope that he will be back for Friday. I’d like to have all of the players available, although it annoys me when I have to leave some of them out. We’re going to wait for a little bit, but we'll have to assess both of them and I doubt they'll be able to play this week”.
Heurtel: “This win is particularly sweet”
“It's a particularly sweet win, especially after we failed to perform in the first half, when we lacked that accuracy and were short on energy. In the second half, we did that better and we won it by a 22-point margin, which is a big win. The difference between the two halves was the energy that we showed. It was completely different to the first half and that was reflected on the scoreboard”.
Fans’ backing
“We face a really tough schedule. We’ve been playing against some really good teams every two days. Tonight we managed to secure a great victory in front of our fans. I felt really good and had a lot of energy. I showed good accuracy and am pleased about that. The fans gave us some of their energy and were our sixth man”.
“I'm happy with that record. We need that warmth of our fans and we've had that. The Palacio has helped us and it's something that we need because we're up against some great teams. In the second half, we had the feeling that the fans really helped us out, whilst being aware that the team has to be the one that gets them going in the first place. That togetherness proved to be really important in us winning the game. It's a really good record. We've had a lot of games against some very good teams and there's always the odd game that can end up getting away from you when you don't perform. All of the games are tough and we're now edging closer to our objective of making the playoffs and then finishing amongst the top four”.
Absences of Deck & Taylor
“They will both be sidelined for a few days. Muscular problems are complex when you've got so many games. Hanga has also had to stop, but we hope that he will be back for Friday. I’d like to have all of the players available, although it annoys me when I have to leave some of them out. We’re going to wait for a little bit, but we'll have to assess both of them and I doubt they'll be able to play this week”.
Heurtel: “This win is particularly sweet”
“It's a particularly sweet win, especially after we failed to perform in the first half, when we lacked that accuracy and were short on energy. In the second half, we did that better and we won it by a 22-point margin, which is a big win. The difference between the two halves was the energy that we showed. It was completely different to the first half and that was reflected on the scoreboard”.
Fans’ backing
“We face a really tough schedule. We’ve been playing against some really good teams every two days. Tonight we managed to secure a great victory in front of our fans. I felt really good and had a lot of energy. I showed good accuracy and am pleased about that. The fans gave us some of their energy and were our sixth man”.