Scariolo: "We have to play a high-level game"
"We have a demanding game ahead of us against an opponent that is playing very efficiently," the coach explained regarding the clash against Asvel.
Sergio Scariolo spoke ahead of Real Madrid's game against Asvel in the third round of the Euroleague (Thursday, 9:00 pm CEST): "We have a demanding game ahead of us against an opponent that is playing very efficiently. They beat Baskonia and came very close to beating Valencia Basket. They are a very athletic team, with a lot of shooting ability in different positions and experienced key players."
"All the games in the Euroleague are demanding and complicated, and we have to be focused, concentrated and mentally prepared to be able to play at a high level."
The most competitive Euroleague
"That's the feeling we all had looking at the squads before the start of the competition. There is a higher number of candidates for the Final Four than ever before. I'm very cautious, and at the moment, the results don't mean much to draw conclusions. You have to be patient when it comes to drawing conclusions. In the last two years, the technical and physical level of the Euroleague has dramatically improved. That adds a lot of value and difficulty to the competition."
Playing at the Palacio
"It's a third straight home game, the fans can come and enjoy the team. It's very important to create a bond between the fans and the team at home."
Sharing game-time
"The objective is to win, but within the parameters we have. If you try to go outside of those parameters now, you usually lose, and on top of that, you're annoyed that you can't build a winning team. I know that with what we have tomorrow, we have to give it our all to win the game. We're not going to make any rushed decisions.
Injuries
"Each one is also an opportunity. Maledon's absence is very heavy. It's a big one, but at the same time, it was an opportunity for Feliz to continue the improvement he started at the end of last season. Garuba's absence is an opportunity for Bruno Fernando to continue to progress and for Almansa to be ready to take his chance, as he did last Sunday. The same goes for Procida. It's perhaps a more numerous distribution of players in that position."