Scariolo: “We played a really good second half”
“It’s always difficult to win away from home and we have to give credit where credit is due,” explained the coach following the victory against Río Breogán.
Sergio Scariolo analysed Real Madrid’s victory against Río Breogán in Lugo. In the aftermath of the league matchday 17 fixture, the coach said: “I think we played a really good second half. It took us a little while to find our balance, especially without four players who are very important to us defensively, but when we started to do so and moved up the defensive lines, we were able to make some very good consecutive defences and run from there.”
“We have to give credit to Río Breogán for how they competed, especially in the first half where they made it very difficult for us. Controlling the offensive rebound and holding them to 31% accuracy on three-pointers were good statistics. For our part, in attack we shared the ball quite well, distributed assists and were accurate on three-point shots. It's always important to win away from home, it's always difficult and you have to value it, especially away from home."
What are you most satisfied with from the team today?
"We worked well as a team. We played a fairly solid game in terms of distribution, a bit of everything. We managed to get some excellent practice against an aggressive pick-and-roll, like the one we can expect next Tuesday in the EuroLeague, for example. We also saw the mistakes we made so we can correct them. The team came out in the second half with an extra gear. At the end of the second quarter, we had managed to get back on track after losing our way a little at the start. The third quarter was solid and in the end they had less physical strength in the last quarter.”
Len and Tavares' rotation
“He did some good things. Not so much in the first quarter, but in the second, third and fourth. He's gradually improving. We know we have three players and we're getting a clear idea of when to give Tavares a rest during a game and during the season. Of course, Garuba is performing at a high level. He gives us something different, but we know that Len is getting better and better. Almansa also did a good job today. He was very solid, very good, and I'm very happy with him."
Abalde's absence
“Of the four, he was the one who needed the rest the most for physical reasons. For the other three, it was more a question of managing their workload. It has been beneficial for the others and for them, because on Tuesday we have a very tough game against Paris Basketball, especially physically. All four will benefit from this rest.”