by Bilal Baran Yardimci / info@eurohoops.net
If we should consider which is the best team at the moment in Europe, many fingers will point at Real Madrid, unbeaten so far in this year’s Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after getting the 2nd victory of the season against Anadolu Efes, beating the home side 103-80.
Alongside a dominant Guerschon Yabusele, one of the protagonists of the Spanish team’s victory was Facundo Campazzo, providing a double-double of 15 points and 10 assists while also grabbing 6 rebounds, being perfect from the line (5/5).
After the game, the 32-year-old point guard spoke to Eurohoops about their recent performance. “I think we were very solid, very focused and smart. We had a bad second quarter, but generally, we did a very good job. We were generous and played smart”, he first said.
Leading by 17 points (26-9) early in the first quarter with 2:29 on the clock, Real Madrid got off to a great start. “That has to be our DNA: be aggressive, play with a lot of hustle, and be smart. We like to do extra passes, and we did a great job on that”, Facundo Campazzo added.
The returning player, who joined the 2023 EuroLeague Champions, also spoke about his team’s goal in the season. “We have to put a big challenge ahead of us for this season. We are among the candidates for the Final Four, but to be in that position we have to improve as a team every day, playing like this. It’s the only way you can play for important things”, the Argentinian magician also commented.
Reuniting with an old friend
Before heading to Istanbul to face Shane Larkin and his teammates, Real Madrid managed to beat the Dallas Mavericks 127-123 at home in one of the American franchise’s pre-season friendly games, where Facundo Campazzo dropped 20 points, 8 assists, and 6rebounds against his former team.
“It was a great game. A show for the fans, seeing Luka [Doncic] coming back again to Madrid and enjoying. If you play seriously and make an effort to win, people appreciate it. We had a good game against Dallas, the fans who came to the hall were able to see Doncic playing in Madrid again, even only for a few minutes”, he said when asked about the encounter.
Talking about the Slovenian phenomenon, with whom he won the 2018 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Facundo Campazzo shared his feelings about seeing him once again in the Spanish capital. “I didn’t have the opportunity to talk to Luka much, but he was always smiling and looking happy during the match. He was always smiling, it was obvious that he was very happy to be there”, he finally summed it up.
🆕 𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐄𝐓 🆕
😍 Noche mágica en el regreso a casa de @luka7doncic, el Niño Maravilla.
📽 Vídeo completo en #RMPLAY
🔗 https://t.co/Azrz1zAGHX pic.twitter.com/hOLkDWaoQd— Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) October 11, 2023
PHOTO CREDIT: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague