By Alex Molina / info@eurohoops.net
Real Madrid secured a sensational victory at the Palau Blaugrana in the first Clásico of the season (92-101). Sergio Scariolo’s men dictated the pace of the EuroLeague Round 9 game, winning their first away match in Europe’s top competition.
The Italian coach spoke at the post-match press conference, highlighting his team’s strong performance.
“We played very well in attack, following the game plan perfectly. We were very accurate. We moved the ball well. No, excellently, it’s still only November. Defensively, we had some very good moments, but we can do better,” he told reporters after the match.
“Barça could have done better. We’re improving as we expected; the key difference has been maturity. Now we have a run of away games and we have to feel capable,” he added regarding the victory.
The first win away in this Euroleague. “We’re happy; it’s a very important victory for the fans and quite important for the team. It’s a win in November, but winning away from home isn’t easy; we know that from experience. And especially on a court that generates so much energy and against a Barça team that, as a whole, is a great team.”
“I congratulate my players; we played great basketball for the full 40 minutes. We can improve on some things, like a few more turnovers than usual. It was very important to limit the duration of our bad spells. In all our away games, we’d had great stretches and also some very bad ones.”
“This time, however, the gaps were very small and we were able to respond to their runs. We controlled the game well, both technically and mentally,” he said about his first away win in this EuroLeague season”, he added.
Scariolo knew Trey Lyles’s performance was the key, but he wanted to focus on another player. “Since this morning, we’ve seen Lyles very focused. He’s been very accurate offensively. He’s a very talented player with a high level of game awareness. The standout player tonight is Edy Tavares. A player who’s still feeling the heat—yesterday he had almost 40 degrees—he’s traveling today, demonstrating his commitment and also sending a message to his teammates about how to face difficulties.”
“We maintained our composure and concentration throughout the 40 minutes. They had runs that could have been big if we’d lost focus. We can talk about difficult moments, but…” “Today, we never disconnect,” he concluded.