By Alex Molina / info@eurohoops.net
Real Madrid defeated Paris Basketball and Sergio Scariolo spoke about that game in the press conference room.
“It was a game that will probably make the fans happy. These teams faced each other with a lot of quickness, energy and character, with incredible plays and a great deal of effort. From the second half on, the collective effort was at a very high level. We were able to choose the right moments and manage the rotation, not keeping players fresh, but at least maintaining the players we felt we needed to finish the game. This is a collective win against a team that played really well today. Our defense on Hifi worked, and I’m very happy about that. In the end, we managed to contain them enough and secure the win.
The Italian coach also wanted to give credit to the Real Madrid fans. “There was a good crowd in the stands today. I think they enjoyed a great game: they saw a team that fought, didn’t give up, and didn’t lose its composure when there was a gap on the scoreboard. That’s something we could expect.
Asked about if he prefers a high-scoring game -like today’s- or a more controlled one, Scariolo said that he doesn’t really have a say in how the games are played.
“Talking about preferences doesn’t make much sense. The rhythm is played and determined by the players. When you have that rhythm, you can’t play any other way. We have to find lineups that can change it when needed. I would like to highlight Trey Lyles and Gaby Deck coming off the bench.”
Scariolo was also asked about leaving Andrés Feliz out of the roster: “It was a technical decision. We have many players at that position, and I have to rotate due to factors that are not always evident from the outside. Clearly, I can’t play with four shooting guards at the same time. Also, we have the option of playing Facu and Theo together.”