By Nikola Miloradovic / info@eurohoops.net
Real Madrid faces its second Clásico in less than two weeks. After falling to Barça on January 4 in the ACB matchup, Sergio Scariolo’s side is eager to redeem itself in Round 22 of the EuroLeague — a game that is always special.
Having already beaten Barça at the Palau Blaugrana in the first half of the season, Real Madrid aims to keep accumulating wins in Europe to move past a spell of inconsistency. Their opponents, Xavi Pascual’s Barça, remain largely the same squad despite a full revamp of their team. The Italian coach spoke to the media ahead of the game.
One of the questions on everyone’s mind was Real Madrid’s future in NBA Europe versus staying in the EuroLeague. Scariolo addressed the issue from a medium- and long-term perspective.
“Honestly, I haven’t thought much about it. I understand there’s still room to coordinate efforts and avoid conflicts. For my part, I can say I’ve spent many years here covering the EuroLeague, but I’ve also had three fantastic years in the NBA, where I appreciated their approach. Anything that adds to basketball rather than takes away is positive,” the Real Madrid coach said.
Reports from Spanish media suggest that Real Madrid is leaning toward NBA Europe.
“This club has started a medium to long-term plan. This year we’re all focused on competing and performing well, but we’re already thinking about the seasons ahead. A long-term plan lasts at least three years and has to consider what is best in the medium and long term,” Scariolo explained the day before the Clásico.
He is a firm believer in long-term planning.
“The best ally of poor decisions is short-term thinking, focusing only on immediate results — for example, what might be best for February. On the court, we have to face challenges ourselves. But in the planning sessions, it’s clear that the focus is rightly set on the medium and long term. This is a club with 120 years of history and many more ahead. The key is to avoid short-term thinking, because it only leads to bad decisions,” Scariolo concluded.
The importance of winning the Clasico
Real Madrid won the first-leg game at the Palau Blaugrana, and in such a tight EuroLeague, securing two victories against a direct rival is highly significant.
“It’s a tough game against a great team, with great players and a great coach. It’s important for the standings because the gap is small. Being able to get a 2-0 against a close, direct rival would be crucial in case of likely ties involving several teams,” Sacriolo said ahead of the matchup.
He also emphasized the importance of controlling the boards.
“In the previous two Clasicos, we scored over 100 points on average, and we hope that doesn’t happen again. The need to dominate the rebounds becomes more evident. In the first game, we grabbed 14 more rebounds and won, while here they grabbed more and won. That has been the key in these games, and it’s highly likely to be the case again.”
This game is vital for the standings. Beyond aiming for a fourth consecutive win in Europe, it offers the chance to climb firmly into the top six.
“Above all, it’s about the standings. Catching up with a direct rival and even securing a 2-0 would be very positive. But we’re aware it will be a tough challenge, and we need to present a very solid, focused, tough, and attentive performance. It’s an important game, just like any game against teams with a similar number of wins.”
As always, it is also a special fixture on the calendar.
“You can feel the atmosphere around it. There’s always that rivalry that adds extra color, but I prefer to focus on the fact that it’s a game against a very good and experienced team,” he concluded.
Xavi Pascual ahead of Clasico: “If we want to win, we have to score”