By Alex Molina / info@eurohoops.net
Pedro Martínez addressed the media following Valencia’s narrow defeat to Panathinaikos, as his team dropped Game 1 at home in a tightly contested battle decided in the closing seconds.
The Spanish tactician admitted the loss left the “taronja” locker room shaken, but emphasized the need to quickly turn the page and focus on the remainder of the series.
“I assume the players are hurting, which is normal. But we are professionals and we have to think about what’s next. Obviously, it’s painful and we’re sad about the loss, but the competition continues and we have to focus on the next game,” Martínez said.
The Spanish tactician and former EuroLeague Coach of the Year believes his side missed its chances to prevail.
“Did they impose their game? Not really. We can look only at ourselves and say we were very poor and missed a lot. And that’s true. But the game was close and decided by small details — a rebound, a nearly recovered ball… situations where you might complain about the referees. Some people were telling me it could have been a foul by Grant on Montero before the inbounds, but these are details. In games like this, with so much at stake, they are tough to play. Everything is very physical, with strong defenses, and every action is hard to execute. We didn’t start well, which created some anxiety. The shots were good, but a bit rushed, and when the percentage drops, you get into a mental struggle. But you know these games are like this. We’re not going to score 110 points. We’ve scored 100 on many occasions, but these are different types of games. At this stage, it’s very difficult for that to happen. Of course we can improve, but we can’t look back — only focus on what we can do better in the next game.”
After halftime, Valencia showed improvement but was never able to turn the game around.
“Their defense was one thing in the first half and another in the second. In the first half we took many three-pointers — 23 out of 25 were good shots, but without great accuracy. In the second half, with switching defense, you don’t find those same looks. They also felt the pressure from the crowd and from us, and their performance dropped. We took advantage of our opportunities, and the team deserves credit for that. The effort and mentality were there.”
The Catalan coach emphasized once again that what has happened so far counts for little — the playoffs are a different story.
“If we take 25 three-pointers, depending on how they defend us, we will usually get good looks. But in these games, they are not the shots you feel most comfortable with. That’s what happens when you play games of this level against teams of this level — you’re not comfortable on the court, and it becomes harder to score. What we must not do is start doubting ourselves, thinking we’re not good shooters or that we shouldn’t take those shots. We have to stick to our game, knowing the opponents do things very well and it will be more difficult. That’s the point — to keep improving despite the challenges you face,” Martínez concluded.