By Javier Molero/ jmolero@eurohoops.net
Real Madrid secured their place in the Final Four after defeating Hapoel Tel Aviv (81-87) and taking a 3-1 lead in the series.
The Whites, who missed out on last year’s Final Four, will be one of the four teams competing for the title at the OAKA Arena. Sergio Scariolo emphasized his team’s performance and the pride within the locker room.
“I want to congratulate Hapoel, Itoudis, Yannay, and the entire organization. They were fierce rivals in this series. And that makes our victory even more valuable,” Scariolo began.
“After the third game, I wasn’t worried because I knew we weren’t in the right condition to play after playing in the ACB on Sunday. We took a couple of days off to prepare, and tonight we were ahead, not from the very beginning, but from the end of the first quarter until the last. And we played with class,” the Real Madrid coach continued.
“It’s not my own phrase, but everyone is saying this is the toughest EuroLeague ever. So many great teams, 20 teams in total, a tight schedule… in the last month we’ve been in the top 4 and we’ve stayed there. That’s been very valuable for us. It’s true that we’ve put Real Madrid where it deserves to be, but if you analyze the circumstances and how we’ve done it, especially without our most important player like Tavares, I give enormous credit to what this team has done,” he explained in a press conference after qualifying for the Final Four.
“I’m very proud of what this team has achieved. It’s been a steady growth from September to December, then again in February, and now in May. We’re first in the league, five wins ahead of second place. It’s been a strong season, a very good season. Every season has its ups and downs, and we’ve had ours, but we’ve responded as a team, and now we’re in that place that separates excellence from the rest of the good teams that have tried to be there,” he told the media about the season.
“It’s time to celebrate, but at the same time, we know who we are. We know our history, our identity. The club’s history requires going to Athens to compete and keep fighting, and that’s what we’re going to do,” he commented in Bulgaria.
Andrés Feliz and Theo Maledon have been key to closing out the series 3-1, contributing very good minutes off the bench, but Scariolo wanted to emphasize that it’s a team effort.
“I don’t like to make individual assessments, especially after this success. This success belongs to the team. Theo (Maledon) and Andrés (Feliz) have been part of our team. Andrés has grown a lot since last season, and also during this season. Theo, too, is in his first year in such a demanding situation, and he’s 24 years old. You have to congratulate both of them, but today’s victory is a great team win,” added the Italian coach.
“I don’t know what situation we’ll be in at the Final Four, but the best thing is not to have just one great performance from two players. The best thing will be to have 12 good performances from 12 players. If everyone has a decent or good performance, we’ll have a chance to compete,” he continued in the press conference after the victory.
When asked how he feels personally about his season and how his year at Real Madrid has been going, Scariolo responded with a smile.
“It’s been a fun eight months, with many great moments; you only have to look at the games we’ve won. There have been some difficult moments, too. In a great season, there are always times when no one can play well every single game and win them all. Every time we haven’t had a good moment, we’ve responded like a great team. We’ve handled the two most important competitions very well. We’re still in the middle of it, because we see the final coming up,” he told the media.
“There are many things that carry weight. Discipline, respect, cohesion, camaraderie, player improvement… these are aspects that, while perhaps not directly resulting in victories and harder to see from the outside, and don’t immediately register in the statistics, are the most important things a team has to do,” he emphasized regarding the locker room.
“Winning the Final Four would be a dream come true for me because I’ve never won it. Right now, it seems a long way off. We have to prepare well, go in with clear ideas, and have the players physically and mentally ready. We know that the best of the best are there,” he concluded about his objective.