By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The coach of the “Whites” thinks that his opponent is not going to be an easy one: “The first game of a playoffs series normally dictates the outcome of the whole thing. Playing the first game at home gives more pressure to the home team, but it can also boost your confidence. We know that beating teams of this level on the road is difficult, so we are focused on trying to win this home game now. Darussafaka has good players in the one-on-one. Many can score like Wilbekin, Wanamaker, Clyburn or Anderson. They play open, with many possessions and they can score. They are also athletic in defense. Taking this team out of the game is complicated, because they stick to their plan and if you relax, they use it. They can always come back to any game. I have a lot of respect for David Blatt. He has worked in many countries and he always managed to translate his idea of the game onto his players.”
Madrid’s center Gustavo Ayon agrees with his coach: “The first game can mark the fate of the series, and we are playing at home. It’s important to start the series well with a win and we do not have to think beyond this. We are ready. We are not guaranteed a Final Four berth just because we have the home-court advantage. We all start from scratch and we have to take these games responsibly because we know what’s at stake. We do not consider ourselves favorite in this series, only the one who is better prepared both physically and mentally will come out on top.”
On the other side, coach Blatt added: “We are now in the EuroLeague playoffs where the elite eight teams that are involved meet in best EuroLeague competition ever. We’re excited to represent Darussafaka Dogus against a great Real Madrid team. Both teams know each other well, both teams are hungry and ambitious to continue their season. We’re coming to these series in good shape. We’re ready to compete and to give our very best to for our club, our fans and for Turkish basketball.”
As for Darussafaka’s leader, Brad Wanamaker, things are quite simple: “We start our playoff campaign. Real Madrid is a tough team and Madrid is a tough place to play. We respect the work they did in the past. But our goal is to go there and get a win. We’ll try to steal a win over there. Once we get to the court and ball jumps there is no respect, there will be only two teams who compete. A win in Madrid would bring us big confidence and it would definitely give us a big chance to comeback and play two games infront of our fans. It will be my first ever EuroLeague playoffs as well. I’m quite excited and ready for big moment.”