By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Barcelona head coach Svetislav Pesic saw his team falling to Anadolu Efes in the decisive Game 5 of the EuroLeague playoffs and losing the series 3-2. The Blaugrana will have to wait at least one year for their Final Four return.
While Pesic mentioned that Barcelona could’ve left Istanbul victorious for the second time in the series after Game 2, he also said that Efes deserved the qualification to the Final Four.
“First of all, I would like to congratulate Anadolu Efes. They deserved it. But we could have won the game,” Pesic said in the post-game presser. “The game was played in a very lively atmosphere, as we expected. The players of Anadolu Efes received the full support of the fans. That gave Efes an advantage. I think my team showed the character even though we didn’t play the best game of the season. We had a chance to get ahead in the third quarter, but we couldn’t get the defensive rebounds and Efes came back. We had a good defense in the last quarter, we got a chance. At that point, we got a chance to catch Efes with the rebounds we got but we couldn’t take the chance. Efes stood up with the move that they made on offense. If you don’t make the right decisions on offense and not defend one on ones hard on defense then this happens.
“But still, we showed very good character,” Pesic added. “We showed this by getting 17 offensive rebounds. We can be proud of that. I still want to tell you, it was a tough, hard game. The attitude we showed on the court was great despite the conclusion. I want to emphasize this. I don’t want to get questions about the referees.
Pesic was sanctioned for “lack of respect to the officiating crew” following his team’s loss in Game 4. This time, the Serbian coach refused to comment on the officiating.
“I don’t want to get questions about the referees. We are Barcelona, a team that respects the referee’s decisions under all conditions,” Pesic said.