The Real Madrid coach spoke after the defeat against Baskonia (92-86) on matchday 16 of the Euroleague.
Chus did not hesitate to praise the rival, who has 11 wins in a row. “Baskonia played very well in the second quarter and it was difficult to return to the game. They are a great team and have a lot of energy. They play easy and although we tried and made a great effort, we ended up losing our chances”, he commented to the media.
Baskonia thus breaks the five-way tie in the top positions in the Euroleague (10-5). “This regular league is very hard and we have to keep fighting. We will find courts and rivals like today’s and we will have to try win those games,” he declared after the match.
Madrid almost culminated a comeback that would remain to be remembered. He came to lose 16 at halftime. “We have to keep fighting and avoid what happened to us in the second quarter. We have fought until the end and I think we have even had options to lead the party. We have not been good in the second quarter but there are certain things that we have returned to compete, ”she explained.
“When they escaped, it seemed that the party was decided but we have shown pride. It’s not enough, but the second quarter has cost us dearly with many mistakes that we don’t have to allow ourselves in the next games we play”, he stated in relation to the defensive errors.
The second quarter weighed them down. Emotionally, the team seemed different. “A basketball game can be won or lost. We had mistakes in the second quarter, it was to forget. Playing here with a full pavilion and with families celebrating Christmas is something very nice”, he commented.
The possibility of breaking the streak vanished in the final minutes. “We wanted to spoil the party they had prepared but they have beaten us because they are a very complete team, of great quality and I think they are a candidate for everything. We like to play against teams like Baskonia and I’m sure we’ll meet again”, said Chus.
The good level of some players who needed to recover it has been one of the few positive news of the game. “causeur It has been key to return to the game. He has been very good in one-on-one defense with Howard but his companions have helped him. But Baskonia was playing well in generall, not only with Howard, who is a great player with a great shot”, he stated.
“We were close but we have tried to find solutions in defense and attack but we have not been able to finish off. We have returned but it has not been enough, the second quarter has marked the game, it has been key ”, he concluded. The next game for the whites will be January 6 at 8:45 p.m.. Madrid will receive Maccabi Tel-Aviv at home.
Joan Peñarroya: “Our character has been seen”
The coach of Cazoo Baskonia, Joan Peñarroya, celebrated after beating Real Madrid that the character of his team was seen “in the worst moments” and he was “happy” by the response of the public that filled the Fernando Buesa Arena.
The Catalan admitted at a press conference that it was “a great victory, but above all for the club and for the fans”. “We have left with an important second quarter on both sides of the field, but I attach more importance to the fact that the team has continued when Real Madrid has equalized the game”, he analyzed. “As a team we have to give a lot of value to the second half because we have found other players and we have made good defences”, he considered and remarked that in the second quarter Real Madrid did not score any two-point baskets.
“Even I would pay a ticket to see this team like in the second quarter”, expressed the Baskonista coach who recognized that they play for this and that they are “part of a show” and that they play “for the people”. “Today is crazy, wonderful, few fields in Europe are full at the presentation,” he said, while recalling that Vitoria is not a city of five million inhabitants. “It has been a great month, but in January there are eleven games”, indicated Peñarroya.
“I’m not going to put a stop to people’s illusion but I’m going to put criteria in the squad because this is very long”, advanced the coach who spoke about the return to the track of the players after the victory. “Baskonia is a winning club and it is not usual, but with the team’s trajectory and after getting a full house, our people deserved this recognition from the players and the players have received that affection”, he celebrated. “We are in matchday 16 and we are leaders. We are going to celebrate a little bit, ”he confessed.