Ibon Navarro appeared upset after the defeat of Unicaja in the semifinal of the BCL Final Four, with a Carpena with almost 8,000 green fans pushing tirelessly. Anxiety and nerves played against the team from Malaga this time, who did not have their day and who will not be able to lift this European title at home. Despite the disappointment, the green coach wanted to make it clear that he feels “super proud of my team. People should be proud of the team’s work and what we are building”.
Rating of the meeting: “We didn’t play a good game. First of all, Telekom Bonn is to be congratulated. We were nine down with three minutes to go, but with heart, with courage, we were able to fight it. I have no complaints about the team, the players, their spirit. We wanted to win the trophy at home, but I would like to congratulate the whole team, this group of players, this group of people.”
The last play: “I support Perry 200 percent. He felt like he had to take that shot to win and he did. When he fails, we all say that he should have gone inside. If he manages to put it in, we would say that he is a hero. The players have to make decisions.”
Key aspects of the defeat: “The 16 points they had in the first half after our losses has marked a lot. Of four quarters we have won two, we have tied one and we have lost the other. We have lost the game in the second quarter. From 20-11 we have finished 22-22 and 31-41 at halftime. We have scored 11 points in approximately 13 minutes. Too many losses and that has allowed them to score. It has been the special problem. We have carried out the assessment. We have had more shots, we have rebounded better than them in attack. We have had low shooting percentages and you pay for that in such a close match, with less than 70 points. But above all I would highlight that, 16 points at halftime after loss. There are a lot of points.”
Nerves, anxiety: “It sure has influenced. This is the game that no one wants to play poorly. And we must not forget that we were playing against a very good team, we had already warned. But despite playing a very bad game, we had the last shot to win. Surely the responsibility and anxiety for wanting to win at home has weighed heavily. I am super proud of the team and I think people should be proud of what we are building.”
Brizuela: “We will have more opportunities”
Darío Brizuela also went through the Martín Carpena press room after the defeat against Telekom Bonn. The exterior of Unicaja made a positive reading despite the setback suffered: “The dressing room is not happy, it is evident. But we are aware of the season we are having, we must not keep our heads down. We haven’t had the day, sports are like that. The good thing is that we will all continue together. Let’s stay longer together. Over time all we are going to do is believe and improve. We will have more opportunities, we have to keep working, keep going with our heads held high”.