Tavares: “Lifting the cup in Gran Canaria would be a dream for me”

Tavares and Feliz spoke to the press ahead of their final training session before Madrid contest the semi-final of the Copa del Rey (9.30 pm CET). The centre discussed the match against Dreamland Gran Canaria: “I'm excited about this cup and I feel a lot of emotion. I played the first games on this court, I grew up here and I always have mixed feelings. I hope to enjoy it, to lift the Cup in Gran Canaria would be a dream for me.”

On the opposition
“We're treating it as a challenge, but we know that Gran Canaria are playing at home and they're very excited about this cup. They have nothing to lose and they'll give their all to reach the final. They have two very good centres who are going to cause us a lot of problems.”

On his teammates
“They did very well yesterday. Ibaka, with the experience he has, always turns up in important games. Bruno is doing very well but he can still get to a higher level. With Hezonja what we want is for him to stay calm, not to pay attention to things on the outside. When he focuses on basketball he is unstoppable, we can already see that.”

Feliz: “It’s important to maintain our focus from the first minute”
“I expect a very competitive match between two teams aiming to reach the final. For us, it's extremely important to maintain our focus from the first minute. We have to continue with the defence, the rebounding and the physical performance we showed in the game against Manresa.”

Gran Canaria
“They're a great team, playing at home in front of their own fans. As I said before, we have to keep our physical level high from the start and be focused for the whole 40 minutes.”

How is he feeling?
“I'm improving, I feel good every day and I'm happy with my contribution to the team. I feel proud. When things are going well, you feel more confident, but the important thing is to help the team win and for everyone to feel good.”