Chus Mateo: “I'm delighted with my team's sacrifice”
“It’s to the team’s credit that we never stopped defending” Campazzo added.
Chus Mateo, Campazzo and Tavares reflected on Real Madrid's victory over Dreamland Gran Canaria and their passage to the Copa del Rey final. The coach said: “On every level, defense has been key. In the first half, both teams were good but we couldn't find a way to beat them. But in the second half, we took our defensive level up a notch and we were also able to score from outside. We moved the ball better and also found the inside players. Inspiration from such good players makes us win games.”
“I'm delighted with my team's sacrifice. Limiting Gran Canaria to 63 points is not easy because it is not easy to restrict anyone in the ACB to those points. This comes from the constant and continuous work of many people who sometimes score and sometimes don't. Today there were people who didn't play in the game but who are just as important to me. When we win a trophy we all lift it. I'm happy to be in another final and hopefully tomorrow we can beat Unicaja."
Campazzo: ‘We imposed our game in the second half’
“It was a strange game. We started off poorly, we lost a lot of balls and we weren't clear in our offense. It’s to the team’s credit that we never stopped defending, even when we were playing badly. They weren't doing well in attack either and that worked in our favor. The second half was much better, we imposed our game and DNA. Limiting a team like Gran Canaria to 63 points is credit to a very focused defense.”
11th final in 12 years
“We continue to write new chapters in the history of Real Madrid. That must also be valued. With all the players who have been here, the fact that we maintain this level is a credit to everyone. This shirt demands that you try to do everything possible to win tomorrow. There is no doubt that we are going to try. We have to enjoy it”.
Tavares: “We have done a good job”
“We knew it was a very difficult game to play here with all their fans, and that it was going to be tough for us. We had to be focused from the start and be consistent to win. We did a good job.”
“Gran Canaria played a great game, they played very well. They took rebounds from us that hurt us and we knew that in the third quarter, we had to control it and play long possessions. We increased our defensive intensity and that helped us.”