MADRID, 18 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The national basketball coach, Sergio Scariolo, was satisfied with the Spanish performance in the defeat (78-76) in Lithuania, from where they return with more confidence for the Eurobasket but also with several points to improve.
“Our team is not used to being happy after a defeat, but I am happy with the effort of the players and also with how we have played. There have been two games. The one in the first five minutes, when we played badly and they beat us 19 -4, and the match of the following 35, in very complicated conditions, trial and error, a pavilion to overflow, some arbitration, we have competed in that match and even won,” he said.
The Italian coach explained that his team, with absences such as Sergio Llull, Rudy Fernández or Willy Hernangómez, stood up and was better after that bad start. “It has a lot of merit to have played the last shot, which could be better, but you have to take into account the fatigue,” he said in statements provided by the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB).
“We have made some defensive mistakes in the last few minutes, but in general I am delighted once again with the attitude of the team, the game for a long time. It was the best game and that means growth. We have given minutes to everyone and we become of Lithuania with a little more confidence but also with some point that we must work on”, he added.
Scariolo was blunt about his team’s lack of points and the need to activate his NBA players. “We have a very limited scoring talent that shows in the shooting percentages, that will be difficult for him to change. We are building open shots, attacking the paint, we have won the rebound today against a stronger team, but there are also things to follow getting better,” he said.
“The NBA players, above all, are far from getting used to Europe again. There is also an urgency to recover lost ground and I trust that they can do it to have 8 or 10 players to compete at the international level, although most have never done so”, term.