ATHENS. Real Madrid advanced to the EuroLeague final after defeating Valencia Basket in the Final Four at Telekom Center Athens, with head coach Sergio Scariolo highlighting his team's competitive capacity despite mounting physical problems in the frontcourt rotation.
The Italian coach particularly praised the team's work in the second half, where Real Madrid managed to control the pace of the game and dominate the boards to secure victory against the Valencia side.
"We had very good rebounding performance in the second half. Additionally, we managed to control the pace of the game," Scariolo explained after the EuroLeague semifinal.
The Real Madrid head coach acknowledged that the victory holds even greater value considering the limited rotation he had available for the matchup, further complicated by Usman Garuba's injury during the game.
"We had good contributions from all the players. We had a very short rotation and Garuba got injured, so we don't know what's going to happen, but definitely, when you're few, those few have to become bigger, and we had a few very good ones," Scariolo stated.
Real Madrid continues to be extremely affected by physical problems in the paint. Walter Tavares and Alex Len remain sidelined, and now the status of Usman Garuba is also a serious concern after he left the semifinal early and is questionable for the final against Olympiacos.
Despite this, the white team once again found collective solutions to sustain itself in a high-intensity offensive semifinal in this EuroLeague Final Four.
One of the standout players was Andrés Feliz, who delivered a complete performance with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal against Valencia Basket.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game, but now we have to be grateful for the victory and focus on the next match," the Dominican said after advancing to the final.
Real Madrid will thus play in the 15th Final Four of its recent history and is just one victory away from winning the 12th EuroLeague title in its trophy cabinet.
Now, Sergio Scariolo's team will face Olympiacos in a final marked by physical fatigue and uncertainty about the status of Real Madrid's frontcourt rotation.