Chus Mateo: 'It was difficult for Barcelona to stop us at the end' / News - Basketnews.com

Chus Mateo and Walter Tavares gave their perspective on Real Madrid's win over Barcelona in the Super Cup final.

Credit: ACB Credit ACB

In his first press conference as a title winner withReal Madrid, Chus Mateo appeared to be both happy with the victory and also demanding of his team.

Walter Tavares

Team:Real MadridPosition:CAge:30Height:221 cmWeight:120 kgBirth place:Cabo VerdeProfileNewsStatistics

Los Blancos beat their main rivals FC Barcelona 89-83 in overtime, celebrating their 5th straight Spanish Super Cup trophy. Mateo prefers to be low key, though.

"We have won the first title of the season and, obviously, we are very happy. We haven't had a good game, but we showed character when necessary. When we were in the mode of being hungry and wanting to win the title, it was difficult to be stopped at the end," the Madrid-born tactician said.

Mateo also acknowledged that the title does not free him or really take pressure off him, because he knows the club's demands:

"The coach of Real Madrid knows the things that are always demanded of him. Doing it well one day is not enough; you have to do it well in each training session, in each match preparation, in each game," he went on to stress.

"You have to try to de-dramatize the situation. Thank God, we do the profession that we like and we are lucky for it. I'm very happy. Surely tomorrow I can be calmer, but from Tuesday onwards, we have to get back to practice," Mateo pointed out.

The former Pablo Laso assistant coach also analyzed the new ACB rule, according to which the referee doesn't have to touch the ball before any inbounding pass is made.

"Obviously, we have to get used to a new regulation. It is not easy to do it overnight. It is obvious that teams are going to take advantage of this new situation. We must be very attentive when we have to defend, and we must take advantage when we have to attack.

We have to adapt as soon as possible. We hope that in the future it will be something very positive for basketball and thus speed up the game," Mateo had to say.

Edy Tavares, chosen as the Super Cup MVP addressed the reasons behind Real Madrid's win.

The Cape Verdean center stressed that he and his teammates have "given everything to win this Super Cup," the achievement of which is "good for the rest of the season," in which he has set for himself the "objective of doing things as well as possible on defense."

The Cape Verdean player, author of 10/11 free throws, believes that the referees "have called more fouls in favor" of Real Madrid because their big men have "gone inside with hardness and desire, so that "the referees could clearly see the fouls they had to call."

Tavares has set a new PIR record thanks to the 40 points he accumulated, six more than the 34 that Tyrese Rice had registered with Barca in the 2016 edition.

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