Pablo Laso: 'I am not the guy who blames refs for winning or losing' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: ZUMAPRESS.com-SCANPIX Credit ZUMAPRESS.com-SCANPIX

It is hard to remember the last time Real Madrid lost four games in a row in the EuroLeague. Actually, it did not happen since 2005, when the Blancos had a four-loss streak in the Top 16.

Player of the Game EFF 13 Dejan Davidovac Points 13 Accuracy 3-5 Rebounds 2 Assists 0

Madrid was outscored by Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade in a tight game on Tuesday night.

It was the 8th loss in the last 13 games for Madrid.

Pablo Laso attended the post-game conference to analyze how he saw the game against the Serbian powerhouse.

"It was a very tough match from the beginning," Laso began. "I think we did a lot of things right, but probably our 3-point percentage was not good. And most of them were open shots. That hurt us," he added.

"Wedished 20 assists. It means we shared the ball well", pointed out Laso, who regretted some specific defensive mistakes.

Madrid finished the game with a poor 9-37 shooting from beyond the arc. 5 of those 9 were scored by Sergio Llull.

Tavares was the last player who scored from two. Madrid was down by five with less than a minute remaining (55-50). Llull scored 9 of the last 12 points for the Blancos. He went up to 20.

"Crvena played well, and our mistakes gave them confidence. We have to give them credit, undoubtedly. I think we played a solid game, yet we didn't win. That also says a lot about the opponent," Laso praised his opponent.

Both teams increased their physicality in the last minutes, so referees had to deal with all the contacts and atmosphere around. The Pionir was kind of hell as it used to be.

"When I come to play in Belgrade, I'm aware that the game is going to be tough. I am not the person who is going to blame the referees for winning or losing," said Laso, who talked about the last play.

"Davidovac probably fouled Llull in the last action. He wanted to foul and avoid Sergi's 3-pointer. It was a smart action. It wasn't called, but this is just one play. The last one. In 40 minutes, many things happen. If you only focus on one action, your vision is very short," he recognized.

Finally, asked about Belgrade as Final Four's host, Laso smiled.

"I always tell good words about Belgrade as a basketball city. My kids have good memories from here, and they want to come back," he laughed.

Madrid won the EuroLeague in the Serbian capital back in 2018.

Real Madrid will face AX Armani Exchange Milano at WiZink Center on Thursday night (8.45 pm CET).

Thank you for reading us! We have even more content for you.