Djordjevic on beauty of profession: 'You have to make players understand that you believe' / News - Basketnews.com

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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul became the hottest Turkish Airlines EuroLeague team with 5 straight wins, taking down the leaders Real Madrid and forcing them to second-worst offensive result, 51 points, at full Ulker Sports Arena.

Player of the Game EFF 18 Pierria Henry Points 8 Accuracy 4-10 Rebounds 7 Assists 9

Sasa Djordjevic did not hide his satisfaction after the superb defensive performance and energetic win.

"Great night, good win," said the Serbian specialist. "The competition is so tough and we don't have time to enjoy this victory. We have a very short time period for the next match, here in Istanbul, in front of our fans. We'll try to go home and get the energy back. Recovery is the first thing in my mind now.

The players did an exceptional job. The first two quarters were the push towards the belief that we could win this game. It is the character of these guys. I didn't use a lot of words in the locker room."

According to Djordjevic, this rock-solid defense should inspire his team for the next game after three days.

"We did a good job defending guards and bigs, protecting the rim. Some of the players from the bench gave us a lift we needed. We must use this victory as a motivational thing for the Bayern game.

It was a special night. The atmosphere was exceptional. I think we contested every shot. Our players understood that we need to defend for full 24 seconds. Real are the best in Europe of moving the ball and finding the right shot in the last second."

Fenerbahce head coach also touched on the topic regarding the injuries and difficult period in the near past. He expanded on how to convince the players to fight after some heartbreaking defeats.

"We had a lot of injuries and I was a newcomer at the club. We had a slow start, moreover, players were coming back from the Olympics.

Real Madrid / Schedule

Real Madrid Olympiakos Piraeus75-67 Real Madrid Zenit Saint Petersburg85-64 Fenerbahce Istanbul Real Madrid66-51 Real Madrid FC BarcelonaFri19:45

That's the beauty of this profession. You have to believe and make players understand that you believe. I believe in what I do.

Lately, the team is showing the character of fighters. When I was a player, I never accepted that opponents were better than me. I don't like excuses," commented the Serbian mastermind.

Asked regarding Jan Vesely and Nando De Colo, Djordjevic joked about their integration into the squad.

"Well, to get back into the roster, that is their problem; not mine (laughed). On a serious note, both of them created the fighting spirit in this club. They are great players and people. They are a big part of Fenerbahce."

On the other side, Pablo Laso admitted that Fenerbahce outperformed his team tonight.

"Congrats to Fenerbahce for victory, they played much more aggressively. Defensively, they played very hard. We were not able to match that. We did not have good shooting percentages, which did not help us as well. Fenerbahce really outplayed us," stressed Laso post-game.

The Spanish tactician also talked about two losses in a row on both fronts.

"I am not a coach that becomes too happy about victories and also too worried regarding the defeats. If you look at the standings, we lead in both competitions, in the EuroLeague and ACB. I should be happy about that.

Sometimes we can lose despite playing well. We lost two straight duels but were also having winning stretches. In this crazy calendar, we need to pass pages quickly and think about the next game. The next one is El Clasico - we need to be ready."

As claimed by Pablo Laso, he made a mistake playing Guerschon Yabusele tonight, who felt unwell due to a virus. The 54-year-old was concerned about others as well.

"Yabusele had a stomach virus and could not practice. It is my fault, I should not have played him. He could not eat and had a very tough day.

Randolph was injured for one year, Thompkins is back after 6 months. We have to be patient. I hope that Deck will be okay in one week but we need to be careful about these things because the calendar is packed and you have to play too many games in a row. We already have Adam Hanga, Jeffery Taylor out and I hope that we will get them back as soon as possible," finished Pablo Laso.

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