Emotional Llull: ‘I love to play basketball, and you never know if you’ll be able to help your team again’ / News - Basketnews.com

Superior performance from Sergio Llull allowed Real Madrid to erase 19 points deficit and lift the Spanish Super Cup.

Sergio Llull

Team:SpainReal MadridPosition:PG, SGAge:33Height:190 cmWeight:91 kgBirth place:Menorca, SpainProfileNewsStatistics

“We are a team that does not give up, and in the end, each game is a different story,” Llull said after the final. “There are many things to improve, it is very early in the season, but the work and effort have been enormous to get off to a good start, with a title.”

The 33-years-old guard played only 19 minutes but finished the game with 24 points (5/6 2PT, 3/5 3PT, 5/6 FT), 2 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 5 drawn fouls, and 27 EFF. Llull was named an MVP of the final.

In the past few years, Llull had many problems with injuries, while the most painful one was back in 2017 when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament.

However, on Sunday evening, European fans could have witnessed the best version of Sergio Llull again.

“Physically, I feel fine; the main thing is to help the team,” said Llull. “As soon as the game ended, my emotions were unleashed because I had an operation on my knee. I have suffered many muscle injuries, but now I played an important game.”

“Therefore, doing well, helping the team has been very, very emotional. Hence the joy and emotions cannot be controlled. It’s clear that this is the least important title of the season, but we have shown character to turn the game around.

To win is always important. The last few years have been difficult, I have had many muscle injuries, and I love to play basketball. You never know if you'll be able to help your team again”, added Llull.

Real Madrid’s head coach, Pablo Laso, also appreciated Llull’s performance.

Sergio Llull

MIN:17.74PTS:8.69 (46.77%)REB:1.54As:2.96ST:0.38BL:0TO:0.81GM:26ProfileEuroLeague2020/2021

“I’m proud of Llull, but I have also seen that new signings and young players have the winning spirit I want to convey,” Laso said.

For Laso himself, it was his seventh Spanish Super Cup trophy and 21st overall sitting on Real Madrid’s bench.

“Every player in my team is important. Without Eli Ndiaye, who played less than two minutes, we wouldn’t have won this title. Every new signing successfully integrated into the team. For some of them, two weeks were enough,” Laso said happily.

Laso also emphasized the character of his team, adding how important the belief is.

“We have not played our best basketball, butwe have shown a very high level of attitude.This team never stops believing, and that makes me. We have turned it around because of our constant faith”, said Laso.

“As a group, we try to be very positive because we know that there is no team that will always win. But what we cannot lose is staying competitive, because if you are, you will always win more.

For me, it is vital that the new players, as I see these days, have that winning 'feeling.' It is what my coaching staff and I transmit to the team”, Laso added.

However, despite the victory, Laso was very clear that there is always room for improvement, and the current situation is not an exception.

“There was a year when we won everything, and we did not play quite well. There are things we could do better, while other times we have lost even though we played very well.

Nevertheless, I am very proud of the team. I feel more proud to be congratulated for seeing us fight than for winning. That has more value because it means that we transmit something. Here you must win, yes, I learned it since I was little”, Laso finished.

Meanwhile, for Sarunas Jasikevicius, it was another disappointing evening. Barca failed to win both Catalan Cup and Spanish Super Cup trophies for the second year in a row.

“I’m very disappointed that we gave away the title,” Saras said after the game. “In these kinds of situations, we must be more mature, especially when you build a lead like that. We can’t stop following the rules. We didn’t defend well for the whole game, and we were soft. They can’t score 88 points in the final.”

“The worst thing is that we are the team, which want to do minimum in order to win. This team is not a team of killers. In this pre-season, we already lost two games like this. One of the indications that you’re relaxed is when you feel like you already won.

You must be a killer on the court and defend what belongs to you. In the fourth quarter, we made 11 attempts from the 3-point line. Almost every one of them were wide open, and even if you’re not hitting shots, you can lose the quarter 12-16. We lost 12-26. We didn’t respect our rules”, Jasikevicius finished.

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