Punter and Exum ironically congratulate Real: 'I took it personally' / News - Basketnews.com

Exum said that he didn't even watch the EuroLeague final, ironically congratulating Real Madrid thereafter. Punter told the media that he took the quarterfinal series personally and it still bothers him.

Credit: ABA League j.t.d./Dragana Stjepanovic Credit ABA League j.t.d./Dragana Stjepanovic

Real Madrid won the EuroLeague title with a clutch Sergio Llull's shot over Olympiacos Piraeus center Moustapha Fall. While many celebrated, quite a handful of people were still left with a feeling that the Spanish team shouldn't have even been in the Final Four.

Dante Exum

MIN:23.02PTS:13.18 (64.62%)REB:2.32As:2.68ST:0.84BL:0.16TO:1.79GM:38ProfileEuroLeague2022/2023

A tumultuous quarterfinal series against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade left a bitter taste in numerous EuroLeague fans' mouths after the EuroLeague final ended.

Game 2 between the two teams will forever go down in infamy because of the fight that occurred at the very end of the match, which forced the officials to hand out 21 disqualifying fouls and forfeit the game.

Partizan's Dante Exum was injured during the brawl, Kevin Punter and Mathias Lessort were suspended, and even though Real Madrid lost multiple important players as well, there was a feeling that the losses were bigger for the Serbian club due to the roster depth that Real Madrid possess.

Partizan played a deciding Game 3 in the ABA League quarterfinal series against SC Derby on Monday, the day after the EuroLeague final. Following an easy win, Exum congratulated Real Madrid on the title but did it in a not-so-usual way, per Bojan Brezovac from Mozzart Sport.

"No," he answered when asked whether he watched the final. "Congrats to them, one hell of a season for them but I focus on the ABA League now and what I can do to win here. The EuroLeague is over, this is the focus now."

Exum said that the injury still bothers him and does not allow him to perform on the court to his fullest capabilities.

"I'm still going through it. Obviously, I'm still able to play, not at 100%, but I'm just doing everything I can every day to make sure I'm on the court," the player told. "I've been lucky enough that I'm on the court every day and able to go through it, even if I get a little bit of pain, that's just how it is."

Dante Exum

Team:Partizan Mozzart Bet BelgradePosition:PGAge:27Height:198 cmWeight:86 kgBirth place:Melbourne, AustraliaProfileNewsStatistics

Kevin Punter received the biggest suspension from the EuroLeague for his involvement in the fight and missed both games of the quarterfinal series in Belgrade. His effort in Game 5 was not enough to advance to the Final Four. Overall, Punter finished the series averaging 22.7 points and 24 PIR per game.

After the game against SC Derby, Punter attentively chose the words he said about Real Madrid and the EuroLeague final, per Bojan Brezovac from Mozzart Sport.

"I can't speak for everybody, and I will be careful with the words I use here. I'm not going to speak for everybody else but I took it personally," he said.

"Obviously, the people know the reasons why. For me, that was still on my mind, that was still lingering. Everything is over now."

Contrary to Dante Exum, Punter watched the final on Sunday but admitted that he didn't follow the Final Four to the fullest.

"I didn't watch the [Real Madrid-Barcelona] semifinal at all. I watched the Olympiacos-Monaco game and then I turned it off," he said.

Asked whether Llull's title-winning shot reminded him of some of his shots this year, Punter was blunt. "I don't really care, to be honest with you," the player admitted.

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