Fabien Causeur reveals background of last plays, reasons for his emotional outburst / News - Basketnews.com

Fabien Causeur recounted the chronicle of the final game's last two possessions, revealed why he broke down in tears after the buzzer, and explained why he thinks Real Madrid have kept him on their roster for so long.

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Thanks to a legendary shot by Sergio Llull, Real Madrid won their 11th EuroLeague title and first since 2018.

Player of the Game EFF 23 Sergio Rodriguez Points 15 Accuracy 6-11 Rebounds 4 Assists 9

One year after losing the trophy to Anadolu Efes Istanbul in the dying seconds of the title game in Belgrade, Los Blancos once again confirmed their mental toughness in another season with many ups and lows.

Fabien Causeur, author of 11 points on 4/6 from the field in the duel against Olympiacos Piraeus, recounted the story of how his team managed to turn the game around. For the Frenchman, that was his second continental title with Madrid, but one that came amidst special circumstances, since his wife was in the hospital the morning of the final.

Credit Rokas Snarskis

"It was a great match for the fans, and for basketball in general," the 36-year-old guard told the media, per Basketeurope.com.

"It's magnificent! We simply believed in it. Olympiacos were ahead, they took a 6-7 point lead, and a few calls which hurt us a lot. We couldn't find any solutions. In the final minutes, Real Madrid's veterans were on the court and it was amazing," Causeur continued and went on to refer to Llull's last shot.

"At the time-out, we knew very well that we were going to play a pick and roll, we just didn't know who we were going to give it to," he recalled.

"(Chus) Mateo is not going to admit it but I told him not to attack (Thomas) Walkup because I think he's the best man-to-man defender in the competition. On the last possession, we didn't want to see that happening. So Sergi stuck to it, and luck smiled at us, as the shot could have missed the target," he explained.

After that, only 3.2 seconds were left on the clock, with Olympiacos having the last possession.

Fabien Causeur

Team:Real MadridPosition:SG, SFAge:35Height:195 cmWeight:86 kgBirth place:FranceProfileNewsStatistics

"We had a chat on who we should put on the court. Mateo was going to put Nigel Williams-Goss on (Kostas) Sloukas, but he was cold, so I told him 'Put me on Sloukas'. In the end, he could have made the shot because I lost my balance when he made that fake," Causeur admitted.

"But he missed, so I was lucky. There were good signs. Sergio Rodriguez's 3-pointer that kept us in contention was huge, it's an absolutely exceptional end to the season," he said.

With a total of five Final Fours under his belt and another big game to remember, Causeur is certain that people can't argue that his career has been a matter of chance.

"The only Final Four I missed was the first (in 2016 with Baskonia), where I had a back injury and played 3 minutes. But since then, I have performed well every time. Last year, I had no success in the final, that's how it is.

Since the start of the season, it's been complicated, I've had minor injuries, I've lost an important member of my family, and my wife was in the hospital this morning. She's pregnant and very ill," he revealed.

"I was completely disconnected, and I'm grateful to Real Madrid who took really good care of her and she was able to be at the game tonight. I knew I was going to give everything for her, I'm emotional. You saw me cry at the end of the match, it was for my family. It's going to be a boy, for sure," Causeur disclosed.

The veteran guard also laid down the reasons why he thinks he's been playing for Real Madrid for so many years (since 2017).

"I train every day for that, I am a very meticulous person in my work," he argued.

"They see it, that's why I've been here for six years, they know that I work well and that I always respond in the big matches. I haven't been in the rotation at all for the last few weeks and today the coach brings me in after 4-5 minutes of play. It's a sign that he knows that this is the type of game that I enjoy the most.

He has no fear. And yet, I am the first to complain when the coach doesn't play me," Causeur joked.

"I'm really happy for him because he was criticized a lot during the season, and he deserved to get all this praise. He beat (Zeljko) Obradovic, he beat (Sarunas) Jasikevicius and a full Barca team, and he beat (Giorgos) Bartzokas," he said.

Causeur called the playoff series against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade "a turning point" for Real Madrid's season and referred to Game 2 incidents as "lamentable on both sides."

"We put a lot of heart and balls into our effort," he stressed. "It's our mentality, we are like that, we believe in ourselves at all times. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But you should have no regrets about these games. You have to give everything. Often, basketball is generous when you have this mentality."

Having just won his 15th career title and second EuroLeague crown, Causeur ranks the trophy he lifted in Kaunas very high on his personal list of achievements.

"Come on, today, I'm going to play on emotion," he conceded. "I'm going to say it's my best title!"

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