Chus Mateo explains how Real stopped Mirotic, comments on Olympiacos' comeback / News - Basketnews.com

Chus Mateo's presser was full of interesting quotes, as Real Madrid's coach referred to open windows, crazy choices, players who work their magic, and a team that's like a machine.

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With 21 seconds left in the first half of theReal Madrid-FC BarcelonaFinal Four semi-final, Tomas Satoransky made it 42-33 for the Catalans. Before the 20-minute mark, Sergio Llull had managed to unleash one of his trademark 'tangerine' 3-point shots to cut down the deficit to six (36-42).

Player of the Game EFF 38 Walter Tavares Points 20 Accuracy 7-9 Rebounds 15 Assists 1

That was just the start to Madrid's comeback that included some miraculous plays by Sergio Rodriguez, an all-encompassing performance on both ends by Edy Tavares and Mario Hezonja taking on the role of the defensive stopper against Nikola Mirotic. Barca, who scored 24 points in the second quarter alone, produced a total of 24 in the entire second half. Real Madrid were chasing every loose ball, plunging and diving at any given chance.

It was first and foremost a battle of will, where Chus Mateo's side managed to prevail with flying colors.

"During half-time, we talked in the locker room and said we had to find a window," the Spanish coach said in the postgame presser.

"We had to play better on the defensive rebound, fight and avoid turnovers. That was the key to us having an option to win. We found that window and used it."

Mateo added that defending Nikola Mirotic and Nicolas Lapovittola was pivotal.

"Barcelona are an amazing team with many good players, but we were able to beat them. It's tough to reach the final game, but our dream continues. Let's see what happens against Olympiacos, but I'm proud of the heart of my team," the Spanish coach stressed.

Early in the game, Barcelona were shooting the ball very well, going 9/14 from distance. Mateo commented when all was over that his squad knew how to be calm and wait for the right moment.

"We kept believing in the way we should defend those shots," he uttered.

One of several coaching choices that paid dividends was using Eli N'Diaye on Mirotic. The Montenegrin forward had a night off, finishing with 3 points and going 1/10 from the field.

Free throws this season

80%16,9Points made:16,9Accuracy:80,3%Place in standings:3Record max:31Record min:6Most made FTs:Dzanan MusaTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

"Sometimes, coaches do some crazy things," Mateo admitted.

"He's working very hard and well since the beginning of the season. It's not easy to stop Mirotic with one player. We played good defense on him, but Eli did a good job against Zach LeDay in the playoffs and did the same tonight. He only played 8 minutes because 40 minutes would be too much for Mario Hezonja.

Now, we got to optimize our resources, since we don't have Gabi Deck, Yabusele and Poirier. So, we have to do those crazy things to win," he continued.

As mentioned above, an integral part of Real Madrid's success story was getting important contributions from several players, including the team's veterans. Mateo is aware that Sergio Rodriguez, Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Llull can still bring things to the table when it comes to playing title-deciding games.

"They were fresh at the end of the game because they didn't play too much in the beginning," he said half-jokingly.

"They know how to close games. They know European basketball perfectly and fight to the end, controlling the rhythm. Sometimes, it's easy for a coach to let them play. I don't have to say too much, they know how to play the pick-and-roll with Tavares and against who to attack.

My job is easy. I've got a joint team that fights together and have a lot on their backs. It's spectacular how Chacho, Sergio Llull and Rudy control the rhythm."

Mateo, asked specifically about Rodriguez, author of 12 points and 5 dimes.

"For a player with so much talent, it's like a thriller [for the opponent] to not be able to know where the ball is. It's very good for fans to watch him play. We know his defensive deficiencies, which he didn't show tonight. But it's hard to stop him when he turns on the engines," he praised the 36-year-old point guard.

Just one hour before the Clasico tipped off, Olympiacos Piraeus had concluded a comeback of their own against AS Monaco. The regular season winners will square off with Madrid in a title game for the fourth time overall and third in the EuroLeague era. But in order to be able to do so, they had to pin Monaco down to only two points in the third quarter and turn a 12-point deficit into a 13-point lead.

"Monaco were winning at half-time, but Olympiacos are a great team, with many players who have a lot of experience," Mateo commented.

"They reacted from their defense, allowing only 2 points in the third quarter. They are a very solid team that knows how to play together and pass the ball. They're like a machine," he pointed out.

"We know it will be hard to play against them, but we'll try to find a window again. Now, it's cheap to dream and we're going to do it again."

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