Chus Mateo reflects on chance to make history, Edy Tavares' challenges / News - Basketnews.com

Real Madrid's coach Chus Mateo referred to the upcoming game against Partizan, weighing in on his team's mindset, Vincent Poirier's availability, ways to defend Kevin Punter and the details Edy Tavares should pay attention to.

Credit: Nikola Krstic/MB Media/Getty Images Credit Nikola Krstic/MB Media/Getty Images

Real Madrid and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade will battle it out on Wednesday night, as the winner qualifies for the Final Four in Kaunas.

The Spanish side has managed to tie the series 2-2 after being down 0-2. Now, the home-court advantage has returned to the team that had the first say at the beginning, before Kevin Punter allowed Partizan to take the lead.

Punter will be back for Game 5, but Madrid will have to do without Gabriel Deck, who will probably miss the rest of the season. On the other hand, Vincent Poirier practiced individually on Tuesday morning and coach Chus Mateo hasn't ruled him out for Wednesday's game.

"At a mental level, we are fine, but not physically," the Spanish coach stressed.

"We have a mentality of not letting ourselves give in or throw the towel. We had it in Belgrade and tomorrow we will have it again", he explained.

"Anxiety played a very bad trick on us in the second game. The fact of wanting to come back from 0-1 without thinking about Belgrade. We did very well there because we had more patience and calmness," Real Madrid's play-caller argued.

"We have gone with a residue of experience and tomorrow will be the same. Both teams are going to have anxiety and we have to know how to manage it", confessed Mateo who doesn't want to think about the possibility of making history by overturning a 0-2 deficit, something no team has ever mustered.

"We don't think about making history but only about the game. Instead of overturning the series, we will try to close it and win that game", said the coach, who insists on the mental factor as key.

"I think that after the first game, which we could have finished but had a final moment of bad luck, we anxiously went on to the second," he stressed.

Mateo thinks EuroLeague playoffs are always characterized by complexity because winning a game by 20 points doesn't give any certainty that the next one cannot turn out differently.

"Now, there is no past, we focus on what lies ahead. There is only one game and we have to focus on that. There are no precedents or futures," explained the Spanish coach, who also valued the return of Kevin Punter after serving his two-game ban.

"Punter is an important factor. He's a very good player and you have to be very careful. It doesn't always mean that playing against a great player, zone defense shouldn't work. That has helped us change their pace. We have to be able to react if Punter or another player steps up."

The return of Edy Tavares for the two matches in Belgrade was important, as the Cape Verdean big man won MVP honors for both games. But for Mateo, the team has to be able to react if Tavares isn't able to play.

"He helps us and conditions our defense and offense. Let's hope he continues in that line. Many teams try to get him out of the paint, but this is not new. We have tried to provide solutions to this situation that hurts us. It helps us to have an offensive benchmark and against certain types of defense, it helps to have a player like Edy in the paint.

He sometimes receives many fouls that he has to put up with. He has to be smart and he knows that if he controls his temper, he will be a better player," said Mateo.

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