Ibon Navarro says Tenerife caused more trouble for Unicaja than Barca and Real / News - Basketnews.com

"Tenerife has a very temperate and slow type of game. They just don't make mistakes. And we often live off our opponent's mistakes," he underlined.

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Unicaja Malaga head coach Ibon Navarro after lifting the Copa del Rey trophy assured that Lenovo Tenerife put his team in more trouble than FC Barcelona and Real Madrid in the quarterfinals and semis, respectively.

Player of the Game EFF 17 Tyson Carter Points 17 Accuracy 5-8 Rebounds 1 Assists 3

"Today's game was the most difficult one, not because it was a final," he pointed out following an 83-80 win in the Spanish Cup final, via Mundo Deportivo. "Tenerife was the team that made our game the most difficult. Until the end of the third quarter, we couldn't speed up the pace, which was very low and favored them."

Navarro, who appeared in the press room with his son, acknowledged that it was expected to be the most challenging duel.

"Tenerife has a very temperate and slow type of game. They just don't make mistakes. And we often live off our opponent's mistakes," he underlined.

"I want to congratulate Tenerife on their project," Navarro continued. "It was a mirror for us when we started our project, made with sense. All honors and respect go to a great team."

Finally, the 46-year-old specialist highlighted the unique chemistry of his squad.

"I am happy and proud of the guys. I love them very much. The union, cohesion, and family vibe are here.

Also, the lack of selfishness. We all put the team ahead of individual interests. Some may think that it is my merit, but there is a lot of work behind selecting the group of guys. You cannot control how everyone is going to fit in, and they have done that very well," Navarro concluded.

Malaga prevailed in their 2nd Spanish Cup ever. The last time they lifted the arguably most prestigious European cup was in 2005.

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