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Lietuvos Rytas
Head Coach
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TRIFUNOVIC, ALEKSANDAR
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"They made 2-of-11 three-pointers in the first half and went 8-for-12 in the second half, so these open shots - about four of them were open - just made this difference. Louis Bullock and Charles Smith are probably two of the best five offensive players in the ULEB Cup. They stepped up and won the game. We got back, we tried to fight them again, but we were out of concentration and our free throw percentage did not allow us to perform a bigger rally in the end. We hit 86% free throws in the first half and that showed the difference in this game. We did not manage to get on the boards, as they got 23 defensive boards. We had a bad start, but managed to come back in the beginning. We are a team in this moment that, after the injuries we had and all the change of coaches, is proud to come here to play the final. We are happy to have made it to the final and I must say that we deserve to play in the Euroleague. We hope to be a bit lucky in the end."
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Lietuvos Rytas
Forward
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BATISTA, JOAO PAULO
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"We started the game pretty good, going back and forth on the scoreboard. But basketball is a game in which every single possession is important, and in the beginning of the second half they made the most of their possessions. Then when we tried to come back a bit, Charles Smith stopped us with back-to-back three-pointers. We were unable to score for a while and by the time we started to do so again, it was too late. We lost, but we have to keep our heads up. Every night in basketball, there's a winner and a loser. I'm proud that we made it this far and I got to see all this in my first year as a pro. We just came up a little short tonight."
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Lietuvos Rytas
Center
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ZUKAUSKAS, EURELIJUS
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"I don't feel good with this loss, as you can imagine. I want to congratulate Real Madrid for this title. Now we all want Madrid to do well in the Spanish League so that we can make it to the Euroleague. I am feeling better than before the start of the season, as my shoulder is not a problem anymore."
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Lietuvos Rytas
Guard
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BLUMS, JANIS
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"It is difficult to know what to say, Real Madrid was better in the second half. They had a good start and Smith and Bullock made the difference. We still have a chance to make it to the Euroleague and I hope we can make it."
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Lietuvos Rytas
Guard
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KOLJEVIC, IVAN
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"We were in the game throughout the first half and in the opening three minutes of the second half. Bullock and Smith got their rhythm then, not because we played bad defense, as we didn't, just because they are outstanding players. They made the most out of their one-on-one situations, hit some three-pointers. It was hard to stop them. I must congratulate Real Madrid for the win, we had a great season despite our many changes. With all that, I think we gave our maximum. I think Madrid has a great roster and has a nice calendar in front of them that might allow them to reach high in the Spanish League. I believe we will play the Euroleague next season, I wish them all the best."
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Lietuvos Rytas
Forward
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PETRAVICIUS, MARIUS
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"Real Madrid rebounded really well tonight and made some critical shots down the stretch. Those key plays allowed them to dominate the game in the final minutes. Now we hope that Real Madrid does well in the Spanish League so that we can play in the Euroleague next season. We came here to win, though, so we are now disappointed."
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Lietuvos Rytas
Forward
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RUSH, KAREEM LAMAR
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"We were in the game for 25 minutes, but Madrid delivered a great second half and came out with the victory. They played really hard and deserved to win. The ULEB Cup has been a great competition, with a lot of great players, and it was a great experience for me to take part on this final."
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Real Madrid
Head Coach
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PLAZA, JOAN
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"First of all, I don't have any voice left, but I will dedicate this victory twice. First, to Antonio Martin and Alberto Herreros, who hired me when no one knew me for such an important position as the coach of Real Madrid. All my life, I will never forget what they did when they chose a no-name guy like me. Second, I don't want to forget the fans who have supported us all season, some nights 14,000 of them. I want to tell them that we will continue to work as hard as we can. To win this tournament is very nice, to win the ticket to the Euroleague is great, but as I said before today, I want to repeat that the most important thing is that we are on the right way as a club. Tonight it was a close game that we broke open in the second half when we started defending harder and making shots we were missing in the first half. I am sure that Lietuvos Rytas will play in another final very soon and maybe even in the Euroleague. I congratulate them on making it here and playing so well. I am very happy, as you can understand. I have explained before that I have put 30 years into coaching and thought at times that a moment like this was far away. It made up for a lot of that already to have been asked to coach such a club as Real Madrid, and this is like the cherry on top. I won't say I could die happy tomorrow, but yes it makes up for all the effort. I think of all the coaches who helped me along the way - Manel Comas, Aito Reneses, Boza Maljkovic - and what I learned from them. The truth is this more than makes up for the wait, and it shows that taking the route of hard work was the right way. There are many coaches like me out there who are doing the same hard work and someday their time will come, too."
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Real Madrid
Forward
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REYES, FELIPE
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"I want to dedicate this win to every Real Madrid supporter. They deserve this ULEB Cup title more than anyone else for all the bad times they experience in the past. We hope to give them more reasons to celebrate in the near future. Like every final, it was a tough game. This takes a lot of pressure off us, since we already made it to the Euroleague next season."
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Real Madrid
Forward
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SMITH, CHARLES
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"It was a team effort to get this victory. We didn't play our defense in the first half, and allowed them to score 40 points, something we don't do very often. But then we came out in the second half and played hard defense together, and that was the difference. I was the MVP, but we did this together and it belongs to the whole team. Our coaching staff prepared us well, with a lot of film, and that really helped us. We just had to come out and play. Personally, I think I had some first-half jitters I had to get out of the way. I was very anxious. I didn't sleep before the game, and I usually sleep without problems, but I just wanted to play this one. I hadn't been shooting well lately, but Alberto Herreros came to me and told me, 'Shoot. I'm a shooter, too, so I know what you are going through.' The coaching staff kept its faith in me and when I went out in the second half, everything started going in. The basket looked really big to me."
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Real Madrid
Forward
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MUMBRU, ALEX
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"The last time I was here with Real Madrid we lost the final to Hapoel, so I really needed to come back here and take the trophy. It was really important for us as it was one of the biggest goals we set ourselves for the season."
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Real Madrid
Forward
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TOMAS, MARKO
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"We are the champions and I am so happy about this! I am really proud to be now part of Real Madrid's successful history. I can promise it won't be so long until we win another trophy. We are a great team all together and now it's time to celebrate. We deserve it."
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Real Madrid
Guard
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BULLOCK, LOUIS
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"I am so happy for this ULEB Cup title. I am also really happy for all my teammates, as this is the first European title we lift for Real Madrid together. This was our goal at the beginning of the season. I think we maintained the same game rhythm for the entire game to see if they can stay with us for 40 minutes. Charles made crucial three-pointers for us, they made some big shots to almost get back in the game but they didn't make it. Winning my first European title feels great, it is one things to accomplish, because we now belong to the history of this club. It is something I can tell my family for a lot of years."
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Real Madrid
Forward
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HERVELLE, AXEL
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"I had only won a Supercup here in Belgium, but winning this ULEB Cup is too much. I can't begin to explain how happy I am to have won this in front of my family and friends. It is also the first ULEB Cup for Real Madrid and it is a big accomplishment for all of us. This rewards the great efforts of the basketball section of Real Madrid. Now we are going for the Spanish League. We played outstanding defense in the second half, especially in the third quarter, and that made the difference for us."
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Real Madrid
Guard
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TUNCERI, KEREM
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"This is a great feeling, we played very good basketball this season, we were tough when it mattered. We played harder in the second half and it paid off in the end. It is my first European title and I can't describe my happiness with words. I think we really deserved to win the title and it showed tonight."
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Real Madrid
Center
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SEKULIC, BLAGOTA
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"This is unbelievable, our dream came true in the end. I really don't know what to say, I am just so happy about this. This title means a lot to me, as I joined the team late, but worked hard to help my team to win this title. Now we must go back to Madrid and thank our fans."
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