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DKV Joventut
Head Coach
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GARCIA RENESES, AITO
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"I think that the game was very good on our part. We played with intensity and intelligence, and we faced a strong team in Galatasaray. In their quarterfinal, Galatasaray looked a little softer perhaps, even though they won. Today, they played a very good game. They were capable of very strong defense, the rebounded, and with that they were able to fastbreak and make some good baskets. They were really good on rebounds. For us, it created a tactical problem with Johnsen playing small forward. And also when they played with Besok, a real center, or other times used Owens or Gaines at center, it cost us a bit to adjust. But with effort, we were able to overcome those tactical efforts and play a good game in general. For the Final, first we need to rest, because today's effort has been a big one. Second, we have to prepare ourselves for what is a little bit of a new situation. Going into the Spanish King's Cup, no one expected us to win. But here they do. Thanks to the good development in our play, the fact that we are in the Final of the ULEB Cup, we are more or less second in the Spanish League and have won the King's Cup and the Catalan League, people think that we can win this, too. That makes this situation a little knew. We'll see how we react. I think today we noticed a little bit of this, as we were missing shots we normally make. We can't think about it so much. I only mention it because someone asks. We have to concentrate on what we need to do to win: defense, offense, whatever we see as necessary. If we win, fabulous: if not, it's also good to play the final."
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DKV Joventut
Guard
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FERNANDEZ, RUDY
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"I think it was a strong game, very physical. The first half we played good defense, the fastbreak was there for us. But in the second half, when Galatasaray ran a lot of fastbreaks, it was difficult for us. The big problem for Galatasaray was our press. When we put the pressure on, steal the ball and run, it put them in a bad situation. Now, we have to rest. In 20 hours, we play the final. We were able to do it for the King's Cup in Spain. We know that we have to rest so that we can go 100 percent in the final tomorrow in what should be a physical game."
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DKV Joventut
Forward
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BARTON, LUBOS
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"It's great to be in the final. We suffered a little today, I think we caught them in a good moment. They played fine, with confidence as underdogs so they didn't have much to lose. They played us tough for sure. Our game is like that. We rely on our outside shot. We didn't shoot very well today, me especially. We also have someplays for penetrations and trying to get easy shots underneath but it is true that today Galatasaray played well and took away many of our strengths."
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DKV Joventut
Center
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HERNANDEZ-SONSECA, EDU
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"The game was a bit weird. We had good dynamics but after that we kinda got distracted. Either we lowered our level or they raised theirs, but we got kind of scared and after that they have been living on our errors basically. It's easier to shoot a lot to try to score when you are behind on the scoreboard, but those are mistakes we have to learn from if we want to win tomorrow."
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DKV Joventut
Center
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JAGLA, JAN-HENDRICK
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"I think we have been committing the same mistake (relaxing with a big lead) during the last couple of games and also in Spain. I don't know, maybe it's a bit stupid on our part. We have to fix that even though I doubt that in the final either team will be able to pull away far, it's probably going to be close until the end but we have to improve on that. I don't know who we will play in the final but for now I am happy that we made it and we just have to have clear that it won't be an easy game."
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DKV Joventut
Guard
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MALLET, DEMOND
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"Well, all those rivals come out aggressive when we get a good lead. It's something we have to learn, that when we have good lead we have to continue to play basketball the way we know how to play. Galatasaray guys never let themselves down, they kept fighting but hey, we prevailed. We insisted a little from the three-point line because it has been working for us all year! I just think we are trying to make theball get in the basket, we have some great long-distance shooters on this team but we had to realize that our inside game was working better than our outside game. But anyway, it happens. It's a learning experience and it's got to get better."
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Galatasaray Cafe Crown
Head Coach
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OZYER, MURAT
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"It was our club's first ULEB Cup season, and I want to thank my players, because they never quit. They showed that on floor until the end of this game. This is a very good sign and I'm very pleased and thankful that I have those types of players on my roster. Congratulations to Joventut. They have a good team, good players and great coach. I wish good luck to them on the road to the final. They did a very good job today. In summary about the game, we tried to use the fastbreak selectively. We didn't want to run with them every time and get a lot of turnovers. We had to cut the big difference that they got in the first half, and we cannot say we played well in that half. Then we tried to catch them, using our rebounding mostly. But if you give a chance to lead to a team like Joventut during a game, it's not easy to catch them after. I think those were the important points of the game. Now, it will be very hard for us to play the third-place game tomorrow. We will try to break down why we lost the semifinal and even though it's hard to play the third and fourth spot, we will try to get the win and the ticket for the ULEB Cup next season. Both Girona and Moscow are good teams, but we want to play here next year, so we'll focus and try to do our best to finish the tournament well."
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Galatasaray Cafe Crown
Guard
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ERDEN, CUNEYT
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"We did not feel comfortable against their defense and committed many turnovers. We made too many mistakes and lost the game allowing 90 points, which is a lot for us. We played very good defense in the quarterfinal against Besiktas Cola Turks, but we couldn't do that tonight. We are now looking forward for the third place game and forget about this loss as soon as possible. Being in the ULEB Cup next season is very important for us next year. We have to ttry to win the game and that way, make sure we are back in the competition."
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Galatasaray Cafe Crown
Guard
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BROWN, DEE
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Joventut played better than us tonight and managed to win the game with better basketball. They made their shots, played very well as a team and managed to stay focused when we got back in the game. The winner of the third place game gets to the ULEB Cup next season and that's important. Even with that, we want to win every game, because all games are important for us."
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Galatasaray Cafe Crown
Forward
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JOHNSEN, BRITTON
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"DKV Joventut is a very strong team and I think they will win it all. They knocked down their shots and played really well as a team. it is a very smart team. Congratulations to them. I hope that we can do better in the third place game tomorrow. We are not done, we have to regroup and try to win the game. If we win, we will be back in the ULEB Cup next season and gives us something to think about after this loss."
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Galatasaray Cafe Crown
Forward
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OWENS, CHRIS
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"We just came out and tried to play hard, with good defense. We got a couple of tough calls but in the end, DKV Joventut is a very strong team but even with that, it was a tough loss. I had a good game in defense but I think I could have done a lot better. I wanted to win and play the ULEB Cup final but we couldn't do it in the end. That is all about it. We have to come out and play hard tomorrow. It is a big game for us, we want to come out and play as hard as we can. We have to regroup and focus on winning tomorrow."
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Galatasaray Cafe Crown
Forward
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GAINES, CHARLES
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"We played against a very good team tonight, one of the best in the Spanish League. We thought that we could win tonight but they outplayed us. DKV Joventut is a good team with a good coach and made their plays every time they needed it. I want to wish them the best of luck in the final. I hope they win the ULEB Cup. I played for Joventut and of course, I want them to win the competition. I think they will, but we will see tomorrow. We will try to win tomorrow so that we can go to the ULEB Cup this season but the main goal was to win the championship. We have to get ready for the third place game, we have to regroup and try to stay focused tomorrow. The goal was to win the ULEB Cup and we didn't do it. We have to win tomorrow to get back home with something in our hands."
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