ULEBCup.com interview: Raul Lopez, Real Madrid
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One of the biggest clubs in European basketball history is ready to again challenge for one of the few pieces missing in its trophy case. Real Madrid has unveiled a new-look team this season for the tasks at hand, though it does have some big names back, too. Guard Raul Lopez returned to Madrid after four seasons elsewhere and two major knee injuries to get back to the top level of European basketball. Coach Joan Plaza reshaped Madrid by bringing in Lopez and Kerem Tunceri as pure point guards and moving Louis Bullock to shooting guard, and it has paid off incredibly, as the team is a major candidate to win both the Spanish League and the ULEB Cup. Lopez knows how important is for Madrid to challenge for every title, as he told us in this ULEBcup.com interview. "Every competition that you can win is important for this club. Real Madrid is an institution, a club used to lifting many trophies," Lopez told ULEBcup.com. "The goal is reaching finals and trying to win them knowing that it is hard, since all competitions are strong nowadays, with many teams able to win them."
Madrid is having a great season so far, leading the Spanish League, fighting for ULEB Cup glory and going 17-0 at home so far in both competitions. Is this the kind of return to Real Madrid you were hoping for?
"Absolutely. I am always positive before the start of a season. I think we are playing at a very good level and I am happy to be part of this team. Even with that, the most important part of the season is ahead of us, there are a lot of games to be played and we have to carry on working as we have so far."
You've reunited this season with Felipe Reyes from your juniors national team days, Alex Mumbru from your teenage years at Joventut and Eduardo Sonseca from your first stint at Madrid. Has that made winning even better, enjoying it with old friends?
"Winning games is what always makes you feel more satisfied. At every team I have been, getting wins is what is most appreciated and what everyone likes. The fact I'm playing with teammates that I already knew maybe makes it more fun, but the most important thing is to carry on winning games to keep our momentum going."
You had to overcome serious knee injuries to rebuild your career and playing level. Has that process made you a different player in any way? Is it possible for a player to keep learning basketball while not playing due to injury?
"While you are injured you cannot really improve as a basketball player, basically you can't. It is obvious that it has not been easy for me to get back to playing and to reach the level required to compete at the maximum level, but at the same time, this is another challenge I had in my career and I had to face it."
 Everyone knows that Madrid's goal is to take every trophy in all competitions. How important is the ULEB Cup to this team, considering that it's one of the few trophies in European basketball that the club has not won, despite playing in a final?
"I think that every competition that you can win is important for this club. Real Madrid is an institution, a club used to lifting many trophies. This is our starting point and the goal is reaching finals and trying to win them knowing that it is hard, since all competitions are strong nowadays, with many teams able to win them. I know we have chances to win the ULEB Cup but we know it is not easy."
After three losses in November, Madrid has been perfect, with 9 consecutive ULEB Cup wins. With so few players having played this competition before, did you guys have to adjust to this competition a little?
"Yes, we noticed that in the beginning, we found the first games harder than usual and we suffered some unexpected losses. That helped us to grow in the competition and it was positive not to start so well because it made us realize that we would have to give 100% or it would be difficult for us to win games."
What is your opinion about the competitive level you have found in the ULEB Cup?
"There are very good teams and it is showing. There are many ULEB Cup teams able to beat Euroleague teams when they face each other in domestic competitions. That shows it is not easy. We know it is a tough competition and we face each game with that mentality, knowing it will not be easy for us."
How important was winning on the road by 9 points in the first ULEB Cup quarterfinal game in Belgrade, especially in an atmosphere like the Crvena Zvezda crowd generates?
"We know that our chances of making it to the semifinals started by getting a good result in Belgrade. We knew it would be a very difficult game from the last time we played in there. We didn't have the slightest chance to win the game. That made us step on court more focused this time, knowing that we cannot lose our concentration or Zvezda would be right there to answer. We got a very, very positive result in the end."
 Do you consider playing a team you faced in the regular season - Crvena Zvezda now and possibly Unics Kazan in the next round - to be an advantage or a disadvantage?
"I don't know if it is an advantage or nor, maybe the fact that we know each other means that nothing can surprise you. That may not happen with a team you have not faced before. Seeing it that way, it is an advantage. We played against Zvezda is the regular season and that made us return to Belgrade with the right approach and much more focused."
After having spent two seasons with the Utah Jazz in the NBA and then returning to Europe, how do you compare basketball and how it is played in both places?
"It is obvious that it is played in a very different way. There are two different kinds of basketball, but the playing level in Europe has improved a lot in recent years. European basketball is very competitive and every game is tough and important. There are regular season games in the NBA that are not that important, not that decisive like in here."
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Monday, March 05, 2007
Javier Gancedo, ULEBCup.com
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