Ibon Navarro: “We were not a disaster in Badalona and did not become travelers”

Ibon Navarro He appeared after Unicaja’s great victory over Valencia (63-83). As the coach admitted, it was not an easy game as he adapted the game plan to a very different problem than what the team practices. However, he not only won, but also won. Although he doesn’t want victory to make him lose focus.

Balance

“I congratulate the team, of course, on the victory over an excellent opponent. At home. I think we played very solid, especially on defense. Due to the nature of Valencia, we forced ourselves to play differently than we usually do defensively. if we wanted to limit its strengths. Control of offensive rebounds until the last 5 minutes of the last quarter, control of losses and scoring after the opponent’s defeat. We’ve already seen the film: Valencia lost by 12 points going into the final quarter. This area, which has created so many problems, had to come. We were ready, we had a clear idea and we did everything well. When we failed, we didn’t lose concentration at the back and kept a consistent and good line to be able to control the scoreboard and get the win.”

Defensive display

“Obviously we played at a very high level defensively, but we tend to block 3-point shots and we didn’t do that today. I tried a lot to shut down. Valencia is capable of winning.” without having to resort to a three-point shot. Whoever makes the most free throws because he gets in a lot of the paint, who’s very aggressive, whoever plays inside with the low post advantage, it’s really important to shut this game down. Be smart with players who pose a real threat, stay focused. We played a very good game in group and individual defense. because the players had to make a lot of decisions.

Form state

“We were neither a disaster in Badalona nor are we now travelers.. Neither Valencia was in the Euroleague on Friday, nor is it the last attraction today, as they say in Malaga. I believe everything needs to be contextualized. Valencia have just played an outstanding game in Vitoria. It is mentally very difficult to charge the body with adrenaline. Although they were very enthusiastic, there is a historical rivalry, Unicaja is in second position and they could have gotten closer to that, but we did a lot of things.”

Spanish Cup

“We have four games left before the Cup. I would like a final like this against Valencia. We’ll have trouble getting there. Since 2002, no host has become a champion and no team has repeated, with the exception of Barça and Madrid. This is the plan“.

Match plan

“I think overall we played a good game. The difficulty I had defensively was that I was doing something we weren’t used to.. We have a way of defending ourselves and we decided to defend ourselves in a way that would limit the situation and changed that idea. The team was at a very high level of concentration, energy and intensity to adapt. “We made some mistakes, but we were capable.”

1st round match

“They are better than they were then, and so are we. We played with Kravish, who once trained, with Sima the same thing, our “five” was Osetkovski. If we remember the domestic game against Valencia, we did enough to compete with them. The Valencia team, with 16 players of this level, is one of the best in the Euroleague not only in terms of talent, but also in terms of physical preparation.”