Scariolo: “The team is a bit touched”

“It hurts that you have been so close to doing something important and in the end nothing,” said the coach about the last defeat against Italy

Sergio Scariolo, coach of the Spanish men's basketball team, confessed on Wednesday that “the team is a bit touched,” both physically for the four games already played this Eurobasket, as in encouragement, after losing to Italy (67-63) a match whose outcome could have changed in the final stretch of having captured a rebound.

«The team is a bit touched because they are physically four games and the competition begins to be noticed. Animically, we are a little touched too, because if we had taken that final rebound that fell in the hand of (Marco) Spissu we would probably won the game, and that hurts, that you have been so close to doing something important and in the end nothing, ”said Scariolo during his appearance before the media at the end of a training.

After analyzing the meeting of the fourth day, of which “you have to turn page” the Italian coach said that his players did “many things well for many minutes of the game” and that that must also be valued.

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“The first 15th minutes of the game we have defended in a way that few teams could do it,” said Scariolo, who highlighted the great game made by the forward Sergio de Larrea, who “is taking leaps and bounds to become an international high -level player.”

With a view to this Thursday's match against Greece, who will decide the fate of 'La Familia', the coach stressed that “you have to keep all possible energy” to deal with a rival with 'super-stars'.

«It is a game of maximum demand against the strongest rival of the group. It has a worldwide super-stare, Giannis Antetokounmpo; and Kostas Sloukas, which is a contrast European stress. Greece is a team and we have to play a great game to compete against them, ”he said.