Bologna –
At the end of the game against Fenerbahce these were the words of head coach Luca Banchi in the press conference, “We are very happy with this win because of the way we controlled such strong opponents. We struggled at the beginning of the game, in the first ten minutes, to control the pace and, of course, the size of their lineup, but what made me confident is that the team stayed very focused trying to bring the game little by little to our flow and direction. What happened tonight in terms of continuity, consistency and quality of basketball is a big step forward for a team that is facing such a big emergency. Cordinier was also out tonight, but everyone brought their energy to the court. It’s a great team win and I want to thank everyone, on and off the court, in the stands, the fans who gave us incredible help to get a win like this. Sure, for some people maybe it’s just a win, but we have to celebrate every single step forward, especially in the Euroleague because it shows that we can compete and that’s the most important thing.”
On Fenerbahce’s points in transition: “Knowing their characteristics, in the first period we were not able to stem the pace of their game mainly because of our offensive choices and in general it was a matter of being a little more careful and cynical in using fouls where and when needed, if only to take away those baskets in the first 5/8 seconds that could be the only way for them to get back into the game. I have a hard time disputing anything with players and team that produce an effort like we did today.”
On Cacok: “He played a game of substance, a lot of concentration was needed, dangers come everywhere. They have a crazy offensive arsenal, in the first half we tested Motley’s qualities and I think we did a great job throughout the game of containing the dangerousness of Wilbekin and Guduric, in general all their play makers. He and Dunston were for the entire 40 minutes a reference for our defense and I think Cacok also offensively put an important contribution to the game by taking advantage of his verticality characteristics, taking pressure off our small guys and, as we had wished would happen, taking advantage of our greater mobility. With him on the court for their longs to curb his pace and frequency on movements without the ball must be a constant threat and tonight he did that excellently, with a concentration and solidity that gives me hope.”
On total team rebounds: “The number of rebounds does not determine whether the team is capable, you see the physical size of our players, height and age that we often struggle. In rebounding we did an egregious job that stems from the pressure we put on the perimeter. Forcing the team that on average shoots 30 times from 3-point range to stay below their standards and shoot 20 percent gives you a chance to control rebounds better. I don’t think the rebounding figure is strictly related to our size and physicality. The fact remains that this is a condition that will follow us for the entire year, we will always be in the emergency at this level of having to substitute, tonight more so. As happened with Milan, these are teams that play with three longs on the court and it means that our guards, Belinelli rather than Dobric, Smith or Lundberg often find themselves marking players like Mirotic, tonight Hayes Davis who give crazy physical advantages. On those situations we have to be really very demanding on ourselves, finding a balance in marking is not easy but tonight they all did a very important job beyond the difficulties of the first ten minutes.”
On the team reaction in moments of difficulty: “The feeling was that after the initial bewilderment of the first few minutes where we really tested the physical and athletic impact of certain players, we had the discipline and the focus to continue to believe and be confident that this game and this opponent we could slowly steer it into our territory. I felt that after the first ¾ minutes, I called time out after the first ¾ minutes, that we were taking them into our comfort zone. Even the quintets changed physiognomy and came after us, this is an important signal that determines a team identity and a style of play that is beginning to get under the skin of the team and these players.”
