Confident in Every Matchup | [Team Name]

Spanish vassils, coach of Monaco: “We expected a complicated match, it was. They put a lot of energy into it but we were ready. Most of the time, we defended well. We circulated the ball well, we finished with 19 assists. We played well, we were physical, and that allowed us to win against another very competitive team. […] [Ces derniers temps]we are better in defense, we are more altruistic. There is a very good atmosphere in the locker room. […] The most important thing is to be level on both ends of the pitch, and that the guys enjoy playing together. Winning a title or not is a matter of timing. It depends on a match, a shot, a moment. For me, the most important thing is the journey, not the destination and I am enjoying the adventure I am experiencing with this group of players.“

Francesco Tabellini, coach of Paris Basketball: “[Ce qui rend Monaco difficile à affronter]it is surely the fact that it is the best team in the Euroleague. It’s a mixture of the fact that they are very strong, and that they respect us. They always play very hard against us. Tonight, they had a great match. We tried to compete. We knew that the margin for error was tiny, but it came down to details, free throws for example (Paris finished 14/24 in the exercise). We were also blocked nine times. Certainly, they have incredible athletes, but we could have been more patient to find a better position. These are situations that gave them counter-attacks, an area where they excel. […] We must find a way to reduce the number of inaccuracies we make on offense, and we must better protect the rebound on defense. These are two compartments that make the difference, which can be worth more than 10 points. We have to be even better about our identity, make the game even faster and be more aggressive.“

Nikola Mirotic, Monaco strong winger who finished at 11 points and 9 rebounds : “We know that it’s a derby, and that each match against Paris is important. We knew it was going to be difficult, but we prepared well. Even when they started with an 8-0, we came back playing as a team, in attack and defense. There is good cohesion in the team. When you win, it’s always more fun. We must remain humble and continue to build something special. […] Playing alongside creators as good as those from Monaco makes my job much simpler than in my previous teams. I am happy with our performance. Individually too, if we remove the five faults, I am satisfied. We won, that’s the most important thing. […] Each match is different, especially in the preparation. But it’s true that we know the style of Paris well now. At the moment, we are very confident, not only against Paris, but against all the teams, because we are going through a good period. We are in a crucial period of the season, all matches are important, especially in the European Cup. Our goal is to win everything. We want to put ourselves in a position to win everything, whether it’s the Leaders Cup, the Super Cup or the Euroleague.“

At the adidas arena, Paris.