Sergio Scariolo spoke ahead of Maccabi-Real Madrid, corresponding to the sixth round of the Euroleague, to be played in Belgrade (Wednesday, 8:05 pm CEST). The coach said, “We’ve finally had a couple of days to train. We haven’t done that for a while. I mean training with contact and energy, and a little bit of separation from game to game. I hope we are ready to play an efficient and solid game against a team that has a lot of scoring potential.”
“They generate a lot of turnovers, with top-notch NBA talent like Walker and Dowtin Jr. taking a lot of the spotlight. They’re also a team that, having lost every home game, won’t want to lose any more. It is a must-win game. Few are not. Llull, Feliz and Bruno will be absent due to rotations or minor ailments. The other 12 will be there.”

Defence
“The defensive line, which is largely energy, is going to be put to a very tough test. That’s why we have to have fresh and effective players. Our sights are clearly set on gradually growing as a team, but without taking any risks, without overloading our best players who, perhaps, would give us a better performance in the short term.”

Campazzo
“He played an excellent second half against Burgos. He was immense at both ends of the court, just like against Partizan, he played a great first half last week. If I thought that Campazzo, at 34 years old, every quarter of every game, has to be at his best, I wouldn’t know what it’s all about. I’m honestly not worried about his first half against Burgos.”

Israeli teams return to their country from December onwards
“I think it’s purely a case of safety. In sport, the only criterion or parameter for this kind of decision is the safety of the players, the teams and the spectators. If the political and international authorities consider that, as of 1 December, the conditions exist to play in Tel Aviv, we’re sportsmen and women and we have to trust the decisions that I understand, and not in a superficial way, have been taken.”

Do you think these are modifications to the competition?
“Don’t you think that playing in Belgrade, 48 hours after playing a game away from home, after a trip, against a team that has been at home for three days, is an alteration of the conditions of fairness? It is what it is, we are sportsmen and we are on the receiving end of decisions.”

Would it be better if the Israeli teams didn’t play in the Euroleague?
“That’s a question for the Israeli teams, not for me. I understand that it’s not the most comfortable situation, having to play in Israel and away. But it is a question for those who can really say how they feel in this situation. It’s a good reflection because they are athletes who compete, and they are neither military nor ministers, they are colleagues who compete, who perform, who play and who train. I think it’s a good idea to ask them how they feel. It’s a good consideration. We’ve got enough on our plate without having to take on more complications. We are in a growing and building phase, and we have to focus on ourselves.”

Growth phase
“The results are in line with the state of the team’s progression. I’m not surprised. Every Euroleague team has ups and downs, and that’s typical at this point. It happens to everyone. We’re one of the few teams that haven’t lost at home yet. It manifests itself differently. The teams are not fully developed and not established yet.”

On Bruno Fernando
“These are decisions. There comes a time when decisions have to be made based on performance alone. We almost always have three players who can play as a 5. Most of the time, especially when it’s evenly matched and difficult, we decide to distribute the final minutes depending on the performance of the players. Obviously, Bruno Fernando is the first one who would like to perform better. He’s training well. In terms of performance and professionalism, I have no complaints.”