Sergio Scariolo, head coach of Real Madrid, emphasized the difficulty of winning five consecutive games against Hapoel following Tuesday’s 76-69 loss at Arena Botevgrad in Bulgaria during the third quarterfinal clash. He noted that in Game 4, both teams will start from the “same situation” regarding rest days.
The Italian coach addressed the circumstances leading into the third game, as Hapoel had the previous round off in the Israeli league, while his team played an overtime game against UCAM Murcia to secure the top spot in the Liga Endesa. “We had won four straight against them, which is unusual. It was obvious they would fight with pride. There was no lack of goodwill, just a lack of accuracy. Now both teams are in the same situation; there won’t be a team that rests and prepares for three or four days while the other has to play and travel,” he explained in the post-match press conference.
In a game marked by Real Madrid’s disconnection from midway through the second quarter into the third, the Spanish side ended with more three-point attempts (12 of 36, 33.3%) than two-pointers (13 of 29, 48%). Scariolo attributed this to “quality in decision-making.”
“We never plan based on whether we’ll take more twos or threes. You have to make decisions and take the best shots the defense allows. We had many open looks and some poor selections. Many were catch-and-shoot opportunities, and we didn’t convert. It’s not about shooting more one way or another—it’s about the quality of decision-making,” he said.
With the series still in their favor at 2-1, Scariolo outlined the keys for improvement ahead of Thursday’s game, where they can close out the series and advance to the Final Four. “Calmness, confidence, and energy. Rest and prepare well to attack again with better ball movement and involvement. Today we held the ball too much, and that’s not our identity, but you can’t always be brilliant,” he added.
Finally, he confirmed that Walter Tavares will not play in this playoff series, as he continues to recover from a knee injury.
