Post-game quotes: championship game Madrid vs. Efes | EuroLeague (2024)

Ergin Ataman, Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach

“I’m sorry for Real Madrid, they made a great game, but we knew how to manage the game, especially the last minutes because I have in the team star players who know how to play in that kind of situation. In the finals, strategy, especially offensive strategy, is not working well, you see that in all games in the Final Four. But great players can resolve situations. In the last quarter, all the team made a great defense, we really solved the problems for the offensive rebounds. We had a big problem until the third quarter with offensive rebounds, we gave away a lot of points, and then we found a way to win the game."

Pablo Laso, Real Madrid head coach:

“Of course, I’m happy the way we played, congratulations to Efes for the win, it was a great final. Everybody fighting for every ball. We were missing some open shots that we didn’t score and missing those baskets at the end. On a do or die, probably on my mind is gonna be the last play: should we foul, shouldn’t we foul? We didn’t get the rebound. I think if we had got the rebound we could have had a last shot, but we couldn’t get a clean rebound…well, congratulations Efes, that’s it.”

Tibor Pleiss, Anadolu Efes Istanbul center:

“It’s incredible. As a kid, I always looked up to the two teams that played the Final Four and now I’ve won it back to back, it’s incredible. I’m full of emotions, I’m tired, but I’m so happy it’s incredible, I have no words for it. This team worked so hard for the title, we had a lot of ups and downs this season and we ended up now with a title again, one year later, incredible. I have to tell you, I just realized after the game how many people are here because I was so focused the whole game. Actually, I’m just starting to enjoy it. I tried to give what I could do on the court, tried to help my team. I was open, took the shots, the balls went in, keep going and it worked out pretty well.”

Vasilije Micic, Anadolu Efes Istanbul guard:

“First of all, thank you everybody for being in the gym, thank you all the fans who participated in this Final Four. I am honestly very speechless because four years ago I played here and I won third place and I was short. But this time we won the title, and I want to congratulate my teammates, congrats to Real Madrid for an amazing game and thank you once again.

“This [MVP award] feels amazing. It will stay forever with me, it will be marked on my heart until I play basketball and afterwards. Nothing is possible without my teammates – four amazing years together, two titles. The team result is more important. Everybody knows that tonight will be very hot all over Belgrade, I’m going to take all my team together and we’re going to celebrate like never before.”

Bryant Dunston, Anadolu Efes Istanbul center:

"We are all on the same page, When the coach comes in, since the first day, he said we are the best team in Europe and we have to go out there and prove it. He challenges us the whole time and the guys step up. It really shows the character of our team, that the guys always in the moment that we need them, they step up. At halftime it was fine. At that moment we said, okay, we are playing bad but it's only a 5-point game, though. We continued playing, the shots were gonna follow eventually. We were lucky that that shots went down when we needed them to."

Chris Singleton, Anadolu Efes Istanbul forward:

"I don't know if it's pressure, but you are in the championship game, you are in the Final Four. I mean, you just got to leave it all on the line. I think I said that Thursday, we are here to win, they are here to win, so just give it your all. It's the only thing that you can do. I just know I was fighting with Deck [for a critical rebound in the final minute] and I know he got down there. We were just battling. That's what I was trying to do. I wasn't making shots, nobody was making shots, but I knew I had a chance to get all of his rebounds. And thankfully, it came to me at the end. I said that the key to the game would be guarding the three-point line. I think we broke the Final Four record in our last game with 14 made - and I knew that they shoot a lot of threes, we shoot a lot of threes, so it's a lot of rebounds that could be happening. This is a big moment and only a couple of players got it going in the scoring column, but everybody participated doing this. It's only been three teams [to win back-to-back titles since 2000] and that's a great category to be in. I'm just happy to be part of this big group."

James Anderson, Anadolu Efes Istanbul forward:

"No one was really making shots and it was all about small details. We were lucky to get away with the win. I think that fight more than anything [made the difference]. We were down early and gave up a lot of offensive rebounds. We didn't share the ball particularly well and we normally do. It was all about details. Rebounding, Elijah got some good rebounds in the end, Tibor hit some big shots, so that was pretty much the key. This is our second year in a back-to-back and made it three years in a row to the final and it could have been four with the COVID-19 season. It says a lot about our group of guys that we have and the effort that we put. Chris's rebound at the end was big. He went for a one-handed snatch over everybody and gave us another possession. That was one of the biggest plays of the night."

Elijah Bryant, Anadolu Efes Istanbul guard:

"We missed some shots that could have made it different, but at the end of the day we managed to get some rebounds and make some stops and that's what wins games. Vasilije Micic is a big-time player and he played a great game. He is our best player and obviously many things went throughout him."

Adrien Moerman, Anadolu Efes Istanbul forward:

"Unbelievable! I can't describe it right now because this is a great moment. We will see tonight; it is going to be a big party and we will enjoy it together. This is great for us and great for the club. Four years ago, we were last in the championship and now, for the second time in a row, we are the best team in Europe. This is great for Turkish basketball. When we made some stops, the fans were pushing us. But they didn't just push us in the Final Four, they also did it in the playoffs and the regular season. This is for them! We played the last three finals and won two titles. This is unbelievable for us, for this group. We fought for four years together. We had some ups and downs this season, it was not an easy season for us and in the end, we forgot everything and won. And now, we have to win the Turkish League again!"

Rodrigue Beaubois, Anadolu Efes Istanbul guard:

"It is amazing. We have a special group that was put together four years ago and what we have been able to do in those four years is just amazing. To have two EuroLeague championships, never done with this club before, is just amazing. Thank God for everything and I am just glad they believed in this group. I hope we are going to stay together as long as possible."

Adam Hanga, Real Madrid forward:

"In this game, you must make your shots if you wantto win and we didn't achieve that tonight, It's what it is. Right now ending second makes no difference, it feels like we had not qualified for the playoffs. It makes no difference to me. I don't have anything to say about the last plays, I want to watch them later."

Guerschon Yabusele, Real Madrid forward:

"Everybody is asking me about the last possession, but you don't win or lose the game in the last possession. It's before that. So, congratulations to them. We missed our shots, it was a tough game, a close one, with two teams going out for each other.

"We had a pretty good season. Of course, I am disappointed about the result but we fell short. We will go home and get ready for the ACB. It was a great game to compete, there was a lot of competition today. It was a close game and we missed some shots but stayed in the game.... It was good [to play in my first Final Four]. I missed a lot of shots today and feel like every shot that I was taking, I felt like it was going in, it was a good feeling... but it's okay, you know? I am still young, I am learning. I am going home, move on and get better."

Vincent Poirier, Real Madrid center:

"I am sad but at the same time, I am proud of the team. We competed in both games and this one, we lost it by one. I think we let it go because we conceded too many offensive rebounds and easy baskets. If we controlled that, it would not have been the same result. We lost, that's part of the game. We will come back stronger and we will see."

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