The Barça coach spoke after the win against Joventut
“For the fans it has been a great suffering,” he said.
After qualifying for the Endesa League final with an agonizing victory over Joventut in Badalona (60-63), the coach of Barça, Sarunas Jasikevicius, praised the insistence and the mental strength of its players.
“For the fans it has been a great suffering, but for me, winning the match like that is better. When nothing comes out for you, you don’t make any layups, no triples, they get 12 up, you keep going and insist… It’s been very good. We have to grow from this match”, summed up the Lithuanian coach at the foot of the track before the television cameras.
Jasikevicius, already from the press room of the Palau Olímpic in Badalona, highlighted the dedication of his team: “I think we have come out with a very good physical and mental toughness, as is needed in these types of matches. We have sent the message that we were here to win the game from the beginning.”
“Unfortunately we have not been able to put anything, but the team has had faith. We insisted throughout the 40 minutes, and in the second half we got a little more from outside. We have scored 44 points and this has been the difference, but we have shown a lot of character”, valued the Barça coach.
Jasikevicius highlighted Cory Higgins leadership: “It is very important for us. We have talked a lot about our mentality. We have a lot of talent, but normally you win with physicality and character, and Cory is a boy who never fails in this, he infects his teammates.”
“With 1-1 in the tie, we knew it was going to be very difficult. We played two very serious games. In these situations, it is very important not to give anything away, that the rival team suffers for everything and it is difficult for them to score each basket. That is why we have achieved two victories”, settled.