Saras: “You have to focus on Valencia and go all out”

The coach stressed that Monday’s duel against Valencia “is very important in a best-of-three-game series”

“Obviously we are touched by the Final Four, but we face the play-offs with motivation”, indicated Àlex Abrines

With the certainty of having won their 17 games at home in the regular phase of the Endesa League and with home court advantage in all the qualifiers for the title, Barça begins this Monday at 9:00 p.m. at the Palau the quarterfinals against Valencia Basket in a best-of-three-game series.

Sarunas Jasikevicius trusts that the team knows how to forget the disappointment of the Euroleague Final Four to put all five senses into the last goal of the season. “You have to focus on Valencia and what happened, already happened. We have had a very good regular season and now the quarterfinals are the best of three games. Therefore, the first one is very important. The track factor can be key. It’s important to play at home and Palau will help us, but down there it’s played five against five and we’ll have to do it ourselves”, commented the Lithuanian.

“We’ve had a few days to rest and to prepare for the play-off. I think we’re going to be prepared, that’s for sure. We know how difficult the rival is. Now the fight for the last title of the season begins, we all have to be up to the task and go for it”, highlighted an ambitious Saras.

As for the rival this Monday, the Barca coach highlighted the multiple alternatives that his squad allows them. “I think that Valencia has had a good season in the Euroleague. It’s a great team, it has beaten the strong ones in Europe (84-83 against Barça in La Fonteta without going any further) and it has many variables, different situations with great and with little ones We will have to know how to adjust, change the defenses and know how we want to attack,” he added..

One of the few who was saved and with capital letters from the Final Four was Alex Abrines, who is going through a very sweet moment of play and aim. “We face the play-offs with motivation. Obviously we are touched by what happened in the Euroleague, but we have to get up and the league title is very important to us. The Palau is very important. Thanks to the fans we have made 17 of 17 in the regular season at home. We just have to keep going like this and we will be champions. That they come, that they encourage us and that together we can lift this title,” said the Spaniard.

“Valencia has always given us problems with Dubljevic in the position of five, because he opens up the field a lot. We know they haven’t had the best season, but it’s Valencia and it will be a highly contested series. In the best-of-three quarterfinals, it’s very important to win the first one, because otherwise we’d have to win there. There is no margin for error, so we have to go all out and start winning,” added the former Oklahoma City Thunder.