Pedro MartÃnez analyzed the match against Anadolu Efes Istanbul at a press conference (Thursday 11, 8:30 p.m., Roig Arena, Movistar+ Deportes), a rival that arrives at low times and, despite its sporting and economic potential, the results are not supporting this season. So much so that in the next few hours the signing of the Spanish coach could be confirmed. Pablo Laso to try to straighten the course, news that the Taronja coach claimed to be unaware of: “I have no idea, I haven't heard anything, we don't have this information. If so, I wish him the best of luck, I know him personally.”
Improvement in defense
On the good moment that Valencia Basket is going through, motivated in part by defensive solidity exhibited in the last games, Pedro MartÃnez did not want to give it too much importance: “I wouldn't know how to tell the truth if the latest victories are motivated by the improvement in defense. We are in a whirlwind of games, always focused on the next one, we play today and at night we already pass on information about the weekend's game and we don't even talk about the following week, with three games. We can't trust ourselves. This good streak does not mean that we are going to win tomorrow, if we have defended well, it could be because the other team was bad, maybe you relax and defend badly…”.
About the Turkish team, Pedro MartÃnez analyzed: “They are one of the top teams in the competition due to budget and prestige, they have important players injured but they still have my utmost respect, we have seen them play. The inside game is very difficult to defend with Osmani and Smit, it is a problem for defenses, they play differently than most teams in the league. It is not easy to adapt to them, we are going to play with a team that defensively can put us in problems, we cannot be macho, men like Cordinier can mess things up. Maximum respect, this is the Euroleague, there is no easy game, each one has a great difficulty, we have to give the best version.”
Pedro MartÃnez avoided talking about objectives, titles, classifications… although the illusion in the club environment is maximum, the coach remains faithful to his line of thinking only about improving his game and winning each game: “We are focused exclusively on winning games, not on reaching a position in the classification, nor playing in the playoffs, nor the play-ins, nor being seeded…only on playing as well as possible and that which takes us where it needs to take us.”
maximum effort
For Pedro MartÃnez, the important thing is to give your best in every game, in every training session.: “The values that the team is putting on the court are what we want, I am to death with the team, we have to congratulate when things go well, rejoice in the victories and help when we lose. I have no idea what we aspire to, I only know that in each game they give everything, they throw themselves on the ground, they fight, they are concentrated, they overcome the difficulties that the rival will give us, that is for the fans to see, it is ours. style, what we want to convey, with the quality of the players and the mentality we have, I think we are going to win more than lose, but I don't want to think in the long term or in rankings.
The fact that Valencia Basket is at the top of the table with 9 wins and 5 losses While Efes occupies seventeenth place with an inverse balance (5-9), it does not give peace of mind to Pedro MartÃnez, who warns not to be overconfident: “I think my personal experience is that I give the best version possible when I am more prepared for things to be more difficult. The more prepared I am for difficulties, my response is better. If you think we are going to win easily, without problems, those are the games that are lost. That is something that is transmitted, it is something that the press, the players, the fans have to think about, I like to prepare for great difficulties.”. Pedro MartÃnez does not value the position in the Anadolu Efes table: “They have players that I love, that I admire and that I think are very good. Players that we cannot sign, that are above the possibilities of Valencia Basket.”
Regarding the physical condition of the squad, Pedro MartÃnez stated that he will evaluate jtogether with the medical services if Braxton Key finally enters the call: “Today is the first day he has trained at 50%. “Things are going well but now we have to talk about it with the medical services.”
Via: Super sport
