Barcelona will visit Paris in EuroLeague Round 16, and ahead of this important matchup, Xavi Pascual and Kevin Punter addressed the media.
Barcelona head coach Xavi Pascual spoke about the upcoming challenge against Paris:
Claim Now “They set a fast pace; they’re a team that plays very well in the opening seconds and scores a lot of points. Usually, games against them have a very high number of possessions. That’s why, beyond trying to slow them down defensively, we must play well offensively above all. If we want to win, we’ll have to score, and we must be clear about that.
We also need to control the rebounding because they are a team that rebounds very well, presses all over the court, and constantly accelerates the tempo. Given our schedule, we can’t afford to play a pure run-and-gun game — we’ll need to control the pace throughout the game.
I think we’ve played very well in our last four games, regardless of the results against ASVEL in the EuroLeague or Gran Canaria in the Spanish League. The last four performances have been very good, and we need to keep building. This is a process, there’s still a long way to go, and we have to continue on this path.
In the last game, some players had to log heavy minutes because it was difficult to manage rotations, but we handled it well. Now we have to focus on the next challenge. The feeling is good, but we must keep moving forward.”
Barcelona guard Kevin Punter also shared his thoughts on the matchup with the French side:
“They play very, very fast. They are a talented team, especially at home. We’re going to have to arrive mentally focused, prepared, and ready to win a tough road game, just like in recent matches.
We’re taking it one game at a time. Tomorrow it’s Paris, so our full focus is on Paris — on their strengths and weaknesses — and we’ll continue approaching it day by day and game by game.”
INTERVIEWS:
- Aleksa Avramovic: Defense wins championships – for sure!
- Nenad Dimitrijevic: It’s sad for the EuroLeague and Partizan that Zeljko Obradovic left
- Ilona Korstin: We are in contact with both the EuroLeague and the NBA, we are present in all meetings
- Bogdan Tanjevic: The main difference between Partizan and Crvena Zvezda – domestic players still lead the way
- Nicolo Melli: We had no-phone rules with Zeljko Obradovic; There was interest from Partizan
- Bo McCalebb: How can you not respect Zeljko Obradovic? My only regret is that I didn’t listen to him enough
