Liga Endesa Final Playoff pre-game quotes: Pedro Martínez and Jean Montero

Pedro Martínez and Jean Montero have been chosen by Valencia Basket to represent the team at the presentation of the Endesa League Final Playoff, which took place at the Casa de Vacas Cultural Center, located in Madrid’s Retiro Park.

The taronja coach began by stating, “We’re very happy to be here, excited. We know we have a very good opportunity ahead of us, but at the same time, Real Madrid has been the best team in the regular season, especially at home, they've earned home-court advantage, they haven’t lost there in who knows how long, and we know it will be tough. But I believe we arrive in good form, with confidence and a lot of excitement to try and cause an upset.”

Pedro emphasized that “every competition is different, every moment is different. The truth is we don’t look too much into the past, we’re focused on competing in this final at our highest level. I’m not worried about what has happened before; what I care about is that we’re healthy and that we can give our best starting tomorrow.”

Regarding their opponent in this Playoff Final, the Valencia Basket coach stressed that “Real Madrid is a team used to pressure, used to playing in a lot of finals every year—and winning many of them. It’s a team that not only has quality but has also shown in recent seasons an impressive competitive spirit, overcoming quite adverse situations competitively. And that comes, not just from the players' character—which they undoubtedly have—but also from having been through tough battles. Coming out of those successfully gives you experience. We also have some experienced players, but it’s true that we have younger ones who haven’t been in many of these kinds of battles. Still, I think that at times we play a bit freely as a team, without overthinking. We don’t have a history behind us to help in tough moments, but we also believe in ourselves as a group. In that sense, I’m happy with the players’ mentality, which has been very competitive all year long—through good and bad times. And now we hope they are at a good moment and get that bit of luck that’s always needed in competition. Because it’s not all about tactics, or talent, or character; you also need a little luck in certain game situations. And if those go your way, that gives you a huge boost in morale and confidence for what’s to come.”

For his part, shooting guard Jean Montero acknowledged that “both teams that have made it here are going to compete. For us, it’s very important to keep competing, even though we don’t have home-court advantage—competing and enjoying the moment. These are things you don’t get to experience every year, and despite all of that, we need to go out focused and compete.”

Asked about having had more rest before the final than their opponent, the taronja guard shared his view: “I think it really depends on how you approach things. They had their game three days ago; our last game was last week, so obviously their turnaround time has been shorter. But once the ball goes up in the air, everything depends on the level of focus you have. I think fatigue, in the end—with eight or ten hours—you can reset and get into a winning mindset.”

The taronja squad, with no players who have previously played in an ACB final, faces a very experienced opponent. Montero admits, “It’s unusual, but I think we’re on the same stage and we have the chance to write our own story as a team.”