Valencia Basket- Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos pre-game quotes: Pedro Martínez

Valencia Basket men’s  team will wrap up their week of three home games by hosting Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos on Sunday, November 2 at 6:00 p.m., in another doubleheader day at Roig Arena. Head coach Pedro Martínez reminded in the pregame press conference that “the ACB is a very strong league. We’ve already seen that recently — to beat Lleida we had to fight hard for many minutes, especially in the first half, when we were trailing. Then against Joventut last Sunday, too. We’re playing in two very demanding competitions physically, and that means that when we face teams like Burgos, who are a very good side, well-coached, and who have spent the whole week preparing for our game, those are risky matches. Two weeks ago, at Real Madrid’s court, they played an excellent game — they competed the entire time, were ahead for many minutes — and I think we need to get ready for a game that will definitely be tough. For many reasons — not just because of the quality of the opponent, but also because of everything we’ve been carrying ourselves.”

Speaking about Sunday’s opponent, the taronja coach didn’t hesitate to admit that “I really like the way they play — their style, their identity. Already last year in Primera FEB they were a fantastic team, and now in the ACB, I think they’re managing, with the players they’ve signed — who have a lot of quality — to maintain that identity, which I personally appreciate. It makes them an even more respectable team, because they’re so clear about who they are and how they want to play.”

At a stage where his team has managed to maintain its positive momentum while facing very different kinds of games, Martínez noted that “every game is different — I’d even say every competition is different. So adaptation is key. But the most important thing is to have the right mindset, to respect opponents deeply, and to know how to suffer during the game. Because it’s easy to prepare for things to go your way — to be up by 10 at halftime and then win by 14. But what really matters is how you respond when things don’t go your way. That’s what ultimately makes the difference between teams and clubs — when they’re able to overcome the difficulties that games and opponents inevitably bring.”