The Barça coach, Sarunas Jasikevicius, congratulated his players on their victory against Gran Canaria and their ticket to the Endesa League semifinals, althoughrecognized that they suffered more than necessary to beat the yellow team on the island (86-88) and that, possibly, what happened in the Euroleague still weighs on them.
“We are happy to be in the semi-finals and to have some time to rest before the next round, which is always good at this point in the season. In any case, we have not come out well in this game. We have been a little soft, conceding 18 points from direct blocks, mainly with Khalifa Diop, who has scored 15 in the first half. The defensive system had to be changed“, he explained.
“In the second part we improved, but it must be recognized that Gran Canaria has played at a spectacular level offensively, but in the end Higgins gave us the win on that last play“, he pointed.
In his opinion, “It is possible that the Euroleague has still weighed on us. It’s hard to get over something like that, but we have to focus and forget about it. In any case, we faced a rival who has played at a very good level. We are in the best league in Europeand now we can play two very difficult rivals, of the highest level and with two great fans that will make it very difficult for us“.