Dusan Ivkovic: “Our defense in the second quarter helped us hang onto the game...”

Defeating Real Madrid 75-72 in the second match of the Euroleague play-off round, trailing 1-2 in the series, Anadolu Efes coach Dusan Ivkovic stated his thoughts at the post-game press conference:

“We have seen such a great and high-level competition on the court tonight. This match was different compared to the first two. Real Madrid is one of the quickest and most aggressively defending teams of the Euroleague, and they were leading by five points at the end of the first quarter thanks to easy points at the beginning of the match. My team displayed arguably the best defensive performance of the season in the second quarter, allowing only 10 points in the whole quarter. This helped us hang onto the game. In the final moments of the match, we missed easy chances. We were unable to hold the final seconds of the match under control. Real Madrid is a top-class team. Carroll hit a three with 10 seconds to play in the match, and we could not prevent that. However, Janning’s three pointer from the wing was absolutely the best moment of the game. We now have to be well-prepared for the fourth game of the match, to be played on Thursday. In my opinion, it will be no similar to the previous matches, as has been the case. This match is very crucial for us. Finally, I would like to thank our fans who created a magnificent atmosphere tonight. I am more than certain that they will support us with the same level of passion on Thursday...”

Tags:
  • real madrid
  • Dusan Ivkovic