Australian point guard Patty Mills delivered a decisive performance, needing just 19 minutes and 17 seconds on the court at Madrid’s Movistar Arena to score 4 of 5 two-point attempts, 3 of 6 three-pointers, and a perfect 12 of 12 from the free-throw line.
This marks the first time in 18 years that the 8th seed has eliminated the 1st seed, and Real Madrid’s first quarter-final exit since 2008. Consequently, their season concludes without any silverware. The unexpected defeat has cast a shadow over coach Sergio Scariolo and his players, who were also Euroleague finalists.
“It’s obvious we were two completely different teams: one, in its initial configuration, dominated the regular ACB League season and was just seconds away from the European championship title; and the other, from the moment we were unable to, or even didn’t know how, to rediscover the balance between inside and outside play, particularly on defense,” commented the Italian coach.
Sergio Scariolo declined to address speculation about the club reconsidering his future at the helm of Real Madrid following this significant failure.
“That’s not a question that concerns me. I have three years left on my contract, and that’s a matter for the club,” he responded in a press conference, offering apologies to the Madrid fans: “We would have liked to offer them a longer playoff run. We apologize for any mistakes we may have made, obviously to our supporters who have backed us all year, who have always been present, always by our side, always encouraging us. We are particularly disappointed for them. This is a moment to learn, to congratulate our opponent, and to begin preparing for next season with serenity and clarity. We need to identify areas for improvement. Of course, it’s impossible to prevent three or four players from getting injured in the same position; it happened, and it’s very atypical, very unusual to draw conclusions from it. However, there are points to analyze and improve, especially in defense. Throughout my career, I’ve had seasons and championships where my teams were among the best in terms of defensive performance. We achieved that at certain moments in both competitions, but it’s clear that our defensive effectiveness lately has been insufficient.”
