«Play-offs? The first four are objectively stronger. We are the Cinderella invited to the ball”, said Brienza on the eve of Pistoia-Varese
Last day of regular season for the Pistoia basketball which it will host at the PalaCarrara Varese to end an extraordinary season in style, which culminated with the play-off qualification to now celebrate in front of their fans. On the eve of the 30th matchday of Serie A, coach Nicola Brienza presented the last championship challenge before diving into the play-off climate.
«It will be gratifying to play at home without worrying about the standings. We could enjoy the match and the party with the fans – admitted the red and white coach -. It will be a testing ground to best prepare for the play-offs and a moment to share with the fans. We are deservedly in the play-offs and it would have been a shame to miss them. Like for the Final Eight we would be the Cinderella invited to the ball».
«We were good at sneaking in, aware that the first four are objectively at another level – continued Estra’s head coach -. Preferring one or the other to the fourth would be presumptuous. Let’s try to enjoy the moment. It’s not a straight match like in the Italian Cup so we would have at least three chances. We will try to do our best, we know the difficulties but now we have 10 months of living together and Every now and then miracles come true».
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Closing the championship at home will give the red and whites the chance to even the score between victories away and at home: at the moment the balance is eight to seven. «Having won more matches away from home is certainly something incredible, we want to end with a good performance. We will play against a completely different Varese team from the first day, an entire season has passed. They will arrive with new rosters and hierarchies. They are a team with a lot of quality, especially offensive. Just think of Mannion, a Euroleague player loaned to Varese. Let’s hope they don’t have a day in which they are inspired as happened in Sassari.”
«When we met them in the first leg I wouldn’t have expected to find them again today with us already qualified for the play-offs – he admitted -. It was a burning defeat but it told us a lot. After the first days of training in Quarrata, I turned to him and said: “These guys aren’t bad.” We didn’t get any points but it gave us awareness. After a month and a half of nothing in the pre-season we already had an idea of what this year could be. However, the premises were positive. We knew we could play with anyone».
