From the PalaTrieste press room, coach Jamie Christian presents Race 3 of the quarter-finals of the Playoffs, scheduled Friday May 10th at 8.30pmwhich will see the red and whites host the Reale Mutua Torino and return to the Valmaura parquet ahead 2 to 0 in the series. Below are the pre-match statements.
Coach, there is the possibility of closing the series tomorrow at PalaTrieste with a Torino team that however has no intention of giving up. What game are you expecting?
“I’ve been saying this from the start, between these two teams, it’s a fight between heavyweights. I say this because, numbers in hand, we are almost equivalent, and you can see it in the final results. No team really managed to take a noticeable lead and they constantly fought tenaciously. The boys played with a lot of pride and managed to win, playing as a team. Tomorrow will be an intense challenge, but the best chance of coming out on top will be those who love this type of battle.”
Is there anything you had to correct and improve after the two races in Turin?
“Game 2 felt like one of our worst defensive games of the season. We played with tremendous grit and resilience, and we had an incredible connection with each other. We won the match with our teamwork, our ability to fight despite the difficulties and remain united. But defensively, we conceded well over one point per possession. It’s hard to win playoff games when you allow teams to score as easily as they did the other night. We must therefore try to be better defensively and make some adjustments so as not to make certain mistakes again.”
Forlì could also close the series in game 3. How important is it to avoid going to game 4 in order to have more time for recovery and prepare for any semi-finals?
“Honestly, I haven’t even watched any other series. Torino is a strong and talented team and for this reason it deserves all our attention, my attention and the attention of our entire team. We’re going into this thing with a day one mentality, every day. The day one mindset is to appreciate the people you’re with, appreciate the challenge in front of you, don’t take the opportunity in front of you for granted. I don’t even know the outcome of the other series, I just know that we have a good team in front of us, and I have to do my job to make sure we win.”
The fans are very happy with the result in Turin and can’t wait to welcome the team here at home, we expect a great turnout tomorrow evening. How important will it be for the team and how much will it help?
“At this stage of the season, the support of the fans is everything, above all the confidence and energy they give to our group. I think everyone recognizes what time of year we are in. Everyone recognizes what we’re playing for. And so I expect a big audience here. I’m sure our fans will be here tomorrow, singing and supporting us and I know our boys are excited to go home. It’s been a long year, and I think this is an important part of the process for us, showing how much we’ve improved and feeling the support and love from our fans will be all that matters.”
