Paolo Galbiati, head coach of Baskonia, spoke after his team’s crucial victory at the Roig Arena, which equaled the number of wins in the Liga Endesa against the taronja side. In the post-match press conference, Galbati expressed his delight over the win and praised Pedro Martínez’s squad, wishing them the best of luck for Wednesday’s decisive fifth game against Panathinaikos.
Looking ahead to the matchup, the Italian coach first hoped that “Braxton Key is okay.” The Valencia player took a hard blow to the nose and had to be taken to the hospital. “I’ve been told he has a cut, and I hope it’s not broken because he’s very important.”
Regarding the series, Galbati mentioned that he has watched all the games so far “as a fan” because “they are playing the best basketball in recent years. All four games have been incredible.”
Galbati Wishes Valencia Basket to Advance
In a rather amusing manner, Galbati expressed his hope for Valencia Basket’s qualification, though he was careful not to jinx it. “I don’t want to be an owl (considered a bird that brings bad luck in Italy) for Valencia Basket. I don’t want to bring them bad luck. They are playing very well. Today Montero played very little because he’s important, and Badio didn’t play.”
On the fifth game, Galbati added, “Playing here (at the Roig Arena) is a small advantage because in the first two games, if they hadn’t missed those open threes… they won’t miss them again. And if that happens, we’ll probably be talking about two Spanish teams in the ‘Final Four.’ I’m very happy to see a game that will be incredible for them, for Mr. Roig, for Pedro, and his staff. For the entire season they’ve played, how Valencia Basket is playing is amazing—I really like it.”
