Pedro Martínez, on Ricky Rubio: “He shoots a lot of free throws”

He Valencia Basket faces the first match of the semifinals with the utmost respect for the Asisa Joventut. The Taronja team comes to the series after eliminating Surne Bilbao Basket quickly, although not without difficulties, in the quarterfinals of the Endesa League.

In front will be a Penya that arrives reinforced after beating Kosner Baskonia in the third match of the tie, played at the Buesa Arena. The green-black team will play in the semifinals for the third time in the last five years and will do so driven by a great performance from Ricky Rubiodecisive in the last meeting with 23 points and 4 assists.

One of the aspects that generates the most attention in the preview is the El Masnou point guard’s ability to visit the free throw line. In the three-game series against Baskonia, Ricky Rubio took 21 of Joventut’s 57 free throwsmore than a third of his total team. A fact that Pedro Martínez analyzed before the start of the semifinal.

The Valencia Basket coach was asked about the impact of Ricky Rubio and highlighted the intelligence of the green-black guard and his ability to manage the moments of the game: “It is difficult because he is a very smart player, who knows how to play very well with his body and then dominates the stage a lot, the stage where the performance takes place and knows how to go to the line,” he explained. “The truth is that he shoots a lot of free throws. For example, compared to Montero, who is another player who also has a lot of one-on-one skills, there is no color. “In what depends on us we will try to make the best defense possible and in what does not depend on us, we will have to suffer.”

Valencia Basket rejects the favorite label

Pedro Martínez was also questioned about the possible favoritism of Valencia Basket, which has the court factor in its favor in the semifinal: “Talk about favorites in a competition in which the three favorites have just lost or the three that had the court factor in their favor, as is the case of Murcia, the case of Madrid that you have mentioned and the case of Baskonia, which all three had the court factor in their favor and have been eliminated. We can go to the proverb: when you see your neighbor’s beard shave… Talk about favorites in this competition, since it has been shown that it is worthless“.

“Joventut won by putting in a real performance in the playoff, even in the game they lost they played sensationally and they beat a team that was in incredible shape very easily, because Baskonia They have had an impressive second round, they have won the same games as us, we have been tied with them and with Murcia. Coincidentally, Who we have to play against now is the one who won. We have, as always, the utmost respect for our rival,” declared the Taronja coach, downgrading any reading of that type.