Hugo González: “Gold with Spain and standing up to the USA in the Games? If we didn’t think about it, we shouldn’t play”

There is revelry from the beginning of the weekend in the locker room of the Boston Celtics by Hugo González, with wine, cake and loud music. It’s only Wednesday, but it feels like a satisfying Friday with homework accomplished. Barely 24 hours after wetting the Philadelphia 76ers’ ear LeBron James (101-123), the Celtics come back from 22 points and ruin the Raptors’ party in Toronto to make theirs bigger (93-98). They have to cross the border tonight, but they won’t play until Sunday. And, as ephemeral as happiness can be in this day-in, day-out NBA, we must celebrate the leadership in the East.

The night is young for the oldest, Mike Conley39 years old but as if he were a twenty-something in the park drinking but calmly, cap, gray tracksuit all over, cap and a cardboard glass with wine in hand. That wine to which, remember, he introduced Marc Gasol in Memphis, ever getting the hang of it.

To his right, on the other side of the locker room, sits a real twenty-something, Hugo González, ice in hand but not in a glass. He gives his all with body and soul, the youth squad real Madrid He suffered a blow between his quadriceps and his knee after colliding with Jakob Poeltl, although he emerged victorious from the duel by forcing an offensive foul.

“I’m fine,” says Hugo, smiling and relaxed.

He had a rather dull night statistically in his 8 minutes with only one rebound and missing his only field goal, but he still received compliments from his coach, Joe Mazzulla.

“He’s going to do things for us that aren’t always going to be seen on the stat sheet. The minutes he played had an impact for us tonight, he made some plays,” highlighted the Celtics coach, a direct guy who doesn’t give out praise just like that.

Hugo González treats MD with Efe and Basket Giants to talk about everything a little. From his moment in the Celtics, but also from the present and future Spanish team. Also about Boston’s refusal to transfer him for Giannis Antetokounmpo which speaks to the blind faith the Celtics have in him. He already says it Jayson Tatum: “We all believe in him.”

What happened to your knee?

Below, a block with Poeltl and he hit my knee in the quadriceps. But luckily I turned out well.

He is always leaving defensive highlights. Last night he defended LeBron James very well and has earned a reputation as a great defender in the league.

Have any of the stars you have defended ever given you congratulations, recognizing your good defensive work on them?

Well, no, but it’s not necessary either. I believe that, with my technical staff and my

mates, it’s okay for me. No, it has never happened.

We’ve seen a slight change in Mazzulla’s thinking on these Celtics. You see more attacking the rebound, a more aggressive defense.

What do you think has been the main change at the roster level and how have they approached it to start the season with the best record in the East in the NBA right now (10-2)?

I think we are simply trying to be more aggressive. In the end, many of the players are the same, but obviously the players who have come have understood the idea a lot and have even helped to promote it.

The truth is that they help us a lot every day. Even Paul (George), who couldn’t be here today and will be in Boston I suppose, because he helps us a lot defensively. And he is a player with a lot of experience who will surely help us when we play in May as well.

At the locker room level, Mazzulla has spoken a lot about the identity, the importance of the three veterans. The three players who have arrived – Paul George, Mike Conley and Mitchell Robinson – not only have a lot of playoff experience, they also have many years in the league.

For young players to have that impact, especially for example Mike who has had many Spanish teammates, how can they help those of you who are younger on the team?

Well, basically doing what they do. Apart from being great players and having a lot of experience, they are great teammates who always think and put the well-being of the team ahead of their own well-being.

You just have to look at Mike (Conley), for example, who is a player who has been in the league for almost 20 years and a player who has been competing at the highest level and accepts the role he has, even knowing that maybe if he were somewhere else he could play minutes, because when he plays he shows the player he is. They simply help the idea we have as a team and the objective.

Last year he played a lot with Jaylen Brown. This year you are finally playing a lot of minutes with Jayson Tatum, how are you seeing him in his first season, we can say, with a training camp and a slightly more complete version of Tatum?

Well, I think that simply by being him. He is a player who knows perfectly what he has to do, it is clear that he is our driving force as a team, he is the one who helps us in the most important moments. He is the one who does not burn the ball when it comes to making decisions. He is a leader and he shows it. We are all very clear that he is the leader who will lead us to aspire to the highest and we trust him.

It is his second season in the NBA. There are three Spanish rookies with Aday Mara, Sergio de Larrea and Baba Miller. When you think about your first season, what advice would you give them? How should they approach this first year?

I think they are doing it well. They are having a great start to the season. Very well deserved too, because obviously I know them all. Apart from being very good players, they are very good people, very good teammates, we have many memories together.

They are doing very well, I don’t know what else I can say. I hope Sergio is fine (still injured). Baba is playing very well, Aday is playing very well. Everyone is taking advantage of their opportunity and that is going to help us a lot.

About Aday Mara and company. They are still young, but in two years the Olympic Games arrive and there is a lot of diversity of profiles in the Spanish team.

Do you think they can put together a team to fight for gold and, why not, stand up to the United States?

If we didn’t think about it, we should just not play. I believe that we have to aspire to be the best players possible. If we have the work ethic that I think we have, we have the connection that I think we have and the confidence in ourselves, I don’t know what the limit will be or what the end goal will be. I know that the process we will be in will be a beautiful process and a process in which we will probably have some aspirations without forgetting that there will probably be many years left together.

In the summer the Celtics did not want to trade him for Giannis Antetokounmpo. How much does this speak to the value they place on him in Boston? And also, does it put a little more pressure on you to prove even more this season?

I don’t know what to answer. The truth is that I am happy to be here, happy to be able to continue contributing to the team. The other things are things that I do not control and did not control, nor will I control in the future surely. The only thing I can do is continue to focus on what is happening and not on what can happen.