After a home loss to start the 7DAYS EuroCup Top 16, forward Oriol Pauli of MoraBanc Andorra uses his blog to say that there is plenty of time for his team to do some damage, starting with their road game at Mornar Bar in Round 2 on Wednesday.
Oriol Pauli, Andorra: 'Nothing is said and done'
Blogs
5 mins read
It's a complicated season for us here at MoraBanc Andorra. We had a lot of injuries and a lot of trips, including our last one to Fuenlabrada, where we couldn't even play our Spanish League game due to a heavy snowstorm. But I am the type of person for whom all of these are excuses. In the end, I believe we played a very good game last week against UNICS Kazan, but when you are in the 7DAYS EuroCup Top 16, you cannot miss small details, and this is what made the difference. We played a good game and were solid on defense, which is what we wanted. In the end, they are a talented team with players like Jamar Smith who will capitalize on every small mistake that you make. This is what didn't allow us to get our first victory in the Top 16.
We still have five games left and it is true that there is not a big margin for error in the Top 16. Nothing is said and done, though. We brought back some players who are really important for us, and we are growing as a team, playing better and better. We still have a lot of things to say in the Top 16.
"We still have a lot of things to say."
The best way to bounce back from a home loss is by winning on the road, and this is what we will try to do against Mornar Bar. We have a tough group but this is the EuroCup Top 16 and you cannot expect to play against easy opponents. There are no easy games, especially when you play on the road. We know how difficult it is, but we depend on ourselves. Mornar is a talented team, but if we can play good defense, as we have done lately, we will have more chances to win. We are confident and looking forward. When you have so many problems in a season, that makes you stronger and motivates you even more. The team overcame all the problems we had and is willing to step up and play well in the Top 16. We hope the game against Mornar is a turning point for us.
It may look like a new team in Europe, but Mornar is full of experienced players who know everything about competing at this level. Still, if we play good defense, Mornar is the kind of team that can lose control and have bad moments. That is what we are holding on to: playing good defense. Mornar is talented but can also be up-and-down, and that is when we can find their weaknesses and make the most out of it.
Bringing in an experienced big man like Art Parakhouski helps us. It is not easy for him to arrive four months into the season because he will have less time to work with us. He doesn't have a lot of time to adjust and there are not a lot of practices, so it is difficult. At the same time, he is a talented, experienced player and that helps. He can give us a lot this season. We really have a deep frontcourt now, with a lot of players even despite so many injuries. We are missing Moussa Diagne and Malick Dime right now.
"The team needs me at my best."
Some of them will have to play minutes at small forward and Tyson Perez is working on it. He can help us a lot because Haukur Palsson got injured against UNICS, and we will need him to play at the 'three' position. Tyson has been working on it all season, and I think he will do well. Tomasz Gielo will also help us a lot, too. "Hielo" is the word for ice in Spanish and sounds similar to his surname. He is a great guy, but a bit cold sometimes, too, in the sense that on the court, no matter what happens, he has the same expression. We make some jokes about it. Every time the word "hielo" gets into the conversation -- and there was a cold wave lately -- he notices, so it is kind of funny.
After Mornar, our next two games will be against my former team, Gran Canaria. I have played against them already in the Spanish League. These two games will be just as important as all the others. The Top 16 is just six games, and all of them are critical; you cannot really make a lot of mistakes. The tie-break advantage is also very important. Playing against Gran Canaria makes those special games for me, but I have to start forgetting about that too and focus on what we have to do to beat them instead of thinking about the past. We are in the Top 16, the team needs me at my best, and this what I am trying to offer.
I feel confident and have a lot of freedom on the court. I have the opportunity to play the way I know I can play, and I was missing that in Gran Canaria. I grew a lot as a player there, but missed the opportunity to play with some continuity. I am getting that in Andorra and am trying to make the most out of it. I wish that our results would be a bit better, but I am sure we will get more wins in the future because the team is working really well. We will get our reward.
Som-hi, Andorra! Mai por!