Xavi Pascual Reflects on the Loss Against Paris Basketball
Xavi Pascual Reflects on the Loss Against Paris Basketball
After a disappointing game where Barcelona fell to Paris Basketball with a score of 85 to 74, coach Xavi Pascual took to the podium to share his thoughts. He pulled no punches as he dissected the game and the unfortunate injury to Jan Vesely, who went down with some discomfort during the third quarter.
“First off, hats off to Paris Basketball for outplaying us. We didn’t start strong; while we managed to hold the lead by more than 4 points at one point in the first half, things went downhill fast after halftime. Paris started raining threes in the third quarter, and we couldn’t buy a basket. We knew going into this game that we needed to score around 85 points to win, and our offense was just not up to scratch. It’s hard to win at home when you play like that!”
Pascual didn’t shy away from discussing the troubles the team has been grappling with. “It’s kind of a nightmare. This week has been particularly rough, dealing with injuries to Kevin Punter and Tomas Satoransky, not to mention a virus that sidelined Toko Shengelia from practicing. And just when we thought we might be on the mend, Brizuela faced similar issues. The first play of the third quarter felt good until Vesely went down and they hit a three. It’s a tough spot to be in — we’ve got to work with what we have and brace ourselves!”
“Now, three starters missing really starts to take a toll. The guys who are playing have to step up, but not everyone is firing on all cylinders. If they aren’t, we’re in trouble. We’ve got to move the ball better in the second half. We may have taken more shots and grabbed more offensive rebounds than them but still ended up 11 points shy. It’s simple math, really. With just 74 points against Paris at home, victory was never on the cards!”
“We’re stuck in a rut. We can’t seem to grow or develop the way we need to with our current roster. We can only hope that our injured players get back soon. It’s really been a saga of injuries since I took over — and it’s getting heavy. It seems like every time we make progress, we face a new setback. Everyone has to be at their best, and today just wasn’t that day!”
Pascual also commented on game dynamics. “These matches are high-paced, so I try to keep rotations short to avoid further injuries. We need to match our opponent’s tempo and control the situations on the court. It felt like when Vesely went down, our momentum just collapsed. Paris capitalized on that, sinking everything while we were stuck watching the ball bounce off the rim. Changing the flow of the game was elusive — we need an offense that clicks, or we’re sunk!”
“To sum up, things have been tough for a while now. We’re just trying to survive day by day. The players are giving it their all; I can’t fault their effort. Yet, we have to do better. We rely heavily on our key players being on top form, and that just hasn’t happened today. If we lose, we lose — but everyone’s got to leave it all on the court! We’ll see who’s healthy enough to take the floor next time because it might get trickier from here on out!”
In a follow-up conversation with Euroleague TV, Pascual reiterated, “The third quarter was crucial — they couldn’t miss, and we couldn’t hit anything. We had good opportunities but this week has been a rollercoaster. With everyone sick and dealing with injuries, it’s tough to keep our focus. And then Vesely’s injury just compounded our troubles… it is what it is.”
