Real Madrid’s veteran coach goes back in time to recall where it all began
Sergio Scariolo savors Theo Maledon-inspired success on milestone evening
Informes de partidos
3 Min lectura
Regular Season
Round 17 of 38
Regular Season
Real MadridRMB
9590
Paris BasketballPBB
Overview
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From zero to a million, Sergio Scariolo has seen it all in the EuroLeague. Literally.
On October 15, 2000, a new era of European basketball tipped off as Real Madrid hosted Olympiacos Piraeus in the Spanish capital.
The first points of the night – and therefore of the new-look EuroLeague – were scored by visiting big man Dino Radja, but Real went on to win a tight game 75-73 to the delight of their coach… a certain Mr. Scariolo.
Fast forward more than 25 years to Thursday night, and Scariolo was there again, directing Real from the sidelines as Theo Maledon recorded a significant milestone by scoring the millionth point in EuroLeague history.
The French star’s historic three-pointer late in the first quarter was just one of his many contributions in a total of 21 points that helped Real enjoy a narrow victory – just as it did against Olympiacos all those years ago – over the visiting Paris Basketball, 95-90.
After the game, Scariolo was happy that he had found the right combination of players to mount a fourth-quarter comeback and claim the win, saying: “Even though they were playing for a long stretch of minutes, I felt tonight those were the guys.
“In the end I think we picked up the right matchups for our isolation in the last seconds after their switches. It’s not only a matter of heart, but also of lucidity and cold blood in the last minutes.”
And linking back that comment back to his involvement in the competition’s beginnings, he teasingly added: “For someone who was in the first game overall of the EuroLeague, the lucidity is still there!”
However, asked whether he will still be around when the two millionth point comes around perhaps a couple of decades from now, Scariolo had a decidedly short answer, laughing: “No, thank you!”
And that’s an understandable reaction after a back-and-forth game that left the hosts' nerves frayed and their energy drained, as Paris produced an excellent performance to lead for the majority of the contest.
With Jared Rhodes in the driving seat – including a sensational slam over Walter Tavares – the French team led 49-50 at the break and 70-74 after three quarters, only succumbing when Maledon, Trey Lyles and Usman Garuba combined for all Real’s points in an 18-4 charge that put the hosts in front for good midway through the final period.
Scariolo was keen to praise Paris for the part it played in the evening’s entertainment, and particularly highlighted one key statistic: his team’s ability to grab more rebounds (41 to 38) than arguably the continent’s most dangerous unit underneath the glass.
“These guys [Paris] are really playing with a super high pace,” he said. “Everybody can shoot, everybody can drive and especially everybody can rebound, and I think we deserve credit for having gotten more rebounds than them. 50-50 balls, floor balls, long rebounds, character rebounds were ours.”
The ball still needed to be scored, and Maledon took care of that responsibility by pouring in 21 points on 7-of-11 two-point shooting and 6-of-8 from the foul line, including a crucial scooped score that finally gave Real the breathing room of a two-possession lead with 9 seconds remaining.
Fittingly on a night when he scored that milestone millionth point, 24-year-old Maledon’s performance was enough to underline his potential to become not only Real’s key offensive leader but also one of the most dominant players in the EuroLeague.
He was not alone, though, with Lyles knocking down 10 points in the final quarter in his total of 14, also providing 6 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 blocked shots to show that Maledon isn’t the only summer arrival in Madrid who could help deliver a record 12th continental crown to Los Blancos.
The win came after a setback at Milan just two days previously, and Lyles admitted that was forefront in his teammates’ minds as he said: “We were really eager, it was a big game. It was a tough loss [at Milan], but we were able to bounce back which just shows the resilience of the team.
“We played against a really good Paris team who were making shots, running and played very hard, so it was good to get the win.”
A win that will certainly never be forgotten by Theo Maledon… and most probably, all those years later, by Sergio Scariolo.
