Hapoel Tel Aviv will look to close out the EuroCup final and hoist the trophy on Friday night (22:00) when they tip-off at Gran Canaria in game two of their best-of-3 series. After soundly defeating Jaka Lakovic’s team in game one, Dimitrios Itoudis will look to sweep the reds into next season’s Euroleague which is the prize for winning continent’s second best competition.

Just ahead of the game, the head coaches along with a number of players spoke to the gathered media as they shared their thoughts on the series.

“It is exciting playing the finals,” Dimitrios Itoudis began. “It is exciting leading 1-0 but we know that in order to reach this glory, we need another win, to beat a great team one more time on their home court. Our defense had worked well in all three games [against Gran Canaria this season]. In general, we need to make those certain adjustments because they will do certain adjustments and changes on their offense, and they got us in some situations. But we are working with the coaching staff and also with the players to try to make certain improvements, because Gran Canaria is a team that can play in both speeds: high pace, five on five and everything. So we are working on that.”

The Hapoel bench boss continued, “We are people that are living in the moment and the moment is here. This moment requires a lot of mental strength, a lot of physical strength and a lot of focus, a lot of camaraderie, a lot of things. So we want to live that moment now. I believe that in all three games we have played so far, even though there are differences and many things that we can add or subtract, we were there defensively. We had a clear plan on offensive set and also on the defensive strategy. We need to make stops and fight on the boards because they are big and have good athletes. They can run the floor well and definitely they shoot the ball pretty good beyond the three point line. It is not going to be easy. We will try to contain their creativity on the open court.”

Jaka Lakovic also spoke about what he sees as keys to game two on his home court, “It is another do-or-die game, we have to win to stay in the series. We know that and we also know that we have to do a better job than we have done in Bulgaria. Above all, we have to fix the basic things that make us a very good team, a team that can beat anyone. That’s the first thing and I’m sure of it. We have to be more aggressive and be closer to the ball. Those are the basic things that we have talked about in the previous series. We also have to have a better percentage of shots.”

“In these series, at the highest level, when it comes to our offense, we have to be productive and effective to win. They have a very physical and athletic team, but I think that with our effort and aggressiveness, we can control that and minimize it. I think that we have done that well in the game against Bulgaria. There were a few moments where we allowed them to go on a run that determined the game. Even then, I think we had a couple of chances to get back into the game, but we didn’t. That’s why we have to save this series here on our court. We have spent 16 days [out of 21] away from the island. It’s tough. It’s an impulse from our fans to our players, who play with a lot of commitment and character. Here, nobody gives up.”

Marcus Foster shared his feelings, “It’s been a long journey to get to this game that we have been all picturing being here. We are excited and we are just ready to play. I think defensively we have to be better because I think they are going to see some things that they are good at. They are going to try to expose us a little bit on defense again. I think offensively, we just have to continue to play how we play and share the ball and take our shots that we normally take. It definitely helps us [winning at Gran Canaria Arena earlier this season] because last time we came here the environment was very good. A lot of people say it’s a very tough place to play and I can say that because I have been here. It helps us to be a little more comfortable and know what to expect coming in. I think the best thing about the finals is you just have to take it possession by possession. You can’t think about first quarter, fourth quarter. You just have to play each possession hard and hope for the best outcome.”

Bruno Caboclo, Hapoel’s center said, “I think this is going to be the toughest game. We have got to play even better than we played in Game 1, come here stronger and hopefully finish the game here. We have to cancel their best players, the scorers, a little bit. They have very good scorers and they have some tendencies. So take some of those tendencies and play as a group. Play as a group and play and make a good game. I think the more chances we give to them, the tougher it’s going to be. So I think this game is going to be the most important. We are going to come here with the mentality to finish the tournament right here. I think it’s a chance for a few who managed to get here. I’m having this opportunity, so I have to make the most of it and I hope to be the champion. Vitor Benite [the only EuroCup-winning Brazilian player until now] and Edy Tavares played for Gran Canaria. They are great friends of mine. I really like and respect this club and I’m very happy to be playing a final against them.”

Caleb Homesley talked about getting back to they home court, “It’s always good to play at home. I think in the finals and the semifinals, we always take advantage when we play at home. The fans really help us a lot. And I think that we are ready to get back to work, and obviously take this game one step at a time. Intensity will be the biggest key. I think when you are down 0-1, you can’t come out with the same energy. Your energy has to be a little different. Tactics-wise, I think we are OK, we can fix a couple of things and we’ll go over them. And I think for sure, though, it’s the energy. We talked about it all season long, how hard it is to win, and I think that as a basketball player, you know what it’s like to be in these type of games. You want to play in these type of games and just got to really take it possession by possession. I think that we have to match their energy. They are really well coached. They have really good players., I think that tactically, we know exactly what we have to do, but our energy has to be high.”

Finally George Conditt echoed his teammates words, “Being here helps us a lot, just getting back in our home environment, getting everybody getting back to their own space, seeing their families. We are tired from the trip, but you can tell a lot of people coming in here [with] smiling faces because they are back home and got to see their families and everything. But as far as Game 2, I feel like we are going to be mentally and physically prepared. We just got to stay together and really, really lock in on the scout. They had a good game. They made a lot of good shots. Unfortunately, we didn’t make too many shots for us, shooting 19% from three is not a good game for us. But I feel like being at home will be a lot more confident to take those shots and make those shots as well. [Johnathan] Motley had a good game, but we’ve got to be more physical with him, not give him too much space. With space, he is able to be more agile and be able to move around a lot more. So we’ve got to be a little bit more physical with him in Game 2, for sure. I can’t wait. I hear stories from my teammates all the time about how electrifying it was last time [2023 EuroCup Finals]. You know, they were here, so I can’t wait to get back in this arena and play in front of all the fans.”