Basketball: We demonstrated tremendous mental strength! – Ádám Hanga

–You've had a record of 5-0 so far in the ACB League playoffs. Did you expect such a solid performance?
– Since the Spanish league is the second strongest series in Europe after the EuroLeague, we knew that we would meet extremely strong teams – Ádám Hanga, the Hungarian national team defender of Real Madrid, who reached the final of the Spanish league with his team, told Nemzeti Sport. – Manresa performed in a way that's worth putting in the history books, played in the Champions League final, which they lost to Tenerife, and they showed a very stable game until the playoffs. We dominated both games and reached the semifinal with 2-0, where Baskonia, a very tough and dangerous opponent characterized by a very fast game and a lot of outside shootings, was waiting for us. In the regular season, we won the home-court advantage and then won the first two games at home, even though we lost a lot of players along the way, and we were in a formation we have never had all season. In the EuroLeague, we experienced against Maccabi, after we went to Tel Aviv with an overall win of 2-0, that if we come up with a concentrated, hard defense, controlled attacking game at the beginning of the third match and gain a small advantage, the opponent will give up the fight at some point. I'm very proud of this win, we've had a tough few days, our coach had a heart attack on Sunday, and we've had a lot of injuries, but we demonstrated tremendous mental strength. We reached all the possible finals of the season and I hope we can be the ones who celebrate in the league.

–How is coach Pablo Laso's health now?
– Thank God he's doing well under the circumstances, he could leave the hospital on Tuesday morning after the cardiac catheterization. The doctors encouraged him to change his lifestyle, but everything is fine with him, and even if we can't get him back for the finals, he can definitely prepare us in training. In a situation like this, many things are reevaluated, and we realize that health and family are the most important, and the rest are secondary. Fortunately, Pablo continues to live his life after a minor scare, he can even continue his work – the best news of Tuesday was that he can rehabilitate at home.

–You have scored 18 points in the last two games. Do you get a bigger role in attack because of injuries?
– That's right, I have a lot more opportunities, I can throw at the hoop several times after screening, and if I succeed, I score more points. In the absence of Sergio Llull, I tried to move forward a little bit, take on more and create actions in attack. I'm happy to play another final, it would be nice to go on holiday with a trophy in our possession!

–Is the lost EuroLeague final put behind, or does it still come up as a topic sometimes?
– As a professional, we had to put it behind us because the Spanish league playoffs started three days later. Obviously, it still hurts, though. A video made by Bazska Tőrös came out on Tuesday, and it was not a good feeling to watch it back when I talk about the fire burning inside me to earn my first EuroLeague victory. Life has not stopped, it is difficult to accept what happened, but the beauty of sport is that we are already at the gates of another opportunity, and we can improve.

–Badalona is holding up very well. It was in a tie with Barca ahead of Wednesday night's late-night match. Who are you expecting to face in the final?
– Barca, despite the team playing away from home twice. Badalona has done a great job so far, but it is very difficult to beat Barcelona three times – but I hope I'm not right! We'll see what happens, we focus on ourselves. I'm glad we have a week to prepare, we're confident we can get our injured players back and Pablo can help us.

–How do you feel about Zsombor Maronka playing a role in such an important phase of the league?
– I watch every game of his, it's really great that a young Hungarian guy can get so high! Even if he does not play, he lives with the matches, he cheers, and he enriches himself with great experiences. Then he slowly earns his place in the team, he is in a very good place in Badalona. There is an amazing job going on there, and they rely on the youngsters trained in their system. I'm rooting for him with all my heart!

–When does the finale start? How many days of rest has the staff given the team?
– We could rest on Wednesday and got home by bus at 5:30 in the morning. I believe that if the other semifinal is a four-match competition, we will start the final on Monday, if it is five matches, then on Wednesday. After some regeneration, the finale will be in focus, but I feel like we are already ready to start.

–Are you inspired that Real Madrid's football team won the Champions League while the club's fan Rafael Nadal won his 22nd Grand Slam trophy?
– It would've been nice if we had won the EuroLeague, so we could've said that Madrid is a stronghold of sport. We were rooting for the footballers, we've experienced a lot with the team all season. Before the Champions League final, we were playing in Manresa, and then on the way back, we tried to follow the events on the train. Nadal's result is fantastic too, and he is a huge Real fan – it is our turn now!

–In September, the European Championship awaits the Hungarian national team, and you will meet great players on the court. Do you sometimes think of how much of an experience the tournament will be in Cologne?
– Of course! I am lucky enough to play against huge stars in the EuroLeague week after week, so I prefer to wait for my own teammates, with whom I have not been able to fight together in recent years, to remember the memories and, of course, to have a good European Championship. There will be no pressure on us, no one expects a European Championship victory from us, but we will fight with integrity to the extreme. I'm really looking forward to it, but before that, I have a job or two to do...

Translated by Vanda Orosz.