Jeffery Taylor clarified that he doesn't see Sergio Llull and Guerschon Yabusele as dirty players.

Credit: Žygimantas Gedvila/BNS
Credit Žygimantas Gedvila/BNS

Former Real Madrid forward Jeffery Taylor has defended his ex-teammates Guerschon Yabusele and Sergio Llull, who faced criticism after a brawl with Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade players.

3-pointers this season

40%
8,6
Points made: 8,6
Accuracy: 40,1%
Place in standings: 14
Record max: 17
Record min: 3
Most made 3FGs: Kevin Punter

"I'm always going to be a Real Madrid guy at heart. So, you know, I don't have too much to say about it," Taylor acknowledged his loyalty to Real Madrid in an interview with BasketNews. "But I know that Sergio Llull is not a dirty player."

"It was sad that all of that happened. It's high emotions in the game. I'm sure they were disappointed that they were losing at home, two games. A lot of passion, a lot of different feelings in the air. So you know, things happen. It's sad that it happened, but I don't think it's unusual that a little scuffle happens in the game," the EuroLeague champion admitted.

With 100 seconds left in the game and Madrid down by fifteen facing the second loss in the best of five, Sergio Llull initiated a scuffle with a hard foul on Kevin Punter. During the incident, Guerschon Yabusele body-slammed Dante Exum.

When asked if the criticism directed towards Yabusele and other Real players was fair, Taylor pointed out that both teams were playing with high emotions.

"I think that emotions were running high on both sides. Yabu has issued an apology. I can go on record and say that he's a great guy. What happened during the play on Exum is not characteristic of him. He's a great guy," Taylor said in defense of Guershon Yabusele.

"All of those guys are good guys. They're competitors on both sides. Emotions were running high, and a bad situation happened. They got punished for it. Yabu is going to miss five games. There are some other suspensions, so I think they sorted it out. But I'll go on record and say that on my side, on the Real Madrid side, I know that all of those guys aren't dirty players. They're all great guys. Emotions just were running high and bad things happened," a four-time ACB champion explained.

Yabusele has been sanctioned with a 5-game suspension in accordance. Kevin Punter was handed a 2-game suspension, while Mathias Lessort and Gabriel Deck will miss one game.

When asked if he thought the sanctions were appropriate concerning the damage done on the floor, Taylor responded, "Yeah, for the most part, I think they made good decisions."

"It's just really unfortunate that it happened for both sides. Partizan was playing well. It's unfortunate for Real Madrid to go down 0-2. It's just a very unfortunate situation for both sides that players are going to miss games. I think you want to see Game 3 with full rosters. You don't want anybody to miss games," he added.

Taylor expressed that he wouldn't be astonished if Madrid comes back in the series, given that two key players from Partizan would be missing in Game 3.

"Yeah, everything is possible. I don't think that anybody thought that Partizan was going to go to Madrid and win two games. So in basketball, anything is possible. We'll see," Taylor said to BasketNews.

"I think that Partizan has good momentum. Obviously, Kevin Punter is a super important player for them. He has been a decisive player in the first two games, so they'll miss him a lot. So we'll see what happens," Taylor weighed in on Partizan losses. "But as I said, it's just really unfortunate for both sides that we're not going to see both teams battle it out with all their players available."

Taylor watches a lot of basketball during his stint in Lithuania with BC Wolves. He's been a fan of the Olympiacos Piraeus game so far.

"Before the playoffs, I was really impressed with Olympiacos. I think they've been the most consistent team all year," Taylor admitted.

"They play like 10-11 guys, and the way their offense works is really hard to pinpoint one player. Even though Vezenkov is probably the MVP, he just kind of gets what he gets from within the offense. They don't really run everything for him. So I think they're probably the most consistent team. We'll see, they're going to have a battle with Fenerbahce now," Taylor shared his thoughts on the playoffs.

"Barcelona is always tough. They play really tough defense, they play hard. So they'll be tough in the Final Four if they beat Zalgiris," he said. "I would have said Real Madrid in four before, but it's going to be a tough situation."

A former Real Madrid forward has been keeping up with his former team this season and expressed his thoughts on their performance.

"I think they've had a very solid season. They're where they usually are, in the top three. I mean, they've been number one all season in the ACB, pretty much. They've been in the top two or top three in the EuroLeague all season, so I think they've had a good season," Taylor said.

"It's too bad that they didn't play up to their level in the past two games in the EuroLeague playoffs. But Partizan was playing really good basketball. You have to give them a lot of credit, too," a 33-year-old forward recalled.

The addition of Taylor to the BC Wolves, a debutant team in the Lithuanian Basketball League, has been a surprise this season. He has been averaging 11.6 points (on a 38% 3PT shooting), 5.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.

Currently, the Wolves rank third in the standings and have an aim of making it to the LKL finals.

Watching Taylor's game against the Lithuanian champions Rytas Vilnius, it became evident that fans of the LKL should appreciate the tremendous talent displayed right in front of them.

In a closely contested match on Monday, the offensive leaders of Rytas Vilnius had little chance of overcoming Taylor's one-on-one defense.

Knowing the veteran's game and his ability to bring value to the team without the ball, he would be an excellent asset for several EuroLeague teams.

"I just try to take it one game at a time and not get ahead of myself, enjoying my experience here," said Taylor, when asked how he feels about watching the EuroLeague from the sidelines and whether he intends to return next season. "I have great teammates, so I'm just trying to focus on what we're trying to do this year. And finish third place now, then go to the playoffs and see what we can do. Whatever happens in the future, I just try to stay focused and do everything I can for the team."

He also praised the Lithuanian Basketball League: "I think the Lithuanian League is very competitive. It's very physical, a lot more physical than I thought it was going to be. A lot of teams play really hard. They make sure they hit you hard and all of that. So overall, it's a very good league, very competitive, and it's fun to play."

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Sergio Llull

Sergio  Llull
Team: Real Madrid
Position: PG, SG
Age: 35
Height: 190 cm
Weight: 91 kg
Birth place: Menorca, Spain