Facundo Campazzo addresses his mistakes in the game vs. Fenerbahce, talks about his relationship with personal awards and Yago dos Santos, and opens up on the discussions he had with Panathinaikos. He also weighs in on his future with Real Madrid and a potential NBA return.
Last Thursday in Istanbul, Real Madrid were confidently heading to what would have been their 11th straight win in the EuroLeague season.
Even when Fenerbahce's Marko Guduric sank two free throws to bring the hosts close (98-99), the guests were in charge of the last possession. With six seconds left on the game clock, Dimitris Itoudis thought he should increase his squad's full-court pressing by bringing Yam Madar back on the court.
Madrid's inbound pass ended up in the hands of the man who seemed the most sure bet. Facundo Campazzo, author of one of his career-best games that night, received the ball, and the most probable outcome would be a foul sending him to the free-throw line. But Guduric forced a steal, and Madar made the game-winning layup for Fenerbahce.
Turkish fans were exhilarated, while Campazzo was trying to realize how the victory had just slipped away. His 33-point game on a record-tying 11/11 2-point shooting came to no avail.
Ahead of a EuroLeague double-week that includes two road games in Greece against Olympiacos Piraeus (Tuesday) and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (Thursday), it's vital that both Real Madrid and their floor general recover from a big upset, which still doesn't cross out what the Spanish powerhouse has achieved thus far.
Personal responsibility can take the form of both praise and guilt whenever a star player lives up to the expectations or comes up short. Campazzo knows how things work, as he's been on both sides of the fence.
"I think basketball players tend to receive more punishment than praise by default," he reflects in a Zoom chat with BasketNews before the double-round game week gets underway.
"That happened to me as well. At no time do I look at my stats anymore. I just think about the last mistake I made or my turnovers in the last quarter of the game. To a certain extent, that happens because I want to punish myself," he admits.
Campazzo's interview with BasketNews included several more interesting topics - his future in Madrid, the discussions his side had with Panathinaikos last summer before his move to Real was finalized, his special affinity and relationship with Yago dos Santos, and the reasons why former EuroLeague point guards struggle in the NBA.
Finally, after spending two and a half seasons (with Denver and Dallas) in the world's top basketball league, Campazzo clarifies that he doesn't even remotely consider rekindling what once was his desire to play in the NBA.
