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Before the Lithuanian “El Clásico”, LKL.lt spoke with two closely related personalities of Lithuanian basketball. These are Algirdas and Mindaugas Braziai.
Mindaugas, who has been reviewing league teams on LKL TV’s “On the Board” section, has worked at the headquarters of the Žalgiris and Rytas coaches. Before his former teams’ first battle in the new season, he has questions that can be answered on Sunday.
“Žalgiris” has already given me the answers, I see that everything is in order there, everyone, having caught the rhythm and satisfied with their roles, feels pleasure. It’s not clear to me how good the days are. “They sweep everyone at Betsafe-LKL, but I wonder how they will look against a more serious team,” Brazys said.
The father and son’s ideas and predictions for the first confrontation, in a detailed conversation with LKL.lt.
– This will be the first match of “Rytas” – “Žalgiris” since the Citadele KMT final. The teams have changed radically: there is much talk about the philosophies of the game of the new coaches. How important is this game for both teams and what will it allow us to know and predict against the rest of the duels of these teams?
M. Brazys: As always, there is a stir. I’m always looking forward to these duels. This time it will be interesting as two new coaches have come up with their philosophies. I would say that both Rytas and Žalgiris are teams in which Betsafe-LKL demonstrates stability, their car is parked and their weaker opponents are swept off the road. However, Rytas has yet to face strong rivals, and even if the Champions League had started, it would be difficult to judge his ability by the opponents there.
A. Brazys: The same thing happens every year, people look for intrigue and it pays off in the first game. This is the beginning of the season and the teams have taken different forms. We have absolutely new teams and coaches, and the first game can give a psychological advantage in the future. “Rytas” moves without losses, because he did not play with teams of a similar level, and “Žalgiris” already has one defeat and the second would be uncomfortable, but not a tragedy. That would be the impetus to take the Betsafe-LKL match more seriously.
– On the one hand, it is said that “Žalgiris” has an advantage, because he has already entered the Euroleague, but the residents of Kaunas will only have a few days to prepare, while “Rytas” can dedicate a whole week to Sunday’s games. Who do you think has the advantage in this situation?
M. Brazys: Rytas is better prepared for this match. Whether everything will be determined by the preparation or the current form of “Žalgiris” is a question. Still, the dominance of Kaunas residents is a bit higher.
A. Brazys: I don’t think there is a morning advantage here. Despite the change of coaches, M. Schiller rotates the players very well, trying to use them to the maximum. The bench for “Žalgiris” is long, and there is enough time, maybe “Rytas” will even have a negative point here without practicing.
– “Rytas” accumulates almost 100 points per game, but it seems that Vilnius residents have not yet faced their worthy competitors. “Žalgiris”, looking at the lost points in the Euroleague, shows a good defense. What inspires more confidence, the attack “Rytas” or the defense “Žalgiris”?
M. Brazys: Defense of “Žalgiris”. Only through defense can championships be won, this is aspect number one.
A. Brazys: Rytas doesn’t face serious defense, admittedly. “Žalgiris” had enough serious rivals. Šarūnas Jasikevičius put a lot of emphasis on defense, he doesn’t feel close to M. Schiller. The most interesting thing is that you can prevent your opponents from throwing a lot of points. Both teams play wonderfully, and “Žalgiris” is still able to organize the defense, which is a rare case; Usually the game of good defensive teams is effective, but ugly, and now the people of Kaunas know how to combine the beauty and the result of the game. They won’t let Rytas play that easily. The team that best defends will win.
Mindaugas Brazys
– Thomas Walkup and Marius Grigonis vs. Demetrius Jackson and Andrew Goudelock – Which duo of defenders should have the most influence in the game?
M. Brazys: T. Walkup has gone into the background, without being much yet. But they also have Rokas Jokubaitis, who plays fantastic, and Lukas Lekavičius. It is difficult to say who will cover D. Jackson, but there will not be such a direct duel, “Žalgiris” will play as a team. A. Goudelock is a better player than Jackson, he has experience in the Euroleague and it will be very important for the residents of Kaunas to stop him. If successful, victory should be fairly assured.
A. Brazys: Both Žalgiris defend very well, and Ryto’s players are primarily attackers, not defenders. They are all very high-level basketball players, but basketball starts with defense, so the advantage is on the side of “Žalgiris”.
– Can the microduel of Steve Vasturia and Arnas Butkevičius be considered as “in the hands of Vilnius residents?
M. Brazys: Lord Vasturia still doesn’t convince me. The player must have some sort of trump card, but so far I’m not impressed as a good defender, and the attack is limited. Arnas is a very important team player, but he has never been and probably will not be the one to decide the match with individual effort. He is a good helper: he helps in defense, recovers balls, runs towards a quick attack.
A. Brazys: I’ve been watching Arna for a long time, I admire her character. I have not formed an opinion about S. Vasturi, although he is a very interesting player. I can’t say that Arnas has the upper hand, but Vasturia still hasn’t been able to show what he does best.
– To what extent is Morning’s current front line (apart from Martynas Echods and Maurice Ndour) able to withstand what Žalgiris has to offer?
M. Brazys: The question is whether “Žalgiris” will play purely in the front row. There is some focus, but Kaunas is a more picnic team, more action in the game. It’s more interesting how Rytas will cover that picnic. From what I see as the Žalgiris coach, this is not the person who would radically change tactics just because he has an advantage below the basket. It has its own combinations, which are not many, but they are made quickly and with great quality. They will play according to their system, all the more so since they won’t have much time to prepare.
A. Brazys: The advantage of “Žalgiris”. Joffrey Lauvergne makes a good impression, Martin Geben is a warrior in a good way, Marek Blaževičius himself has already shown a high level of play.
– Vilnius residents have not played in the Siemens arena this year, there are many players in their team who have lost to play matches of this level, it seems that the fans will be evenly distributed. Will home advantage matter?
M. Brazys: The morning is stronger in its little sand. As much as we noticed while working in the morning with Dainius Adomaitis, we played better there. The arena is smaller, when many spectators come together an emotion arises. We don’t get it in the Siemens arena, it’s true. The Žalgiris fans will also arrive, so it will probably be as usual: 50 against 50.
A. Brazys: “Žalgiris” didn’t feel like he was playing on the move lately, maybe that started them even more. There will be a lot of Kaunas residents, so I don’t think Rytas feels that advantage. The Žalgiris players are more experienced and are not afraid of the pressure from the stands.
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