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Photo: BasketNews.lt/D. Shell
Photo: BasketNews.lt/D. Shell
Photo: Dainius Lukšta
Photo: BNS
Photo: BasketNews.lt/D. Shell
Kaunas “Žalgiris” celebrated the biggest win of the season in the Euroleague and, following the victory, head coach Martin Schiller was pleased with the team’s concentration and the leadership shown by Paulius Jankūnas.
“The main thing for us was to control Baskonia’s rebounds in attack, we didn’t want to let them grab more than 10. We did well after a long break, we played well on defense and it was very important to get the win,” Schiller said after the match.
– Can Rubit improve any aspect of the game?
– It’s not a poor triple. It has a great launch from the colon area and if it were 5 years younger it would force it to attack from afar.
– How (dis) believed was the triple of Jankūnas?
– I was not surprised at all, we are constantly working on it. Every time he throws a triple, I feel very confident. I get angrier when he doesn’t give up. His career three-point percentage hits 35, allowing him to attack while free.
– Milaknis hit five triples. How did you encourage him to stay at his own pace?
– Like I said before, if Milas doesn’t throw a free triple, that’s a problem. He is one of the best snipers in the history of the Euroleague and I have never been worried about not hitting him. Of course I’m happy that Milas hit and I think the whole of Lithuania was happy when it happened.
– Would you call it Žalgiris’ best match this season?
– I do not know. That would be unfair to other parties. The game with Anadolu Efes was also great on both sides of the field. Making triples always helps, and his creation was good today. We stretched on defense and looked our best in the third quarter, which led to victory.
– Baskonia excels in the fast attack, what allowed them to close in this area?
– We emphasized defense against a quick attack. It’s always important, but not all teams attack that fast, but Baskonia is one of those teams that does. I think the men were perfectly focused on getting back on defense, they didn’t fight unnecessarily for the balls where they didn’t have to.
– Jankūnas played more this season, almost 22 minutes. What impact did it have on the match?
– It was very important. He first showed leadership by communicating on the field, committing smart fouls. He had a great rhythm and that’s why he played. His opponents weren’t easy: Polonara, Peters. I’m proud of him.
– You mentioned that you are working with Jankūnas on three points. Is there a Žalgiris who doesn’t?
– There is no such person, everyone is improving their game. As for Jankūnas, I meant that we focus on individual work and very specific triples. So I’m not surprised he hit him today; I was more surprised by his hit earlier.
– After six failures, you have two consecutive victories. What helped the team get back on the road to victory?
– We work in the same way, we are also focused and we do the same work. I can’t tell you a magical story. In every game, except with Maccabi, we create opportunities to win. I mean the team is united and we work hard every day.
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