Schiller, who left the leader on the bench at a crucial moment: we need a different game for him

Kaunas “Žalgiris”, who start this week’s Euroleague campaign, beat Panevėžys “Lietkabelis” 73:69 in the closing seconds.

The Lithuanian champions did not have to suffer in defending the hosts only in the fourth quarter, during which they eliminated the 10-point deficit.

However, Mr. Schiller remained true to himself and emphasized what his students’ game undoubtedly left behind.

“I know people are talking about the first Euroleague game, but the most important thing for us today was beating Lietkabelis,” said the Žalgiris coach.

According to the team helmsman, reversing events in reverse was allowed by his own active defense, at which point the attack malfunctioned.

“The fact is that we would like to play from the beginning of the game as we did today in the last quarter. Why it fails, I have no answer. I think we did not lack concentration, the main problem was the attack. If before the biggest concern was how to defend, this time, how to score points, “commented Schiller.

At the most important moment, “Žalgiris” attacks were especially moved by Lukas Lekavičius, who scored all 14 points after the break.

Mr. Schiller praised the player’s speed and noted that he was still full of strength at the end of the match, as he played a total of 20 minutes.

“He will certainly play an important role this season,” the Austrians commented on the team’s whirlwind.

At that moment, the team’s brightest star, Emmanuel Mudiay, spent the entire fourth quarter on the reserve bench.

And “Žalgiris” did not miss him, because until then the American in 18 minutes. he made just 1 of 7 shots “out of the game” and settled for 3 points.

Schiller said the decision to end the game without the lead player was a tactical one.

“He dominated the last game, and this time he started the second half of the game not so aggressively, not so abruptly.” He lost his aggression after taking a foul on offense. And we need an aggressive Emmanuel, he needs to provoke the offenses of his opponents, ”said the 39-year-old specialist.

At the time, his direct opponent of Lietkabelis, Nenad Čanakas, did not hide that the poor performance of E. Mudiay should not be explained by the special attention of the defense of Panevėžys.

“We didn’t do anything magical against him, maybe Mudiay was in bad shape today,” the Serb shrugged.

By contrast, the Lietkabelis strategist was disappointed with the way his students saved their basket in the fourth quarter.

“We took advantage of the opportunity because the team did not follow all the instructions, especially when it came to defending in the last quarter. It seemed that each player had his own defense system, “said N. Chanako.

For Kaunas residents, this was the last match before the start of the Euroleague season. On Friday, they will meet the USEL of Villeurbanne (France) on a trip.

Paulius Jankūnas, who will not play for about 10 days due to a calf injury, was unable to help “Žalgiris” in Panevėžys. The team captain will also have to take a trip to France.