Darius Maskoliūnas: “I really don’t want to say that success was with us”

This was the Lithuanians’ fourth victory in group C of the European Championship team in six games played, allowing them to avoid a fiasco and enter the main tournament on the Old Continent.

The national team did not comply with the request of Arvydas Sabonis, president of the basketball federation, when the Lithuanian basketball oak, while congratulating coach Darius Maskoliūnas on his 50th birthday, asked for a final quiet FIBA ​​window, “without stress and no beats. “.

The Lithuanians with the Danes, who did not have the main executioner from the previous match Gabrielius Lundberg, stretched again until the last moments, and the victory at the end of the match was donated by the block of the team captain Mantas Kalnietis.

After a nervous duel, Lithuanian national team coach Darius Maskoliūnas also sent a message to journalists.

“And why are you sad? – after the game, said head coach Darius Maskoliūnas. – I am not saying that it is necessary to shout with joy, but you and your colleagues know that they left the buckets ready. That they still keep those phrases about fiasco and catastrophe. I think that in this difficult time, not only for basketball, but in general, we are all restless and upset, however, that pouring of kerosene on the fire does not help anyone. There is no benefit to anyone. You and they do your job if it seems so necessary … I’m not saying we should be praised, but we should be understood. “

The Danish national team is ranked 56th in the world team rankings and last played in the European Championship in 1955.

However, within the Avia Solutions Group, everything went according to the plan of the rivals.

At the start of the duel, the Lithuanian team failed to escape, and the laid-back Danes began to notice the shots and breathe with their backs to the hosts.

Tallest competitor Kevin Larsen, who became the “X Factor” of the game, unexpectedly scored three 3-pointers and scored 15 of 21 points after a long break. Denmark had a 2 point lead after three quarters.

The Danish snipers were overwhelmed by the Lithuanian bass five, as they all began exchanging defenders on their side of the field.

The opponents of the Lithuanian team were unable to score points for almost five minutes in the fourth quarter, but at the end of the match they ran 8: 0 and had a real chance to block Lithuania’s path to the European championships, but saved the Lithuanians . from the “ceiling” of Mantas Kalnietis.

“I want to thank the players for coming to the bubble and helping us. Thanks to the federation for the incredible work. Everything was at a really high level, – Darius Maskoliūnas spoke after the duel. – Next, I want to congratulate the Danish national team and their coach. They were well prepared and played great games. We expected the game to not be easy. One team did not feel the pressure and we felt a lot of pressure because we had already lost against them. What else to say? It’s good that the boys didn’t give up, they fought. We were patient at important times. Of course, there were some when we lost our minds. Today the basketball gods were on our side. The boys deserve it, congratulations ”.

– Don’t you agree that today was a success?

– How many free throws have we taken, and taken by people who attack from much more than 40% in their clubs? These were the moments when we broke the match, we were able to escape. I would not say that it was accompanied by success. That Danish freedom. How many times did we hit them on triples, how many times did we give them free to shoot, how many of them hit triples when we took a chance?

I really don’t want to accept that it was accompanied by success. Maybe just a few moments.

– Is everything okay with Mindaugas Kuzminskas?

– He was torn, they took him to the hospital because he had to sew up his leg. Doctors said he would not be able to play for a week. I hope that he returns to the rhythm and his club as soon as possible, and that he represents it well.

– What happened to the team in the middle of the last quarter?

– It wasn’t half of the half, there were three minutes left. An Olympic triple came in and then we got a shot from under the basket because we didn’t catch the ball. At some point it seems … Of course, morning is smarter than afternoon. We will see the game, we will analyze it, everything will be visible to the other eye. It was as if we stopped, as if we were playing patiently. We cause fines, we push. In attack, the game seemed nothing, and in defense we began to change, to go head-on.

They threw happy shots and automatically put more pressure on us. But the fact is that the Manto block was clean.

– How worried are you about such a nervous selection window before the next Olympic selection?

– Very worried. What answer are you waiting for? Won, he got into the championship and he will? Very worried. It is very worrying that we are in a big swell. I don’t understand the players I trust completely, I know what to expect and expect from them. They tend to give it, sometimes even more, but sometimes it disappears and changes. As if they were other people. We have young players who can be limited by the team jersey. The surge knocks me off the crawfish and knocks the team out. In the moments when we control the field, we defend well, we just do Bam Bam And we collapse like a house of cards Then we slowly get up and get up again.

– Are the game boxes determined by technical or psychological issues?

– Regarding the mood, I have no comment for the players. They were exhausted, I even tried to calm them down both during training and during games to relieve the pressure.

And you understand, and we understand, what it would have been if it had been. No matter how calm and experienced you are, the pressure is on your brain. Without ambiguity, it is not easy. The fact is that we have to cope better, we have to do our job with greater precision, fairness and certainty.

– To sum up the entire selection, why was it so difficult for your team?

– Look, the Belgians are a good team, the Czechs are also a good team. The Belgians have been playing with the same lineup for many seasons. Yes, the first game, as I said then, I did not expect them to play so well. In the second window, the game with the Danes was a hard blow for us. But it hits us, we immediately get up and play as if we were another team.

In this window, we control the game with the Czechs from the first to the last minute. It seems enough to carry 60 percent. that for the next game and it would be enough for a safe and peaceful victory. But none of that. I don’t know, I find it difficult to answer all the questions. You need to look and analyze the errors.

– Was the Danish performance surprising, knowing there was no main guide, Gabriel Lundberg?

– No, they are great, respect them. They fought, they came to the game calm because they were already doing well. The sword of Damocles did not hang from them, their hands were not tied. Yes, he discovered other basketball players besides the main player. Points are added up on the front line, where we haven’t always been able to defend ourselves.

We took tactics that put two players at risk, so we tried not to open other snipers. We did it somehow. As much as we risked the great triple, everything fell on them. But we did not think of that risk of lamps, so we decide through analysis and coincidences. There was nothing like it, not even next door. In those moments, you start to think that you have chosen the wrong tactics.

– As for the players you decided to risk, was Kevin Larsen, who scored 15 points in the second half of the game, one of them?

– We said we risked his triple, we have three. At those times, a difference of 5-6 points. We started exchanging, without fining several times, easily accepting the ball and finishing the attacks. He is still a big, strong man. It’s hard to say what else led to his success.

– We are waiting for the Olympic team, what can we say to the fans when they expect even stronger competitors?

– What can I say? We will do our best to have a stronger team and have more time to prepare. We will do our best to enter the Olympics. No language. You know very well what kind of team we can form. I hope we collect. Then we will try to make a game with that team.

And what are you grieving about? I’m not saying you need to shout for joy. You and your colleagues, I know, kept the buckets ready. That they still keep those phrases about fiasco and catastrophe. I think that during this difficult time, not only for basketball, but also in general, everyone is restless and upset, however such kerosene poured into the fire does not help anyone. There is no benefit to anyone. You and they do your job if it seems necessary … I’m not saying we should be commended, but we should be understood.

– Are there players who have positively surprised or inspired you to join the main team?

– Vaidas Kariniauskas looked great in this window. If we hadn’t invited him, I don’t know what we would be like. Marek is taking steps forward, if he is not given many opportunities to appear today. He did not participate in the first game, but you can tell that he feels completely different in training. Show strength, some growth. It’s not easy for Marek as he doesn’t play much, but he’s a young player, so everything will come in time. All the players gave us something, something.