[ad_1]
Betsafe-LKL will receive this year’s somewhat unusual Knight of the Year award, which will be awarded to honorable rather than impressive play.
The captain of Vilnius Rytas will receive this title Arnas Butkevičius.
He faced rival defender Marquis Wright in a match with Prienai CBet late last year. When he started to fall, A. Butkevičius caught the opponent and protected him from possible injury.
“Any evaluation and award is fun, it touches the heart,” A. Butkevičius told the LKL.lt website. – I was lucky to react quickly in that episode. I’ve been in similar situations many times myself, when I fall under an opponent or jump to get stronger contact, so I know how difficult it is to coordinate and successfully land on the ground. I saw that the opponent had already lost his balance and everything could end painfully.
I am glad that we managed to react successfully, alleviate the fall a bit and perhaps help prevent more serious injuries, because at the end there is the principle of sportsmanship: we always want the competitors to stay healthy, games without consequences and episodes for health “.
Recognized as the knight of the year, the forward is currently in a whirlwind of decisive battles for the season. These fights are the first of their kind as a captain. According to a Vilnius leader, the importance of the captain’s bandage increases a bit during the playoffs, but the atmosphere in the team’s dressing room does not require much intervention on his part.
“We spoke with the coaching staff of the coaches, we also spoke with the players. Of course, this is not the first final in itself and I try to convey the experience of what to expect. If I see that a player needs more help to calm down or cheer up going into a match, I try to get up close and talk individually And some general ideas: When you see that the team can stretch, try not to keep quiet as much as possible and as much.
In our team, we all communicate and everyone shares what they see, some things to correct. We all talk, we communicate, so I would not distinguish myself, I am exceptional as a captain. It is just a common feature of our team that we support and fight each other, ”A. Butkevičius shared his thoughts.
Although the forward has yet to win the national championship, he is already in the fifth series of finals, so the details of the fatal duels are well known. According to A. Butkevičius, it is no longer possible to allow oneself to survive in the decisive part of the season due to personal results, the team must be above all.
“There is a difference between the regular season and the playoffs. You play 36 games in the regular season, you know the season is long, so in some games, even if you don’t make it, another teammate can work for you, but there is no place in the playoffs.
If a match is not satisfactory to you, you must contribute in every way possible to the well-being of the team and be useful on the field. You cannot spend a single minute thinking that you are not doing well personally. There is absolutely no place for that. What is obvious when playing in the final is that every jump, deviation or loss of concentration is very painful. Sometimes three points, sometimes an undefeated ball, and that’s the result of losing the game, ”said the 28-year-old basketball player.
On Wednesday, the Vilnius people started the final series with a failure: the Lithuanian champions lost 75:90. As for the first match, A. Butkevičius points out the aforementioned lack of concentration: it took too many basketball players in the capital to lose microduels.
“First of all, I would like to say that our level of concentration was not 100%. That really felt. Mistakes we did not make when we won the game against” Žalgiris “in the regular season or in the playoffs themselves; there were many in the first game. This is the biggest goal we can handle in other games: inopportune fouls, no rebounds, unopened opponents, our inappropriate aggression. Many things were seen and felt after the game. We spoke openly in the team and we hope that the the picture is different, “feared the captain of” Rytas. “
On Saturday, Vilnius residents will walk on the parquet floor of the house square, realizing their plight. In case of defeat, Žalgiris would lead 2-0 in the series, and the capital club would already be balanced in the gap. A. Butkevičius also stressed the enormous importance of this match, hoping that his team will recover in the second match and not repeat the mistakes of Wednesday.
“It just came to our notice then. Being behind 0: 2, waiting for a positive result is very difficult. 1: 1 would mean that you will defend the home square and go to Kaunas with the idea that you will fight alongside you in a series. It’s a completely different emotional state, a completely different kind of confidence. This thing should be as focused as possible and not make the slightest mistake. We know that “Žalgiris” will come to us, trying to solve the series finale, but we have to show our best game and not let us think about it “, described the captain the necessary state of mind of his team.
This time, the Vilnius team will play at home, so their fans will be behind them, longing for the final series not seen in their city for two years and often creating an atmosphere that grows wings for the “Rytas” in his sand.
“It is always fun to play with your fans. They add to the start and those emotions, especially when there is a more difficult moment in the game, they know how to ignite a team and prepare for a fight. We look forward to receiving their support, as we have received so far. , and we hope we can give them a good game and fight with them, ”said A. Butkevičius about the support of the fans, which can become an important factor.
Watch live coverage of the second match of the Betsafe-LKL Grand Final series from the Jeep Arena on Saturday starting at 5 pm via BTV TV.
Help us create good content: become a Krepsinis.net sponsor >>
[ad_2]
