Schiller on technical foul: “When you fall behind, you need to find a way to change the course of the game” / News

Photo: zalgiris.lt

Photo: zalgiris.lt

Photo: zalgiris.lt

Photo: zalgiris.lt

Martin Schiller even ran onto the field to draw attention to what he thought was a whistle foul. Zach LeDay had just snatched the ball from Augustine Rubit, but according to the Žalgiris strategist it wasn’t without fault.

So, running onto the pitch and cursing loudly, the “Žalgiris” coach yelled to the judges that a foul should be called. The match referee immediately punished him for a technical foul, the first of his career in Kaunas, but this seems to have woken up the visiting team.

After a technical foul, Žalgiris rushed 7-0 and thus began to melt the deficit of 20 points.

“If that was the case, fine, no problem,” BasketNews.lt was asked if he thought his foul woke up the team, the Austrians replied. – Yes, we had to turn it on somehow. But these guys are fighting, they’re fighting, I’ll never blame the players for that foul. I will not say that they do not fight and play with all their might. They do it and they fight well ”.

What happened for a technical foul to be called?

“I was just not happy with the misbehavior of the whistles. Things like that affect the game, Schiller said. “When you are behind, you need to find a way to change the course of the game.”

Although Žalgiris eventually eliminated the 20-point deficit, he failed to win – the AX Armani Exchange team lost 92:98.

“Žalgiris” missed 10 3-pointers and 52 points in the first half of the match, and coach Schiller called it the biggest problem after the match.

“Obviously, we made a hole in the second half, when we got a 16-point deficit,” said the Žalgiris strategist. – It was hard to come back after that. When you win three-quarters of four but lose a match, that hole must be deep. We need to react when that happens, we have to catch up on saying what is happening now, so we have to find a way to stop those breaches. The fact is that we are in a match. We were in a match with CSKA, with Real, with Milan. But we have to reward ourselves. The most important thing is not to fall into those holes ”.

Man of the match

– What was the most lacking in defense?
– In the first half, we lost the opportunity to commit several times when we were able to do it to stop fast attacks. The first half also allowed us to throw light 3-pointers from the corners, which punished us a lot. There the well began.

– This is not the first game in which you have problems in defense, especially in the first part of the game. Is something not working in self defense or are there more problems?
– We are really looking for reasons and we are working on that. I think it is a combination of some little things that are not so small at this level. Combining bad rotations (on defense) and no offense, if those things happen 4 times, you suddenly fall behind eight points at that level. We need to be more disciplined when doing our own things.

– Kevin Punter played the best game of his career today, you had a hard time keeping Mike James on Tuesday. Are these defenders a problem for Žalgiris’ defense?
– These defenders are a problem for all teams. It seems to me that yesterday Jamesas played a good game in Munich. They are a problem for everyone. Maybe we need to feel better when something rushes in and takes over. Maybe then you should commit a serious crime. We are working hard on it.

– He seemed to have found the right guys with Luke, Rock and Augustine who started the outbreak. How did your trio work?
– Sometimes changing players, looking for the right ones and sometimes you just need to find them. And when you find it, stay with them. Rest a little and go back to the square. I think Luke and Rock were very important in Milan’s changing defense, they overcame their rivals’ highs. During the last four minutes of the game, they stopped changing completely because those guys broke it perfectly. You’re right, we found a group of guys that fit the game.

– That start happened without Grigonis, who did not play for fouls. Something similar happened in the match with CSKA, when you also came back with Grigonis on the bench. Is the team more focused then?
– Yes, one thing that brings the team together, but what I want to highlight is that Marius on the bench is very focused on the team. When there are no fans, you hear every word, you hear how it’s said and Marius is completely dedicated to the team. Talk and communicate even without being on a bench. Although he is not on the field, he is still involved in the game.

– Jankūnas started, but played only 8 minutes, he hardly played in the second half of the duel. Is it because of problems with the defense?
– Yes, the wrong opponent. This is rarely the case. Jankis defends well even in situations where it seems on paper that maybe that opponent is a little too fast. To think about what he did against Schengen a few days ago is incredible. Terrific defense work. He had no competitor in this match.

– How does the team react after 4 consecutive defeats?
– They focus and work. I think it is the only way. They are together, they compete, they fight, they train. That is all I ask of you. We will continue to discuss and explain. Losing and losing are what they are. The fact is that we were in them in three of the four lost games. It is very important not to lose faith and the big picture. It is important to analyze, it is important to improve, it is important to develop tactics, but the team’s mood is right and there is no need to criticize anything because they are focused and dedicated.

– You spoke to Ettore Messina after the game. What was this conversation about?
– About basketball. I worked for two coaches who are his friends. I used to watch his training sessions with Real Madrid. He is a very special coach. I just had a few questions for him.