Ettore Messina, the head coach of Milano, spoke to the media after the game against Zalgiris in the EuroLeague’s 32nd round.
Following two wins in the previous week against Monaco and Fenerbahce, Milano suffered a tough defeat tonight in Kaunas, which has significantly distanced them from reaching the play-in.
“Congratulations to Zalgiris, coach Andrea Trinchieri, and the entire coaching staff of Zalgiris. They played a fantastic second half and deserved the win. Our defense in the second half was not at the level required to win such a tough away game. Their guards, Lekavicius and Sumner, attacked both our bigs and smalls on switches. We were unable to provide help, our rotations were poor, and on top of that, they had 12 offensive rebounds. You can’t win a ‘life or death’ game with the approach we had in the second half,” Ettore Messina began his remarks.
About Edmond Sumner
“He didn’t surprise us. I have many friends in the Brooklyn Nets who have told me about his qualities. I’ve heard a lot of good things about him even before he came to Europe. I knew he was capable of these things. Perhaps he shot the three a little better than usual, but we didn’t respond to his physicality.
When we started to struggle in defense, at the beginning of the second half, we had several turnovers in a row, allowed them offensive rebounds. When they took the lead, we lacked composure, we started rushing on offense, and we couldn’t find the right solutions in attack. All the things we did well in the first half, we didn’t do in the second.”
About Zalgiris since Andrea Trinchieri’s arrival
“I’ve never evaluated any opponent, any team in my career, and I won’t do it tonight either. Of course, they’re playing well, they’ve won some tough games and they’re doing a good job.”
On the 25th anniversary of Zalgiris’ EuroLeague title
“I was on the opposite side that year. They had great ball movement, they used great guards like Tyus Edney and Anthony Bowie, and all the players around them were truly fantastic. They were a team in the true sense of the word, playing completely selflessly. We had some problems reaching that Final Four. And most importantly, in the semifinals, we played a derby, and it’s known that whoever wins the derby, it’s hard to win the EuroLeague.”
On the last spot in the Play-In
“I can’t say anything about that at the moment. There are still many games left until the end of the season that can completely change everything. They told me that if Partizan wins two games, they are close because of the head-to-head games with other teams,” Ettore Messina concluded.
In the next round, an Italian derby will be played, as Milano will host Virtus, while Zalgiris will travel to face Monaco.