Marcus Howard showed amazing performance in the third quarter 😱🔥#Euroleague pic.twitter.com/H2ASub8hA3
— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere_) January 18, 2024
Ioannis Sfairopoulos: Some things we cannot change
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Ioannis Sfairopoulos, head coach of Crvena Zvezda, spoke after the game against Baskonia in the EuroLeague 22nd round.
Sfairopoulos aimed to secure the second consecutive win in the elite competition and thus get closer to the playoff zone.
“First, I want to express condolences to the family of Dejan Milojevic. These moments are difficult. Regarding the game, we fought until the end, tried to outplay a quality opponent. Offensively, it was good at the beginning, but defensively it wasn’t. We talked about offensive rebounds, which gave them opportunities to make three-pointers. Many offensive rebounds gave them easy points. In the third quarter, it was mostly bad, both offensively and defensively.
They took a double-digit lead, which we caught up with. Details decided it, one rebound, one layup, and when you allow the opponent to score 91 points, it’s hard to win. We have to keep going; this is a marathon. I always say the same thing, whether we win or lose, we have to think only about the next game. Of course, we have to learn, not make the same mistakes, but not cry. We have to be fighters until the end. Thanks to the fans, unfortunately, we didn’t have a positive result, but we still need them,” said Sfairopoulos.
Marcus Howard showed amazing performance in the third quarter 😱🔥#Euroleague pic.twitter.com/H2ASub8hA3
— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere_) January 18, 2024
“I agree, but I don’t want to look for excuses in injuries. We played without three guards who can create. Offensively, we didn’t have a problem. We scored 90 points. The issue was the defense, which brought us win in Milano. The most important thing is to play aggressively in defense,” said Ioannis Sfairopoulos.
“We tried to double-team Howard, he managed to score when we were not in the bonus. We changed the defensive tactics, but the main problem was a lack of concentration, miscommunication that hurt us, as well as rebounding. They scored at least five shots from offensive rebounds. It is very difficult to defend in those moments. Marinkovic and Howard punished that. We didn’t do the simple things,” said Greek coach.
“Of course, I am satisfied with Smart, he had only one training session yesterday. He was very good. We cannot expect the best from him; he is still suffering from jet lag. He doesn’t know everyone’s names, so it’s clear how difficult it is for him. Considering everything, he played excellently. He can attack, defend, create, and do many things. This is a good start for a better future. As for Teodosic, we still don’t know. We go day by day,” said Sfairopoulos.
“We will fight until the end, and we’ll see what happens. We go from game to game. We have to have a short memory. We play a game every three days. If we are disappointed or overly happy, it’s not good. We have to go from game to game. Some things we cannot control, like injuries. We won in Milano, but two players got injured. Some things we cannot control. We are fighting with the players we have. It wasn’t enough. We have to improve our rebounding.”
“We tried to change the momentum. It was positive when we changed the defense. We disorganized them. When we approached minus seven, it helped us to come back. Then we returned,” concluded Sfairopoulos.
In the next round, Crvena Zvezda visits Alba Berlin, and Baskonia hosts Valencia.