Kazys Maksvytis, the coach of Lithuania, spoke to the media after his team’s victory against the United States at the FIBA World Cup.
Lithuania’s hot hand brought down the Americans and determined the fate of Serbia while securing the top spot in Group J, which leads them to a quarterfinal matchup against Serbia.
“We started the game well, built a lead, and managed to maintain it enough to win the game. I congratulate the guys who executed the game plan perfectly,” Maksvytis said, adding:
“We must preserve our emotions and strength for the next game because the knockout phase begins in two days.”
Lituania had an evident advantage in the frontcourt positions in this game.
“You don’t have many advantages when you play against the Americans. We played courageously, with a lot of fast breaks, many post-up actions. Defensively, we didn’t allow them to play one-on-one. We doubled them a lot to force more passes and disrupt their primary offensive options. Of course, excellent shooting percentages, especially in the first half, contributed to our victory,” explained Kazys Maksvytis.
Lithuania will face Serbia in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
“In the locker room, I told the guys not to celebrate for too long and to preserve their strength and emotions for the game on Tuesday. This is the biggest victory in our careers, but we don’t have time to celebrate because Serbia won’t be waiting for us with flowers and a red carpet,” Maksvytis emphasized.
At EuroBasket 2022, Lithuania was defeated in overtime by the future European champions, Spain, in the quarterfinals. Before the tournament, Lithuania wasn’t considered one of the favorites.
“We are missing several talented players in this tournament, but we have built a good team with hardworking guys who collaborate very well. It’s a pleasure for me to coach this team, and I hope to do so for three more games in this championship,” said the Zalgiris coach.
Coach Maksvytis believes that the solid defense of his team wasn’t the decisive factor in this game.
“I think we won the game thanks to our perfect offense. In defense, we tried to protect the paint, but we still gave up 104 points. So, this victory is credited to our offense,” Maksvytis concluded.