Serbia’s head coach Svetislav Pesic spoke after the game against Georgia in Tbilisi, in the second round of EuroBasket qualifiers.
Svetislav Pesic aimed for his team to secure a second consecutive win, which they successfully achieved thanks to a strong start to the game.
“This is a very important win for us. The players did an excellent job against Shengelia and Thomasson. When you look at the statistics, there are 20 points from transition play. When you have organized defense and motivation on that side, players are always in a position to help each other and play team defense. We had 20 assists, which was very good, while we needed time in positional offense. We are very happy with the win and the way we played because this greatly impacts our qualification for EuroBasket,” Pesic said.
He also addressed the “burden” of being the reigning vice world champions.
“This is nothing new for us. More or less, as it was tonight, no matter where we play, we must be ready to accept the role of favorites. Because of this role, it’s important for us to be more motivated and work harder. The players want to prove that they are ready for the Olympics. These two victories are an additional motivation for everyone to give their maximum effort in the remainder of the season with their clubs and to prepare for what awaits us in the summer.”
George Tsintsadze played his last game for the national team.
“He played very well, we knew he would be extra motivated. His attitude influences other players to be even better,” Pesic concluded.
In the next round, Serbia will visit Denmark, while Georgia will play against Finland.