About the comeback and Frank Kaminsky
“The reason is very clear. He took a hit and couldn’t play. That’s what he said. He’s injured, he said it’s hard for him to breathe.”
“When you fight, everything comes back, and the players fought incredibly. At minus 10, when Nunn made the shot, they believed, and thanks to that, we forced overtime, had the last attack. That energy is incredible. We started with all 12 players, that’s not common. Congratulations to the people who contributed to that from the stands. I have no words to thank them for that trust. Looking at it, at this moment, we are at 5-6, last year, it was 4-9. Fortunately, Kevin and Aleksa returned. Kevin played captain’s game. My trust in Aleksa and Jaramaz is enormous. I will always stand behind them.”
About the relationship with Panathinaikos
“Always a special game, there are still people there who worked with me. They know how I feel about them and wish them all the best. That’s a club that will forever remain in my heart, I feel them like my own. Something indelible.”
“There was a moment when, after a timeout, we played good defense. There was a five-point difference, and we talked about believing and playing until the end. That fighting spirit is incredible. In defense, we did some things, there were big mistakes, but that’s an integral part of what we do.”
About 12 Jordans
“Of course, they are. It’s about when it comes to Ponitka; the man was out of rhythm. He behaves extraordinarily, trains, and I believe him. Kaminsky plays at an extraordinary offensive level. We can’t bring in 12 Jordans. You expect everyone to be fantastic in everything, that’s impossible. Everyone has flaws.”
“I wouldn’t get into how someone understands quickly; he understands immediately (Kaminsky). He told me he was ‘stabbed’ after the game. I am extremely satisfied with their behavior. I can’t chase those all-around players, there are few of them. When you look at the statistics, Andjusic’s offensive rebound… Two points, but plus 25 with him. He didn’t score, but he jumped when it mattered most. They have outside players who are not interested in rebounding. You play defense that way, high block, small gather.”
About Kevin Punter and reinforcements
“I can only imagine how much speculation there will be until the end. I have a ‘magic’ rectangle, and I don’t have time for other things. I beg God for Trifunovic to come back. At the moment he got injured, he was the best defensive player. How much Kevin, as captain, was missing… The first player we wanted to sign was Kevin… Is there some player who is so important to another club… Tavares?”
“Do you think Real Madrid would be the same? Even Kendrick Nunn was mentioned, everyone alive. All clubs talk about the same players. Thank God we are in a situation to have 13 players in training. We play on Saturday night against FMP, tomorrow can only be setting up. The others in a light rhythm. As soon as we have more players available, the atmosphere changes immediately. I wonder how many more players we will ‘sign’? People think I’m hiding something from them, who know me. These guys of mine, I trust them, and they are here.”
“When I chose him as captain, it was clear to everyone why Kevin Punter is the captain. He’s an example in everything, comes first to training, works individually, fights. He’s an example in everything. When he appears, they know when it’s ‘hot’ for the ball to go there. I wouldn’t talk about what we wanted today. He lines them up first, so everything looks different,” concluded Zeljko Obradovic.
In the next round, Partizan hosts Monaco, and Panathinaikos visits Anadolu Efes.