Georgy Zhbanov: "We didn’t stick to the game plan, and Lokomotiv punished us for it"

Zenit guard Georgy Zhbanov summed up the match against Lokomotiv Kuban (98:117) and explained what caused the breakdown in the third quarter.

— It’s hard to talk after such a loss. We completely failed to follow the game plan given to us by the coach. We played however we wanted, and Lokomotiv punished us for that.

— What went wrong in the third quarter when it seemed like nothing was working?

— In the third quarter, we started with three or four turnovers in a row. They ran fast breaks and scored, and we couldn’t respond to that. This created the difference in the score. They pulled ahead, and we started chasing them in a panic. Honestly, it’s hard to analyze anything right now. The game in offense was completely a failure.

— Toward the end of the game, emotions were running high, and it seemed like it could turn into a big fight. You were one of the main ones, excuse me, provoking the opponents. Were you still in control of your emotions to avoid an actual fight?

— I understood that the game wasn’t going our way, so I thought maybe we could gain an edge emotionally. I tried to throw them off balance. Maybe it worked a little, but not entirely. So, we’ll keep fighting.