"20 days is a huge break, but the guys did well": Popovic and Zemskiy on the first win of the new year

The head coach of Zenit-2, Oliver Popovic, shared his emotions after the home victory over Dynamo Grozny (79:71). The coach of the blue-whites team explained how his team managed to come back from a 13-point deficit in the final quarter.

— I hate these games after the New Year and after long breaks. It’s always very difficult and tough. It’s no coincidence that Zemskiy played well today because a couple of days ago he played 15 minutes for the main team and ran around a bit. 20 days is a huge break, but the guys did well, they played good defense in the last quarter, and thank God, we won today.

— What was the key factor and the turning point of the game?

— We started the game well offensively, 25 points in the first quarter, but we allowed 26. There was no agreement on that, we were supposed to defend and let offense happen as it would. I just expected this kind of game after a long break, that the offense wouldn't work out. We played defense as we should in the final quarter, and in the end, we managed to get a 7–8 point lead.

— You managed to get the players focused for the fourth quarter since the second and third quarters didn’t go too well. How did you manage that? It's always difficult for the players to start the quarter with a "-13" deficit. What did you say to them?

— I think we had a similar situation with Chelbasket, it was here at home, when we were losing by 15 points in the fourth quarter. The same thing happened, and we ended up winning by 7-10 points. They just need to understand that only this kind of focus, this kind of defense leads to confidence on offense. In the fourth quarter, they defended well, and then there's room for mistakes in offense. But when you're constantly playing bad defense and can't score, it’s really tough. It was just that simple. They realized we had to defend. Nothing more was said, and they began defending as they should from the first minute.

— Did you expect such an active offense from Dynamo, considering they are not the most efficient team throughout the season and are in the lower half of the standings?

— They are an experienced team, they play well, and each player is very good at their position. Of course, in the first half, their three-point percentage was really high, something we didn’t expect. But again, Dynamo is a good team, the fact that they’re in the lower half of the standings might be an unrealistic situation. Moreover, we have a young team, with only two experienced players. And in the last 7 days, we had serious issues with illnesses, high fevers, injuries, so we basically pulled out the game in the final quarter, and the guys did well.

Forward of the reserve team, Pavel Zemskiy, also noted the key moments of the match. In the game, the player recorded a double-double, scoring 34 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

— How do you think the game went?

— Unfortunately, the game didn’t go very well after the holidays. For us, 20 days is a long break. The team needed to get back in shape. There was no game practice during those days. The first three quarters were hard to get into shape. We weren’t fully focused on defense. The good thing is we stepped it up in the fourth quarter, felt the rhythm of the game, and managed to pull out the win.

— You were the highest-scoring player today, with a double-double. Did you expect such a performance from yourself, and did it help the team?

— Of course, I expected it. I always try to do everything I can to help the team win, to contribute as much as possible on the court to secure the victory. That’s why I gave my all.

— Did Mikhail Dulkay's injury affect the course of the game?

— Yes, it did. Mikhail is our main fourth player. Without him, it was hard on the rebounds. And he is also a key player in offense. But we all tried to make up for his absence to secure this win for both us and for Mikhail.

— Today is the birthday of the team manager, Mikhail Bogatov. Would you like to congratulate him? Is this first win of the new year a gift for his birthday?

— Of course, first of all, this win is for Mikhail Pavlovich. I congratulate him sincerely on his birthday, wishing him all the best, the fulfillment of all his desires, and, of course, good health.

— 34 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals — it feels like when everyone was celebrating New Year, you were tirelessly training. Is that true?

— Partially yes. I didn’t forget about training. I had to maintain my form, at least in the gym or doing some stretching. I celebrated New Year, of course, but training was my priority. The whole team was training, keeping in shape, and everyone did well.

— When did you get the feeling that you were the X-factor for Zenit today and that you needed to lead the team forward?

— In my opinion, maybe even from the very first minutes of the game, I felt like I had caught some momentum and needed to take as much responsibility as I could. But none of this would have been possible without the team.