"First step taken": Popovic and Karvanen on the victory over BARS-RGEU
Zenit-2 forward Maxim Karvanen shared his impressions after the home victory over BARS-RGEU (109:94). In the recent match, he scored 10 points, grabbed 2 rebounds and made 2 assists.
— We started the first half very poorly. Then we got into the game more or less, and in the second half, we managed to hold on until the end.
— This was your first home game for Zenit-2 after returning. How did it feel?
— Well, it was nerve-wracking. But of course, I’m happy to be back here again. Everything is good.
— The final game of the regular season against SSOR Lokomotiv Kuban is ahead. What are your expectations? How prepared is the team for the upcoming playoffs?
— I have no specific expectations for the game yet. We are preparing for Lokomotiv. We absolutely have to win this match to secure fourth place, be independent of other results, and have home-court advantage in the first two playoff games.
Head coach Oliver Popovic also summed up the game against the Rostov team.
— Today, we tried to give everyone some playing time. Ryzhov performed well and helped us again. I wasn’t happy with the first half, especially the second quarter. After that, we started to defend properly, scored easy points and deservedly won in the end. This is our first step towards securing fourth place. To achieve that, we still need to beat Loko at home. I don’t know yet who our opponent in fifth place will be. Right now, we’re only thinking about the next game against Loko.
— Mikhail Dulkay played his first game after an injury. How is he recovering and adjusting to the game pace?
— He only started training a few days ago after getting his cast removed. I tried to give him some minutes today — maybe even more than necessary. I hope he will be fully ready for the playoffs.
— There is still one more home game to close out the regular season. What mindset does the team have going into the match against Lokomotiv, and what goals are you setting for the players?
— This game is for the fourth position and securing home-court advantage. We need to take it seriously. I don’t know what roster Loko will bring. I don’t even know what roster we’ll have since one or two players will be playing with the youth team. But this last game is crucial for us. I hope our mindset will be at 100%, we’ll win, and we’ll secure home-court advantage.
