Alexey Shved: "We’re very happy to have reached the final"
Zenit guard Alexey Shved shared his emotions after the 94:75 victory over Lokomotiv Kuban in Game 7 of the VTB United League semifinal series. He highlighted his teammates' great performance and spoke about preparing for the decisive playoff round and recovering ahead of the final.
— How difficult was it to prepare mentally for Game 7, with everything on the line?
— It was a tough game. The series was tied 3–3, so we knew how important it was to win today. Everyone was focused, no one wanted to lose, and I think we played great. We played smarter, followed the coach's game plan that he had been emphasizing throughout the series. That’s why we had so many smart offensive plays and open shots, and we also played great defense. They gave us opportunities for easy drives and easy points. We’re very happy to have made it to the final.
— How did you manage to gain the upper hand in the third quarter?
— Like I said, we executed the game plan. Plus, Dwayne took control of the game, Trent Frazier stepped up, we pulled away by 10-13 points, and our defense was excellent — Vince, Alex, Okaro, Andrey Vorontsevich — everyone really. Zhora was just everywhere on the court, he didn’t even let Miller get the ball. Everyone played well. We just tried not to let them come back and fought to the end, because we know Loko is the kind of team that can come back from "-15" or even "-20". We did everything to keep them at bay.
— You stepped up during a crucial stretch of the game. What were you feeling at that moment?
— Like I said, the guys were taking responsibility but were getting a bit tired. And I saw that when I started to drive, they weren’t helping off as aggressively. So it was easier without the help defense. I also hit an open three that Vince kicked out to me from under the basket. We supported each other, and at certain points in the game, each player stepped up, fought for each other on defense. I think throughout the game, different players took responsibility and understood that the win and reaching the final were at stake. Everyone fought like it was a final game.
— CSKA finished their series earlier. Does that give them an advantage?
— No, we have time to recover. We’ll have five days, so I don’t see any problem. Everyone will be ready for the first game, super motivated and focused. So there’s no talk of fatigue. Now the final is coming, and we have to be 100% ready.
