Andrey Vorontsevich: "Desire and cohesive teamwork definitely paid off"

Zenit forward Andrey Vorontsevich shared his emotions after the victory over CSKA (86:70) in the second game of the VTB United League finals series. He broke down the team's actions on both defense and offense and spoke about the importance of mental preparation from game to game.

— As always, I want to thank our fans for supporting us. Another sold-out — it’s always a great feeling. We really wanted to bounce back and get the win, which we managed to do today. Most importantly, we came out strong from the very first minutes — unlike the previous game, where we were trailing significantly at halftime and only started catching up in the second half, but unfortunately, we fell a bit short. So once again — congratulations to everyone on the win, and now we’re getting ready for the next game.

— Zenit moved the ball really well on offense throughout the game today, playing unselfishly. How did you manage to find that rhythm?

— Naturally, after analyzing the first game, we understood that if we attack only through the first option — CSKA, of course, plays pretty solid defense — but when we move to the second or third option, when we drive, kick out, then go into another drive — that’s when we start to get open shots. So in that kind of offense, where you're not just trying to score from the first option but instead showing patience — that’s when things work. Usually, the second, third, or even fourth option leads to an open shot. That’s the ideal. But it takes patience, and the guys did great today, everyone stepped up. Even if someone missed a shot, everyone gave their best — first and foremost for the team result. Congratulations again — I really liked the game, to be honest.

— How did you manage to play such tight defense?

— We play defense by helping each other. When someone drives, we rotate — once, twice — and if a player gets beaten, another teammate steps up from one side, someone else rotates down from the other — it’s a third rotation. So we’re all fighting for every inch, for each other. That desire and cohesive teamwork definitely paid off.

— With just 48 hours between games, how important is psychological preparation?

— It’s definitely important not to burn out. Everyone wants it badly — both us and CSKA. I think it comes down to doing your routine work, just like during the season. If someone needs therapy, they should get it. And the coach understands this too — he gives us more tactical focus, lets us work on our shots. So we’re training in a more tactical mode. With short breaks between games, recovery is key. Psychologically, I think it’s important not to overload. Some guys might need to blow off steam, shout a little, go for a run. Everyone has their own routine. From my side, I’d say the main thing is to stay focused as a team — no matter what happens, we need to stay together.