Aleksander Sekulic: "I want to thank our fans for the amazing support"

Zenit head coach Aleksander Sekuliс commented on the outcome of the home game against CSKA (84:85) and answered journalists’ questions during the post-match press conference.

— What can I say after such a game, such a loss, it's difficult to say something smart. I think the most of the game we played good, we had good moments in the game. I really enjoyed being tonight here because we had a look to me like a full arena. We needed this support tonight because we struggled a little bit with our rotation with our main players because of injuries. But that's why I would like to thank the fans for this amazing support they gave us today, we felt them and they helped us a lot.

— There was a noticeable difference in the team’s performance compared to the Supercup final and the loss to UNICS last week. What did you like most about today’s game?

— The most that I liked that we are improving as a team. We are getting better. We are challenged right now because of our, like I mentioned before, short rotation and missing some key players. Most time of the game we didn’t look like we are missing key players. Our players performed the way they should when we were in trouble. And, of course, we played against a very good team, who is playing amazing basketball. They are champions of VTB League, so that's why I'm even more proud of the performance of our players. Unfortunately, we were not successful, but we had a big improvement since the last match with CSKA or UNICS — a game where we fall apart.

— As you said, the team is dealing with serious roster issues — you were missing two point guards. Still, could you name a few key factors that allowed you to fight CSKA until the end and succeed tactically?

— First of all, I think we want to start with good defense. When we defend good, it's easier to play on offense. And some of the players really performed well offensively. We moved the ball, when we were moving the ball, we put them in trouble. The way that CSKA plays, they want to protect the paint, so they're giving a lot of space outside for shooters, and we took advantage of this. So I think as a team we performed well, we had a couple of guys who were making shots play and making some great defensive stops, but I think we were performing amazing as a team.

— Frazier, Dimitrijevic and Karasev didn’t play today. How serious are their injuries, and when can we expect them back?

— Dimitrijevic, I don't know how long, but he has a broken toe on the left foot. And we are expecting Trent and Sergey to come by the end of the next week, hopefully.