Aleksander Sekuliс: "It was a difficult and interesting game"
— First of all congratulations to CSKA for the win. It was a difficult and interesting match. We started the game the way we wanted and basically the game plan was executed the way we planned and it worked for us. In second part there were two crucial things for us.
The first thing is that we didn't play as we played because we wanted to keep the score. We were afraid to CSKA catch us.
We didn't play in a aggressive mode like we did in the first half. Second thing that that affected our game was we startedc omplaining too much about the things we cannot control. And we lost focus. And our execution on defense and offense was not on the level of first half.
And against a team like CSKA, who was playing all season very good basketball — you get punished. But just not to be too negative. I mean, we had great moments in the game, and we need to build on these great moments.
— What was the idea of a timeout in the first quarter, when you were leading 10 points?
— The problem was that one of our game plans was not to give them easy baskets, no easy points. And they scored four points, two baskets in a row. Easy points without us reacting. So I had to stop and remind them of this.
— Do you think it helped?
— Yes, because we were "+16" after that in first quarter. It helped.
— How does the absence of Poythress effects the game overall?
—Okay, it's difficult to say how it affects, it affects for sure because he was one of the first players we re-signed and we built on him, not only him but he was one of the most important players for us. For sure it's a problem but right now for me talking about somebody who's not on the team it doesn't make any sense because we need to focus on the guys we have.
I think we have a great group of guys we just need a little bit more time because we are basically almost at the beginning because of so many injuries and a new player came.
— Could you please tell about the process of integration of Luka Samanic into the game?
— It's a good question because he's been with us not a long time and he played a couple of games. It's very difficult, especially for him, but also for us to integrate him into the team in the middle of the season when you have games you must win. Not a lot of time, but this is the challenge we have in front of us. There are many things he can improve. He can understand the needs of the team and the ideas we have both ends offensively and defensively.
Okay, he was also not playing this game fully healthy. He skipped one of the practices before the game because he didn't feel well. But again, this is not an excuse. This is just something you asked me. He needs time, you know, he skipped preseason with us. We need to figure out how we're gonna use him in the best possible way. He's a player with a big basketball knowledge, great abilities.
