Georgy Zhbanov: "We followed the coach’s instructions and finished the job"

Zenit forward Georgy Zhbanov commented on the home win over Avtodor (105:79) and answered journalists’ questions at the postgame press conference.

— Yes, in the first half we couldn’t pull away on the scoreboard, probably because Malik Newman was knocking down threes at a crazy percentage. At halftime the coach made some adjustments, we followed his instructions and finished the job.

— What can you say about the team’s defense in this game?

— As always, it was solid.

— And if you go into a bit more detail — did everything work out?

— Well, yes. I picked up Newman and that was it. The game was over.

— What has changed in the team over the past couple of weeks or a month? There was a feeling the team was in a bit of a slump and lacked energy, but in the last three games you’ve been tearing it up.

— I’d say not over the past month, but over the past week everything has changed dramatically — more than once, actually. Yes, there were some issues; we addressed them, and I think we’ve found the right path that we’ll keep moving along.

— You’ve been invited to the All-Star Game. How do you feel?

— Happy to go, have some fun, meet up with the guys, and work under Evgeny Pashutin, who likes to play tough, physical basketball. We’ll battle it out.