Xavier Moon: "We didn't want to miss the Final Four"

Zenit guard Xavier Moon became one of the key players in the away game against UNICS (77:85). In his very first game after recovering from injury, he scored 27 points (4/4 from beyond the arc) and helped the St. Petersburg team advance to the WINLINE Basket Cup Final Four. The Blue-White-Sky Blues media team spoke with Xavier — exclusively for Zenit TV.

— Big win in Kazan. This game was do-or-die for reaching the Final Four — how did you approach it mentally?

— I mean, we approached it like that. Like you said, it was do or die. We knew we needed to win to get into the Final Four, and we didn't want to miss the Final Four with it being in St. Petersburg. So I think we did a great job from start to finish, and we're looking forward to the Final Four in St. Petersburg.

— You flipped the game in the second quarter with a huge run. What changed on the floor at that moment?

— Just making shots, get stops. Obviously the game runs, we tying to do the best way runs through the game and I think we did a great job in the second quarter. 

— It's your first appearence after a short break. How do you feel?

— Like a million bucks. I fell good. 

— You had a big personal impact in that clash. You nailed all possible types of shots. Did the game just slow down for you, or was it about reading their defense?

— Just reading defense taking what they gave me. I was just making shots from the beginning. So I felt good, shot felt good. I'm just trying to keep it going the whole game. 

— The commentator said you don’t need anyone to set you up — you’ll get your shot anyway. Fair to say?

— Absolutely, I feel like I can get my shot off on anybody at any time so. We're just trying to pick on the matchup and I felt like I had great matchups all night.

— The team dominated the boards and forced turnovers. How important was that for controlling the game?

— We always rely on our defense first and try to get some easy ones out and get out in transition. So tonight I feel like we did the best we could with that and obviously everybody was making shots tonight too.

— Now you’re heading to the Final Four in Saint Petersburg. What does that mean for this group?

— It means everything. Obviously it's the first year of the win line, so for it to be in St. Petersburg, we're really looking forward to it and hopefully see everybody there.

— And what do you think about music during the game?

— I love it, but I can't even hear it. Usually when I'm playing, everything else is zoned out, so I don't really hear the music until it's a dead ball or the play stops.