Andrey Martiuk: "I'm expecting battle and responsible basketball"

Zenit center Andrey Martiuk shared his thoughts ahead of the home game against UNICS. The third game of the VTB United League semifinal series will take place on May 17 in Saint Petersburg at the CSC Arena. Tip-off is at 13:00 local time.

— Andrey, the first game was exciting and high-scoring. In the second match, both teams played tighter defense. How will the series develop from here?

— That's a mystery (smiles).

— What are you expecting from your opponent and from yourselves in Game №3?

— One hundred percent, I expect battle and truly responsible basketball, where every single possession matters. Every possession means a lot. We've already played two games, and before that we had the quarterfinals. We're a little tired, both emotionally and physically. So, as I said, every possession, every play will be important.

— Thanks to the win in Kazan, we now have home-court advantage. Does that add confidence?

— It's always nice to play in front of our fans, to have our families nearby. It's, you could say, familiar — our city, our people around us. But again, we're all professionals, and it doesn't really matter to us where we play.

— A sold-out crowd is expected on Sunday. Will the support from the stands be crucial?

— Of course, come to the game. We're definitely waiting for you, we love you. We'll play good basketball and we'll be waiting for our sixth man. When you hear the support, when our fans are cheering, and the whole arena is shaking, it really gives you a lot of extra strength and self-confidence.