Dmitry Uzinskiy: "We fought for each other and we won"

Zenit forward Dmitry Uzinskiy commented on the victory over Lokomotiv Kuban (82:80) in the first game of the VTB League bronze medal series.

— Congratulations to everyone! We won by two points today. The end of the game, of course, leaves much to be desired — a lot of turnovers. The main thing is that we won and took the lead in the series. Plus, this is the first game after a tough seven-game loss to UNICS. We fought for each other and we won.

— Zenit squandered a 17-point lead. What happened to the team?

— Yes, we had unnecessary turnovers, plus our offense also stalled, we missed several shots. Lokomotiv found their rhythm, started scoring, and turned the game around. These things happen. Maybe fatigue played a role. But we got the job done in the end.

— You mentioned turnovers. Twenty during the game, including three or four unnecessary ones right at the end...

— Yes, yes — we threw the ball out of bounds... strange turnovers. Fatigue probably accumulated, plus Lokomotiv brought a bit more aggression. That led to unforced turnovers. We need to be more composed in such moments.

— You played in Krasnodar for a long time and were the team's captain. Do you still recognize that team? And do you believe in the so-called "ex-factor" in sports — playing with extra motivation against your former team?

— It's always nice. But I think it only really happens when you play on their home court in front of the fans, because you remember the emotions you felt there, and then you get this more energetic feeling. So yes, that does happen when you play against your former team.

— And a quick question. Why has your beard gotten shorter?

— It started itching, so I had to shave it off (smiles).

— You mentioned fatigue a couple of times. After seven games against UNICS, while Lokomotiv had five games in their series against CSKA — how noticeable was it on the court that Zenit had played more in the previous series?

— I would also add that all those games were emotional, and we lost Game 7. That sometimes makes you fall into a hole. It's tough. But the main thing is that we pulled ourselves together. Plus, as you know, we had some small changes. Our new head coach energized us, kept everyone focused throughout the game, and didn't let us relax.

— Zenit usually have a dip in the third quarter. Today it was the opposite. Can we say this is Rostislav Vergun's new brand of basketball?

— You could probably say that. But as you can see, we dipped in the fourth instead.