Andrey Vorontsevich: "We need to stay united as one"

Zenit forward Andrey Vorontsevich spoke about preparations for the third game of the VTB United League bronze medal series against Lokomotiv Kuban. The game will take place tomorrow, June 7, in Krasnodar, with tip-off at 16:00. The Blue-White-Sky Blues lead the best-of-five series 2-0.

— How did the team recover after the second game, and how did the long flight affect your physical condition?

— Thank God we made it here. On the day we flew out, as I understand it, the airports here were closed, but fortunately the delay was only brief. Everything is fine: we arrived, got settled, held a recovery practice, and worked out in the gym.

Everyone is ready and focused on playing good basketball and having a strong game. We understand that playing in Krasnodar is never easy, especially with such great local fans. Lokomotiv Kuban plays with energy and is inspired by the support of its home crowd, but our objectives are clear: we want to win and close out the series 3-0.

We know it won’t be easy. It will depend, of course, on us — our defense, our offense, and above all, our teamwork and cohesion. We also understand that Loko will fight for every possession and every moment of the game. We need to withstand that pressure, avoid mistakes ourselves, and remain a team. That’s what we need for tomorrow’s game: prepare ourselves for victory while being ready for anything.

— In your opinion, what makes a 2-0 series lead dangerous?

— It’s not dangerous at all; on the contrary, it’s a good thing. We shouldn’t feel constrained — we need to play our game. The score shouldn’t put pressure on us, but we must understand that the job is not finished yet.

No matter how difficult it is, this is the final stretch of the season, and both teams are essentially in the same situation. Each side has already played a huge number of games this season, so we need to keep that in mind, finish our work, and, as I said, remain united as one.