"We’re bad at free throws, but we’re working on it": Popovic and Prokopenko reflect on the loss to Khimki
Oliver Popovic, the head coach of Zenit's second team, analyzed the match against Khimki (70:79) and discussed key moments of the game during the post-match press conference.
— You're probably used to us winning at home every time. Even before the game, I said that Khimki, in my opinion, is one of the best teams in the league. They're an experienced team with very strong players in every position. What we didn’t do right today was, first of all, our defense in the first 20 minutes — it was very soft, just terrible. We committed only five fouls in 20 minutes, which was completely against our game plan. We needed to play tough for the full 40 minutes. The first two quarters, we were way too soft defensively, and that's why the result turned out as it did. Also, our shooting percentage was awful — for two-pointers, three-pointers and free throws.
— Coach, in the fourth quarter, there was a moment when neither of our centers were on the court. Were you aiming for a more offensive strategy when both Krivyh and Samukhin were subbed out?
— Samukhin’s shooting percentages today were terrible, and when he played, we also had some defensive issues. As for Krivyh, this was his first game back after a long break due to injury, and it just didn’t work out for him today. Yes, I wanted us to attack more directly, using players like Pasha and Misha at the four and five spots. Overall, we had a lot of open three-point attempts, but our percentage was terrible — 24%. Games like this happen. The team needs to understand that we must defend more aggressively and capitalize on easy fast-break opportunities. We didn’t do that today, so Khimki won, and I congratulate them on the victory.
— We missed 10 free throws today, which is roughly the same number of points we needed to win. Will you train specifically on free throws? What’s going on with the team’s free throws this season?
— Even before this game, our free-throw shooting was poor. We practice them, but we need better focus. Yes, today’s free-throw percentage was awful. We missed when we absolutely needed those points. It wasn’t just one player; it was the whole team. We’re bad at free throws, but we’re working on it. Again, it’s about concentration and being mentally present on the court to improve those percentages.
Ivan Prokopenko, a Zenit-2 guard, also reflected on the game and explained why the team couldn’t secure the win. He had the highest individual performance on the court, scoring 19 points with 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.
— We lost because we didn’t use our fouls the way we should have. Their players are bigger and more physical than us. We didn’t use our fouls properly, and we missed open shots that we should have made. I think that’s why we lost today.
— You had an excellent game today. What mindset did you have going into the game? And was it difficult to keep pushing, knowing that for several quarters you couldn’t even catch up with the opponent?
— I approach every game the same way — there was no special mindset today. As for the game itself, yes, it was tough, but we kept trying to catch up. It just didn’t work out for us today.
