The future of Voli and Mega in similar roles as before the 2016 playoffs, with the Montenegrin basketball champion now wanting to show that he is smarter, calmer and more qualified than he was nine years ago.
On Sunday evening at 21 pm, the playoffs for the best team in the AdmiralBet ABA League will begin, and the rival in the quarterfinals will be the team that eliminated the blue and whites almost a decade ago, although they still entered the playoffs as first place.
"The hardest part is coming, especially when you are the favorite. We have extra pressure, but it is also positive after a season like this. We have to carry everything we did during the league stage into these quarterfinals," said the "blue and white" coach Andrej Žakelj at a press conference.
He says about his first rival.
"We are facing a tough opponent, who is ambitious and motivated, and that's how it should be. On the other hand, we have to expect it and be ready."
The Slovenian expert believes that this should not be an alibi if Buducnost enters the playoffs without the injured league MVP, McKinley Wright.
"We have problems with some players, but there is still time until the game - our medical team is working hard to recover them. And even if they don't manage to recover, we have the players and there are no excuses," Žakelj is clear, adding that Wright has not trained since the last league match.
Maybe we don't like Mega's game, but...
Buducnost has only suffered four losses in the ABA League this season, and one of them was against Mega in March (93:79).
"It will be a completely different game than the previous one and we need to have a completely different approach. We need a lot more focus, more toughness and aggressiveness, we have home field advantage and we need to keep that - everything is geared towards that before the first match," Žakelj emphasized.
The qualities of the team from Novi Belgrade are well known.
"This is a very well-trained team, they have time for it and they do everything well and it shows on the field. They don't have experience, but they have a lot of energy and if you get into their rhythm it's difficult to play. They have great talent in attack, they play defense energetically, and with their tall players it's not easy to beat them. Maybe it's a game that suits us, but that's no excuse - we have to be ready," emphasized the coach of Buducnost.
The "Blue and White" enter the playoffs with two of the best players in the MVP award race - Wright and Kenan Kamenjaš.
"They are great guys and they like to work, and sometimes everything pays off. Kamenjaš has been in Podgorica for four years and has achieved everything with his work. Wright has shown his quality after his first season in Europe. They both work well, sometimes we argue, which is normal, but that is all part of it. They know what I want from them and what I can expect from them," explained Žakelj, but he also highlighted the other players:
"The two of them have improved, but above all they are part of the team - there are other players without whom we would not be where we are now. Everyone is responsible for this result."
There is no coach without players.
Wright is the best player in the ABA League, and Žakelj was named the best coach this season.
"Even a coach can't do without players, so there's not much philosophy there. The future has all the conditions for both the players and the coach to progress, we have peace and we're working really well and everything pays off. In any case, I have a great motive - I had it before, and I will have it after this - I watch the team and how the team plays," Žakelj is clear.
I'm not thinking about the license and the Euroleague...
Even though they played their best basketball to date, there are still many who see Partizan and Red Star as the main favorites, teams that Buducnost has also destroyed in Belgrade this season. There is also talk that the ABA League champion may not get an invitation to the Euroleague.
"I honestly don't care how others view us, nor do I think about the license, the Euroleague... I focus on my team and only think about Buducnost - we have a good position, but that doesn't mean anything, if we're not ready, everything will be punished quickly in the playoffs," says Žakelj.
The two Belgrade clubs no longer have any obligations in the Euroleague, they will focus only on the regional competition.
"I expect them to be better, they have more time to prepare, and with quality, everyone will know each other on the field. But all that means nothing, one mistake, a bad day, an injury can cost you the entire season," concluded Žakelj.
Playoffs, quarter-finals
Partizan - Spartak, Friday 19pm
C. star - Igokea, Saturday, 20pm
Dubai - Cedevita-Olimpija, Sunday 16pm
Future Loves - Mega, Sunday 21pm
Bonus video:
