Budućnost Voli fans will remember the first match of the AdmiralBet ABA League playoff semifinals against Red Star Belgrade (104:70) for a long time, but for the Podgorica club's basketball players, the most important thing now is to prepare for a new clash in the series.
"It was a great game to watch, but it's only the first match - we need to calm down, analyze and prepare for the second duel," Andrej Žakelj said at the press conference.
His boys dominated from the first to the last minute and gave the team that was playing in the Euroleague play-in a basketball lesson.
"I congratulate the players, the focus and energy were on the level and when we play like this we can beat anyone - we showed that now. I think we controlled the game from the first minute to the end," added the Buducnost coach.
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Everyone in the blue and white jersey shone, but the leaders were once again Rashid Sulaiman (24 points) and McKinley Wright, who returned from injury with 12 assists.
"He played great for the amount of training he's had over the last three weeks - he only had one or two practices. He played as a team, had 12 assists, and even if he had scored zero points, I would have been very pleased. He certainly has more reserves," the Slovenian expert believes.
Was it Buducnost's best game so far?
"It may be the best game, but I don't look at it that way. I don't remember much back, I only look at the present and the future. We have a tough field in Belgrade, a different game and a different Red Star, but we have to be ready for anything."
Even the interruption of the game, after objects were thrown onto the field by a group of fans, did not stop the blue rhapsody.
"I don't like to comment on things that don't concern the field, my team, and those that I can't control. Of course, that's not good, I understand the fans, they were great tonight, but they need a little more sportsmanship. The most important thing is that they support their team. A break is never good, everything could have turned around, but this time it didn't," concluded Žakelj.
His colleague on the Red Star bench, Greek expert, Yannis Sferopoulos, was brief.
"The pitch said it all about the game - there was only one team on the court. We didn't fight, we weren't mentally prepared and it's my responsibility that we weren't ready for a tough match. Now it's 1:0, we're going back to Belgrade and we have to show a completely different face," Sferopoulos pointed out, after which he immediately left the press conference.
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