In mid-December last year, Budućnost Voli came to Belgrade to play Partizan after two consecutive victories in the AdmiralBet ABA League (over Cibona and SC Derby). The "blues" were going through a difficult period at the time, they were surprisingly defeated by Spartak in Podgorica in the regional competition, while in the Eurocup they suffered three defeats in four matches - against Juventud, Besiktas and Gran Canaria, and they defeated Wolves.
On the other hand, the "black and whites" entered the derby after five wins in a row in the Euroleague, which was their best momentum this season in that competition, while they were still undefeated in the ABA League.
All this indicated that Andrej Žakelj's team had a difficult task ahead of them. But, that very evening in Belgrade, Budućnost announced great things in the regional competition - they celebrated 97:90 and for the first time in four years defeated the "black and whites" away in the ABA League.
That match seemed to turn the tables on the blue team. The victory over Partizan was the third in a row at that point in the ABA League, after which Buducnost recorded nine more triumphs in a row and ended its 12-match unbeaten streak only at the beginning of March this year, away to Megi in Belgrade. After that, they won first place in the regular season, and then in the playoffs, Buducnost reached the final, where after two games in the series, with Partizan, the score was 1:1.
The third match in the fight for the regional throne is tonight (20) at the Belgrade Arena, the place where Buducnost announced great things on December 15th last year. After an unreal defeat in the first match of the final in Podgorica, and a victory in the second duel, the "blues" are chasing at least one break, which would guarantee them a masterclass on home soil. The fourth match is on Thursday at the same place and time.
"I think it will be a completely different game. Partizan is playing in front of its fans, the atmosphere will definitely be good. We are looking forward to this match. It is up to us to correct some small things from the first two duels, in terms of attack and defense. To be ready for some things and to react," said Žakelj.
The Slovenian coach believes that little things make the difference.
"The most important things are approach, focus and determination. I think the little things decide the game and that will be the case this time too," the coach of the "blues" is clear.
An important issue before tonight's match will be the health of McKinley Wright, who looked better in the second match than in the first.
"I feel good. Tough place to play, but it's going to be fun. I'm excited. We have to take care of the ball flow on offense, try to limit their transition, don't let them score points on counterattacks," the ABA League MVP believes.
Džuvan Morgan was also injured in the first game of the final series. However, he was on the court in the second game and made an excellent contribution.
"I expect it to be a great atmosphere. We have to make sure we do a good job on defense, because that made the difference in the previous two games. In the first game we conceded 94 points, in the second 73. We need to stop their offensive rebound, to prevent transition points. That is key, as well as forcing Partizan players to make tough shots and prevent the ball from getting to their tall players," Morgan said.
Obradović: Let the people from Buducnost be comfortable in the Arena
Partizan basketball players got what they wanted in Podgorica - to take away the home court advantage from Buducnost Voli in the AdmiralBet ABA League final - now they are the ones under pressure.
"We are back at the beginning, the score is 1:1 in the series. I expect our fans to cheer for the team and help us. I would like everything to be fair and sporting and there to be no insults. I also hope that all the people from Buducnost will feel comfortable in our Arena and that basketball will win," said Partizan coach Željko Obradović.
Partizan had a 10-point lead at halftime in the second game, and Buducnost was dominant in the second half of that match.
"We are preparing for details that will be very important for the third match, and we will try to learn from the third quarter in the second game when we played very poorly," Obradović pointed out.
The second match will be analyzed separately, and this is the message of the "black and white" winger Aleksei Pokushevsky.
"The future is playing well, and we have a lot to learn from the second game when we played a bad second half. However, now we are playing at home and we will have our fans, so we have to take advantage of all that," stated Pokuševski.
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