A little over two weeks ago, the basketball players of Buducnost Voli ended the Top 8 phase of the AdmiralBet ABA League with a convincing away win against Cluj (110:72). After that, the "blues" eliminated Mornar in the semifinals of the Montenegrin championship, and tomorrow (18:45) they will continue their season in the regional competition - in the first match of the quarterfinals, Cluj will come to the "Mtel Dvoran Morača".
Buducnost has twice beaten Cluj in the ABA League, but suffered a painful defeat in the round of 16 of the Eurocup, when the Romanian team celebrated in Podgorica (100:82). The playoffs of the second competition begin on Tuesday, the rival is well known, and Buducnost wants revenge for the elimination from the European competition.
"We were all looking forward to the playoffs, there was a bit of a break in the ABA League. Maybe some players, who didn't play in the Montenegrin championship, were a little longer without a game, but that shouldn't be an excuse. Our goals are clear - we want to get past Cluj. We are focused only on the first game, Cluj has shown that it can be a tough team if we let it play fast. They play one of the fastest basketball games in Europe, with a lot of counterattacks, individual play and pick-and-roll, they are good shooters. A difficult task lies ahead of us, but we also have our goals and desires. We have worked well in the past few days," said Andrej Žakelj, coach of the "blues", at today's press conference, announcing the match.
The future reached the finals last year.
"We have our goals and tasks. I told the players that throughout the entire ABA League season we have been working for the playoffs. I want the players to think about the final. But, as I said, we need to focus on the first match first. The playoffs are played to win trophies. Why did I say the final? The mindset has to be such that we can get into the final. That's the only way we can motivate. It's the end of the season, it's not easy to train," said Žakelj.
The defeat in the Eurocup was hard on everyone at the club.
"The players are aware of everything, we analyze every match. That match was bad, the approach and concentration were not right then. I think we fixed all that in the following matches. Cluj plays basketball that does not suit us at some points, but if we are focused, then we have the quality to follow it. The players have to be aware, to take responsibility and to put the information they receive into action. Without contact, without defense and concentration, you cannot play," Žakelj pointed out.
The Slovenian expert said that all players should be ready.
"The break doesn't suit anyone, but whatever - it's here. We had time to rest and prepare, so there are no excuses. We have some minor problems, but you forget about them in games like this. I think everyone will be ready," concluded Žakelj.
TANASKOVIC: THE FINALS ARE IN YOUR HEAD
Captain Nikola Tanaskovic emphasizes that the final is on his mind, and that the Romanian team is the first step towards that goal.
"We trained well during the break, some guys played in the Montenegrin league. We rested and recovered. We have some small problems, these are little things that happen in every training session. We have a strong opponent waiting for us, we had a bad experience in the Eurocup, but I think we are a quality team and that we can win. We have high goals, the motivation is there. The final is in our minds, and Cluj is the first opponent we need to overcome," said Tanasković.
These are matches when the team should be in the foreground, not the individual.
"Everyone is ready to take responsibility. We all have the desire to win something, to fight for the title. We have worked all year, we have been through a lot, so I believe that everyone's goal is to give their best. This year we have great chemistry in the team. We have had a hard time getting over all the defeats. It's nice to play with these guys. Everyone who contributes is a hero, we don't need one guy to pull it off alone, in games like this everyone needs to contribute," said Tanasković.
NIKOLIC: WE KNOW WHAT IS AT STAKE
The center of the "blues", Zoran Nikolić, emphasizes that he and his teammates must take advantage of the Romanian team's weaknesses in order to more easily achieve victory.
"We know what's at stake. We know Cluj well, we need to be focused on these things we've been doing in the past period. We've had time to prepare and train well. We know their good and bad things, so we need to exploit their weaknesses and not let them play their game. They're a good attacking team, they like to play with good ball flow, and it's up to us to try to slow them down and not let them do that.
Nikolić will battle Dušan Miletić under the basket.
"He's a great player. He has a good three-pointer, which makes it difficult for the opponent when he has a center who can spread the court. When he receives the ball under the basket, he quickly finishes the attack, knows how to use his body and height. We can attack him and get him into trouble from the guard or center positions. We all respect him, but I think we have enough quality to deal with him," said Zoran Nikolić.
The second match is scheduled for Friday (19) in Romania, and the eventual final on May 14 in Podgorica.
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