Zvezdan Mitrović openly: This is a defeat for sport, anyone with eyes saw what happened on the field

Cedevita-Olimpija basketball players failed to advance to the semifinals of the AdmiralBet ABA League - the "dragons" were defeated by Red Star Belgrade (95:86) in the quarterfinals last night in Belgrade, ending their season in the regional competition.

Cedevita was down 12 points after the first quarter (27:15), and by halftime it was down three points (49:46, Semi Odželej hit a three-pointer at the buzzer), and after three quarters the Slovenian champion had a four-point lead - 70:66. In the fourth quarter, Zvezda made a comeback, and in the end they won, and after the match, Cedevita-Olimpije coach and Montenegrin coach Zvezdan Mitrović was harsh.

"This is not a defeat, this is a big victory for me and for our team. Anyone with eyes saw what happened on the field today, this was a defeat for sport. I congratulated the boys as if they had won a trophy. For me, they are champions and I am very proud of them. They showed a great game, it was fantastic. We are ending the season as the greatest gentlemen, I enjoyed this game," Mitrović said after the match.

Mitrović said in his pre-match statement that the outcome of the match would be decided by many details - from fighting spirit to criteria. And that was exactly what happened, as Cedevita's referees awarded 20 fewer free throws than their rivals (35 for Red Star Belgrade compared to 15 for Cedevita). In addition, Cedevita also had problems with its playing staff.

"If you saw, DJ Stewart was with a fever and vomiting today, and Jaramaz went to the back box before halftime. However, the young guys played a nice role today. It is important for me to inform the public that DJ played sick, and Jaka Blažič was injured. From two evils comes a third, Jaramaz to the back box. I say that without joking, you saw," concluded Mitrović.

Mitrović and Cedevita have another good season behind them, reaching the Eurocup quarterfinals for the second time in a row, which is a great result for the Slovenian champion. In the ABA League, they could not go further than the quarterfinals, and it will be noted that the Montenegrin coach was named the best in the region this season.

Cedevita will have to fight to defend its Slovenian title until the end of the season. The team will host Laško in the quarterfinals on Sunday (19:30), against whom it leads 1:0 in the series.