By Eurohoops Team / info@eurohoops.net
Crvena zvezda won the second Belgrade derby of the season, beating Partizan 100–96 in their first ABA League clash.
Speaking at the postgame press conference, Zvezda’s head coach Saša Obradović expressed satisfaction with the victory despite difficult circumstances.
“I’m extremely satisfied with the win and the way we achieved it, especially considering the circumstances. We didn’t have proper preparation after a tough loss in Athens — we practically didn’t even have a gym. Still, we found a way. For most of the game, the energy was good, we hit a lot of three-pointers, which wasn’t the case in previous games, and we had 28 assists — that shows we played as a team,” Obradović said.
He also explained why Chima Moneke remained on the bench for the entire derby and why Ebuka Izundu missed his second consecutive game.
“Unexpected situations happened. Izundu bent down in the parking lot and felt his hamstring — that’s why he didn’t play. Literally in the parking lot, nothing to do with the court. Before the game, Moneke grabbed his back and couldn’t play. You have to adapt to situations like that — our whole season has been like this. We constantly talk about injured players returning, others dropping out of the rotation, constantly building new chemistry… It’s not easy to put it all together. That’s why I’m happy with the win. The workload wasn’t too heavy either, the minutes were well distributed, because a big game awaits us on Wednesday — the game of the season.”
Looking ahead to the EuroLeague, Crvena zvezda faces another double week, with road games against Baskonia and Barcelona. With six rounds remaining, the Belgrade side holds an 18–14 record, tied with four other teams in the playoff race.
“We always set our goals high — it’s been mentioned that we aim to reach the Final Four. It’s not easy to handle everything that comes with that. Wins like these are seen as small victories, while any loss is treated as huge, and you have to cope with that. Along the way, we need to learn and gain experience in order to aim for big things. Regardless of everything, there is strong unity and great cooperation within the team, and I believe that will always lead to something positive,” Obradović concluded.
Read the full article here
