The Lokomotiv Kuban shared his thoughts on the outcome of Game 3 against BETCITY PARMA (87:82, 3-0 in the series).
- It was a crazy game today, do you agree? How did it feel?
- It was really important for us to win today, because if BETCITY PARMA had won, they could have felt confident, and it would've been very difficult for us to continue this series. Unlike the first two games, when we started well, today, on the contrary, we started weakly and lost a lot of rebounds. At halftime, we were told that Stanislav Ilnitsky alone had more offensive rebounds than our entire team combined. It was tough to know. So, it's great that we ultimately won. That's exactly what you need in the playoffs: when nothing works offensively, when you can't do anything at all, your character just kicks in. And in the end, I think the basketball gods sided with us for our efforts, for our belief in ourselves and in each other. It's really great to win games like this; I think this was the most emotional game for us this season.
- Did the Perm arena help you move forward, or did it hold you back?
- We knew the arena would be packed, a lot of people would come to support their team. Their support was strong today. That's why BETCITY PARMA plays much better at home than away. But often, when the whole crowd is rooting against you, it actually motivates you to play even better, the desire to win rises. Also, we heard our fans up there. Yes, there weren't many of them, but they were present, and we are very grateful for their support.
- The series against CSKA is ahead. How will you prepare and get ready?
- We just need to analyse our opponent's strengths and weaknesses. I mean, analyse them once again, because we probably already know them. We played them 6 times this season. Yes, we lost all of them, but there were a few really good ones for us. And now it's the playoffs, and it doesn't matter how anyone played in the regular season. We need to pull together, like we did in today's game, and fight for each other, for our coach, for the people watching on the screens and here in the stands. First and foremost, it will be important to show character and a willingness to fight. There will be a lot of contact, a lot of fighting, and whoever is physically stronger will control the series.
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