Tomas Masiulis highlights physical play and focus before Zalgiris’ game against Crvena Zvezda
Tomas Masiulis shares insights ahead of Zalgiris’ EuroLeague game in Belgrade, discussing the challenges posed by Crvena Zvezda’s new coach, key players, and strategies for success.
Team head coach from Kaunas, Tomas Masiulis, spoke about the upcoming match at the Belgrade Arena.
“We are facing a serious opponent who has changed their coach and is in a good mood after a victory against the EuroLeague champion. We know we are going into one of the toughest atmospheres, so it will be important to stay focused and think about the next attack, the next defense. We will have to leave all emotions aside,” said the strategist of the Lithuanian team.
He emphasized that it is not easy to prepare for a team that has changed both the coach and roster in a short period.
“Even before the previous game, I said that, before we talk about tactics, it is important to withstand their physical play and emotion. These are the key things, while tactics come later. We focus on stopping transition, controlling rebounds, and the physical approach. That will be the most important now.”
He also commented on Donatas Motiejunas’ excellent debut in Zvezda’s victory against Fenerbahce.
“I think he left a good impression. They were really looking for such a player — experienced, able to connect the team. The win over Fenerbahce gave them extra confidence, and Donatas provides exactly what they expected.”
The hero in Istanbul, however, was Chime Moneke, who often played at the “five” position.
“At that position, he plays more mobile, and Fener also played with a smaller lineup, so they adapted to each other. There is more space to use his advantages. He scored many points from fast breaks and offensive rebounds.”
He analyzed in more detail the change on the bench of the team from Mali Kalemegdan, with the arrival of Sasa Obradovic replacing Ioannis Sfairopoulos.
“As a coach, I don’t like when colleagues are fired, but that is part of our job and everyone must understand it. I feel sorry for the coach who left, but Obradovic represents the Serbian school — he forces physical play, does not allow easy points, and demands tactical fouls. I don’t know if he will manage to implement all of that immediately, but I believe there will be a lot of back-to-the-basket play, which is characteristic of the Serbian school.”
Zalgiris, after three rounds, is the only team in the EuroLeague without a defeat.
“We must stay grounded. Three wins are good, but every game is a new story. We know how difficult it is to win in the EuroLeague, especially on the road. Of course, we enjoy every success, but the season is just beginning.”
The Kaunas team can still do better.
“Even to me, during the game, it seemed that we performed better in offense than we actually did. In many situations, we relied on individual quality and made difficult shots. I am satisfied with the defense — we knew what we wanted to allow and what not. In offense, there is still room for improvement because we did not always know which play to run,” concluded Tomas Masiulis, head coach of Zalgiris.
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