Jaka Lakovic: “There is no easy game, and we must appreciate every victory”

The Slovenian coach analyzed the team’s victory over Leyma Corunna in the press center and congratulated him “on a very serious match.”

“I would like to congratulate our fans on an incredible day at the Arena. Almost 7,000 spectators came. It cost us a lot and they helped us more than we can imagine. Also congratulate the team on a tough win. And thirdly, also congratulate Coruña for a very serious match, which made our task very difficult. We managed to have a great second quarter and also a great third. When we thought the game was over, we relaxed a little and Corunna fought again. We finished the match well with two good decisions in attack and are moving forward. There are no easy games and we have to appreciate every win because the league is difficult.

“Finishing the first half with 31 points… I don’t see a big problem there defensively. In the first half we were more stuck in attack than defense. We missed wide shots. They score 24 points in the last quarter, thinking the game is already over. Seven points out of 24 were on counterattacks. In the final quarter, when we had 12 points, we were completely alone in three-point shooting with a score of 0/8 until John’s last shot decided the game. This team has the quality to score and we should decide the game early. But we are strong in defense. There are times when we get lost or aren’t consistent, but I think our defense is ahead of us on offense. The attack lacks fluidity and ball movement; everyone finds their role, their capabilities in our systems. “We are working, it’s a process.”

“To play fast, you need to defend. Firstly, it is our aggressiveness, our intensity, thanks to which our second squad entered the second quarter today. There we changed the “impulse” of the game. This aggressive defense, pressing the ball, passing along the lines gave us the opportunity to run and develop our game in transition, where we were very good today.