More difficult for the still photographers to capture, this smile is easier to catch on film, for its elusiveness, fading quickly from view. For the first time since his arrival to the Moscow Region, Kestutis Kemzura demonstrated his satisfaction, not only with the game’s results, but also with the player’s performance, realizing this kind of win does not happen every day, saying:

— I don’t want to talk about the game too much; you saw it with your own eyes. I want to thank the players, and celebrate together with them. The coaches instilled the spirit of battle, explaining the importance of this game, and there was feedback. The players were revved up to play and they got the results they wanted. We prepared much better for this game, immediately taking the reins of the match from the tip off to the final whistle.

Can you compare the matches against UNICS and against Crvena Zvezda?

— A lot depends on the morale, motivation, and that so-called human factor. At that time, after the games against Dynamo and CSKA, the players, though understanding the importance of the Cup games, were exhausted, emotionally stressed. But you can’t tell a player to save his strength in an official game. It turns out we were not prepared for the raw game against Zvezda. And we didn’t have much luck in the start of this game. So, having a -19 during the course of the two games wiped us out. On Friday things changed, and what you saw on court was the real team’s performance.

Is Maciej Lampe’s injury serious?

— Everything is ok. He was simply zoned in on the game and the abundant bloodshed was a result of the pressure.

How would you explain Khimki’s results in the internal tournaments, where there is a limit on foreigner players, and where they were stronger than in Europe?

— Coupled with what I said before, I think I didn’t have time enough to prepare the ULEB Cup games. On the other hand, it could also be that it's easier when there are fewer variants.

Gianmarco Pozzecco’s performance has changed, focused more on the team, he is began taking more steps…

— We aren’t doing any individual work on Pozzecco. Practice trainings are for the team. He understood this, and plays in a more practical game in those moments when the match is at a standstill. Gianmarco can handle the ball all over the court, making it difficult to press in on him.

What will you do during the long recess?

— We are looking for some sparring; a 20-day recess is a tough challenge. Nonetheless, the players have some vacation time, and as a bonus, they won some extra days from that victory over UNICS. After we meet up again we will work and play some friendly games. We are looking for opponents.

Did you find the formula to beat UNICS?

— We prepared for each game. There is no formula, and if there was, I would keep it under wraps.


Head Coach of UNICS, Antanas SIREIKA, congratulated his co-patriot colleague for the good match and grand victory, but lamented that is team practically showed no resistance.

— I think losing like we did was embarrassing. We should apologize to the spectators, our fans. We did not expect a such an unfortunate defeat. Immediately after the game I told the players that I can understand when the team suffers a stroke of bad fortune, but when there isn't even a slight battle spirit, then, no. What kind of a sportsman does not even respond when stepped upon? You have to be a man! Something similar happened after New Year, when we went a long time without playing. Maybe it was lack of game practice.

What is the main cause for this kind of performance?

— After the game the players said that they did not immediately adjust to the game. They lost a ball, then another, then a third, and the team still had no fouls, but this did not make them fight. .


Did Kemzura pull any surprises on you?

— My young colleague’s team played well. Kestutis was able to prepare them for the game against us in a good way. Surprises? Hardly; the opponent’s game is well studied. He showed his professionalism at having beat CSKA and Dynamo. Wolkowiski scored four perimeter shots; we knew he was good at 3-pointers, but…

The front line of UNICS lost fair and square against the opponents…

— On Friday, the greats of Khimki were simply the better players.

Do you think that a complex strategy, such as that of Khimki, is better than simple brute force?

— Only the experts can answer that with certainty: the psychological processes in each player. In December we played seven or eight games over a two-day period. We won them all. It could be that there was a lot of pressure that released adrenalin, and avoided physical exhaustion.

Let’s hope that the game against Montepaschi will bring things back to normal…

— We hope so. I want to believe that this game taught us some things, as there are always two faces to every coin.