In advance of the VTB United League playoffs, Nizhny Novgorod captain Semen Antonov gave an interview to our website. The team faces another Russian team, Spartak, in the first round. Antonov talks about his expectations for the upcoming playoff series, recalls Nizhny Novgorod’s most important games during the regular season, discusses the team’s chemistry and lists his playoff favorites.
- Nizhny Novgorod has reached the VTB United League playoffs for the 2nd-straight year. What did you think about the level of competition in the League this year?
- The League has improved significantly. A number of teams were better this year. Neither group had an unbeatable team – anyone could beat anyone. It’s exciting when everyone is fighting to make the playoffs. As the Nizhny Novgorod captain, I’m really happy that we finished 5th in our group and didn’t struggle that much to reach the postseason. I remember that we just snuck into the playoffs last season. Right now we’re playing very well and we hope that we can at least advance past the first round.
- Which games during regular season stuck out to you the most? Which were most difficult?
- Undoubtedly, our wins against VEF in Riga and at home to CSKA. We beat the Army Men for just the 2nd time in club history, which means a lot. As for games that we lost, I especially remember playing Triumph, our biggest rival. We were neck-and-neck for 35 minutes, but let victory slip away at the very end. For the most part, every game is difficult for us, given there aren’t any easy opponents in the League. The team never goes into a game assuming that it will be easy or that our opponent is a pushover. We need to be motivated to play each team. Even Zalgiris lost to Tsmoki-Minsk…
- What other games and teams surprised you this season?
- There were plenty of upsets and unexpected outcomes. I think we surprised people with our win over CSKA. I’d point out Krasnye Krylia, in particular. Samara is playing very well this season.
- Speaking of the win over CSKA, how did your team take down the Army club?
- It’s tough to say… Probably, because of our intense focus before the game. The guys were ready and left everything on the court. Our fans, of course, played one of the most important roles. They carried us from the opening minutes and helped us on offense and on defense. That’s to their credit. They supported us even when we made mistakes. I want them to know how much that meant.
- Nizhny Novgorod’s current success is very much tied to Serbian coach Zoran Lukic, who’s been with the club for many years. Say something about your coach. What kind of basketball does he preach? What’s his philosophy?
- This is my third year playing for Zoran. He’s an excellent coach, but fairly demanding. If a player doesn’t do what he asks, he can be pretty harsh. Outside of basketball, Zoran is an interesting person. You can talk about anything with him. When we’re on the court, though, we have to listen to him and carry out our assignments.
- Describe the team chemistry. What’s the atmosphere like on the team at practice? How do you spend your free time?
- We have a great group. This is my third year with Nizhny Novgorod and about half of the roster was replaced this year. It was tough to put the team together, but we pulled it off. We’re always ready to help each other on the court and try to understand each other intuitively. We meet up sometimes with teammates on off days. If there’s a big movie coming out, we’ll head to the movie theater together after practice.
- The first round of the playoffs will start soon, at the beginning of May. What’s your attitude coming in? What goals do you have?
- Our goal is to advance past the first round of the playoffs and compete well in the second. The last few games have given the team more confidence in its own strength and we understand that we can compete with any opponent. We want to win.
- Nizhny Novgorod’s opponent in the first round of the playoffs will be Spartak St. Petersburg. What do you expect from playing them?
- I expect very exciting games, honest competition and, of course, our team’s victory in the first round. They’re an excellent team with a good selection of players. We lost to them twice this year in the Russian league, so we would really like to make amends. Spartak just switched coaches, so I think we’ll have a slight advantage. We plan to win!
- Who do you think are the favorites to make the VTB United League playoff finals?
- It’s complicated. As for the Russian teams, I think the favorites are CSKA, Khimki and UNICS. You can’t single anyone else out. I think Zalgiris could make the finals. Personally, I’d like to see Russian teams in the finals. Of course, I want Nizhny Novgorod to advance as far as possible, but we have a lot of work to do in order for that to happen.
Source: www.vtb-league.com
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Sterling Gibbs joins BC Nizhny Novgorod
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