In the VTB United League playoff semi-final series between Zenit and UNICS, a lot will depend on the length of the bench and small nuances, the Russian champion in the St. Petersburg team told . Sergei Monya .
— Did the MBA piss you off in the first round of the playoffs?
– I think so, especially considering the result of the first match in St. Petersburg, which we lost. Fans certainly didn’t expect that. But this situation has once again highlighted that the playoffs must be played with concentration for all forty minutes. On the other hand, the next three games with the MBA showed that we had reached the semi-finals deservedly.
– The semi-final series with UNICS, unlike the previous one, will go up to four wins.
“For the public, it’s really good. Players and coaches, of course, won’t be easy. Besides, we’ll start the series with UNICS with two games in Kazan. But we have experience of confrontations in seven matches, including last season.
– What is their main specificity?
– It is necessary that the team can also count on the 12 to 14 players who are in the line-up. So that everyone can go to the site and help. In general, a lot depends on small nuances. And the length of the bench including. There are a lot of games, the gaps between them are small, more moving. If a person spent 30 minutes on the ground, it will be difficult for him to repeat the same result in one day. You can’t fool physiology, so rotation is necessary.
– Is it important to win at least one game in Kazan to take advantage of home ground?
– The main thing is victory, and the advantage of the site is the second. By the way, last year in the UNICS series we lost the first game in St. Petersburg. And then they won three times in a row. So the bottom line in the playoff is who gets the last, fourth win. Of course, in Kazan I want to achieve the maximum result. It is not easy to do, but we will try to achieve it.
– Has UNICS gotten stronger from last year’s semi-final series?
– It’s hard to say now. The coaches have remained the same, but roster wise, Zenit and UNICS have changed a lot during this time. Especially in terms of Legionnaires. As a result, it will be a different game,” Monya told .
The series of semi-finals up to four victories between Zenit and UNICS begins on April 16 in Kazan. Watch the live broadcast of the match on from 13:55 (Moscow time). Watch VTB United League matches on and other holding channels, as well as on sportbox.ru and matchtv.ru websites.
Source : MatchTV
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