Zalgiris Kaunas finally broke the game open on Tuesday evening and defeated Bayern Munich in front of their home fans, 78-71. After the win, Azuolas Tubelis, who scored 21 points, shared his thoughts.
“Feeling is really good. As the coach said, at this stage of the season, when the regular season is nearing its end, it’s very important to secure wins like this, especially at home. Maybe the game wasn’t the prettiest for the fans because Bayern switched everything on defense, were aggressive, and did things well. It was really hard to find the shots we’re used to getting, so we just ran, defended well, and controlled the offensive rebounds – that ultimately made the difference,” Tubelis said.
Tubelis also praised the team’s defensive focus in the second half.
“Yes, I completely agree that if you give everything on defense, the basket opens up for you on offense. I don’t know how many of their attacks we stopped – we scored just as many. Everything is psychological: if you don’t get a stop, you go into offense wanting to get it back immediately. There are many mental aspects you can think about,” he added.
The forward discussed his dunks and emphasized the importance of staying healthy.
“It’s my first year in the EuroLeague, and I feel that the most successful teams are the ones that stay healthy, without injuries. If players are missing, teams suffer. If we all stay healthy, I think we can win a few more games,” he said.
This week, Zalgiris will travel to Istanbul to face Sarunas Jasikevicius’ Fenerbahçe team, which on Tuesday night suffered a loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv, 89-94.
