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BC LIETUVOS RYTAS
Head Coach
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MAHORIC, TOMO
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"I am very excited and so happy to finally have done this. It was not easy and the ending was breathtaking. Congratulations for my players, the coaching staff, the rest of the club and most of all, to our loyal fans who followed us here to be with us, they were the main factor of our win. There was a great atmosphere in the gym. I expected a much different game. We started well and focused, we just knew what to do. The main factor was our early zone defense I used to destroy their game. They were surprised and it worked for us. All my players played great in the first half. We knew Makedonikos would fight to be back in the game because they have a strong character and they fight. When Stelmahers had the fifth foul and also Delininkaitis, we had no real point guard on the court, but we resisted. I think we deserved the win. They are an experienced team so that big lead was decisive for us, I think Makedonikos would have won in case of a tight ending. Basketball is a team sport, that's why I don't like the MVP awards. All players played great tonight, especially in the first half. You can never say who will win a game before the start, but the first half was just great for us. I didn't want to change anything, because when it works it can be dangerous. We had two tough games last weekend, and that was good preparation even though it was also dangerous for injuries. But we were lucky and the fact that they had not played for a few days might have also been a factor."
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BC LIETUVOS RYTAS
NotSet
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JAVTOKAS, ROBERTAS
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"This is perfect. We had an amazing first half and everything was good to us. However, we committed too many mistakes in the second half especially the fourth quarter. Roberts Stelmahers was fouled out and that was a big factor but we managed to endure those obstacles and we won. We had some problems but we showed some great pride managing the delicate situation. Now it's time to enjoy the win."
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BC LIETUVOS RYTAS
NotSet
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STELMAHERS, ROBERTS
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"It's a fantastic feeling, I think we controlled the game for 35 minutes and it was unexpected to get such a big lead in the first half. We had some problems in the end. This is the best moment of my career, and I want to thank all our fans who came to Charleroi and supported us in this arena."
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BC LIETUVOS RYTAS
NotSet
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JASAITIS, SIMAS
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"This is absolutely great. Incredible. I feel so good, I never felt like this before, our fans are great and they deserve everything. This is for them."
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BC LIETUVOS RYTAS
NotSet
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MUJEZINOVIC, HARIS
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"This is so great. We worked hard all year to get to this game, and we wanted to win so bad. We came to play here and we didn't want them to beat us. In the last quarter we lost concentration because of the big lead we had, but fortunately, we managed to overcome the problems and took the title."
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BC LIETUVOS RYTAS
NotSet
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NESBY, TYRONE
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"It's true that we lost some concentration in the last quarter, but we still played hard and we managed to make the free throws. My teammates kept the team spirit and that drove us to victory. This is the first title and the biggest game this team had ever played and I am so proud to have been a part of it. Next summer it will be the time for me to make a decision but the team will be in the Euroleague and that's the most important thing."
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MAKEDONIKOS BC KOZANI
Head Coach
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PEDOULAKIS, ARGIRIS
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"Good evening to everyone. In the first half we did everything in our hand to play good, so you can tell the game was heavy. We missed some easy shots but that's understandable, because the players play a game like this under big pressure. What I don't understand is the lack of defensive rebounds in the first half. We didn't pass well and we took bad decisions in offense. We tried hard not to lose our temper, that's what I told my players at the break. In order to deal with pressure you have to strengthen your defense, it was the only way to come back. We tried hard in the second half especially in the last quarter, playing with Pete (Mickeal) as power forward. Logically, Rytas had bigger guys and we were not lucky when Javtokas and Einikis were effective for them with shots from 4 or 5 meters. We have been a solid team all year, I am proud of this accomplishment, nobody expected us to be here but we played a big final. We showed our team spirit and we never gave up. I want to thank the Greek fans that came here to support us. I want also to congratulate the organization and the hospitality of the city of Charleroi. We had a reputation of a city to defend and we are proud. It was a nice journey we had in good company. Life goes on but I think we built something here. Javtokas is a really talented player, he has a big ability to block shots. We didn't score in the first half but we managed to improve."
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MAKEDONIKOS BC KOZANI
NotSet
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PAPAMAKARIOS, MANOLIS
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"It's a shame. We played against Lietuvos Rytas, which is a very good team. They played very physical at the beginning and went up by 25 points, but I think if the game had lasted five more minutes, we would have won. We had a lot of pressure, and we are not experienced in finals. I think the second half was the right picture of our team. If you are down by 25 points, it's impossible to win. I want to thank my teammates, my coaches and especially all the fans who came from Kozani. The game was a celebration of basketball, and it shows that basketball is something that everyone can enjoy."
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MAKEDONIKOS BC KOZANI
NotSet
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RIMAC, SLAVEN
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"We made too many mistakes in the first half, and we had no confidence. We took bad decisions on offense, and that allowed them to get a lot of easy transition points. When we finally got to playing as a team, we made up for our bad night, and we finished the game with dignity. We have to be proud of our season, because it was a good one. If anyone had said before it started that we would make the Final, everyone would have accepted it. I believe that if we had played a better first half, we would have won the game. We should be angry about it, because our first half had nothing to do with what Makedonikos had done all season long."
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MAKEDONIKOS BC KOZANI
NotSet
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HUTSON, ANDRE
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"We got down in the first half, but we did a good job towards the end. Even with that, I think we had a great year, with some good wins, but we couldn't pull this one out. The team is proud of what we accomplished this year, because we had a great run in the competition. The ULEB did a great job putting this championship together, and there was a great atmosphere in the Final."
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MAKEDONIKOS BC KOZANI
NotSet
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KHIZHNIAK, GRYGORII
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"I think we should have played a little bit better to win the game, but that's what happened and we cannot change it. Even with that, it is a big success that Makedonikos was in the Final, but you have to be more concentrated in this kind of game. I would like to thank all the fans from Greece, Belgium and Lithuania because of the atmosphere in the game. We really should have played better, especially in the first half."
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MAKEDONIKOS BC KOZANI
NotSet
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MICKEAL, PETE
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"We didn't play at all in the first half and basically they did everything right against us. We were down by 20 and that was hard to overcome. However, in the second half we played a great game and they didn't. We should have won this game."
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