After beating Efes in Round 24, the Lithuanian side defeated Panathinaikos in Round 25.
Andrea Trinchieri amazed with ‘evolving’ Zalgiris after double-round sweep
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Regular Season
Round 25 of 34
Group Regular Season
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After sweeping a double-round week for the first time this season, Andrea Trinchieri expressed his amazement with what his Zalgiris Kaunas team was able to accomplish. However, the Italian coach does not think now is the time to look at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings.
Zalgiris fans can nevertheless begin to speak with a bit more confidence regarding the playoff race after the team managed to knock off Anadolu Efes Istanbul 96-70 and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens 80-68 in the span of 48 hours.
"Great week, two wins against two very good teams,” said Trinchieri, who has guided Zalgiris to a 4-0 record at home during his month at the helm and now a 10-15 record.
Two contrasting victories
What really impressed the Italian play-caller was how his team played two distinctively different games in those two wins.
“I’m very happy for one thing. We played a great game 48 hours ago with a lot of offensive quality,” explained Trinchieri. “And today we were able to win diving on the floor like in a pool. I saw one play with four players diving for the loose ball. Being able to change the way you play in 48 hours and do what it requires to win the game, it’s amazing. Now we should enjoy [the win] for at least one day.”
Trinchieri was hired as Zalgiris’s new coach on December 30 with the team mired in a six-game losing streak and with a 5-12 record in 16th place. The Kaunas club has since reeled off five wins in the eight games with Trinchieri in charge, even though the team hasn’t had much chance to practice.
“I have been here one month and every day I see one small step forward. We are evolving as a team and as players,” he stated after the Panathinaikos win.
Trinchieri’s praise for his players
The coach called Keenan Evans the team’s leader, as he is doing an especially good job of balancing effective individual work but not to the detriment of the team game – and doing so in a quiet, workmanlike manner.
Trinchieri also called Arnas Butkevicius the team’s backbone because he sacrifices for the team night in, night out. And he said Butkevicius grabbing 9 rebounds versus Panathinaikos was “super, super, super important”.
After the double-round sweep, Zalgiris can once again see the play-in spots in the not-too-far distance, with multiple teams only three wins ahead of the Greens with nine games to go. And, importantly, Zalgiris plays four of its last five games at home, where it is 100% since Trinchieri’s arrival.
Still, Trinchieri said the team is not looking at the standings.
“It’s not the right moment. It’s the right moment to keep pushing and grinding.”