The Serbian team has already surpassed last season’s tally with its fourth win in a row
Crvena Zvezda showed once more that it means business this season
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Regular Season
Round 20 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade boosted its hopes of getting into the business end of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season after an 85-69 home win over the competition’s debutant Paris Basketball lifted the Serbian team to 12-8 and kept it firmly in the postseason picture.
A fourth successive victory means that Zvezda has already surpassed last term’s 11-23 record with 14 rounds left in the regular season, suggesting the Serbian team could emerge as dark horses this time round with a genuine chance of making an impact in the knockout stages.
Against Paris, player of the game Joel Bolomboy embodied Zvezda’s newfound fighting spirit as he racked up 8 points and a staggering 15 boards, as the home team totaled 43 rebounds in a textbook defensive performance which stifled out Paris.
Apart from being trampled in the paint as they were undone by their own high-octane start, the visitors were reduced to 7 of 30 from deep and had nothing left in the tank down the stretch after racing into an early 0-9 lead. Zvezda sank 10 of 21 from downtown and restricted Paris to just 10 assists, giving the visiting team’s dynamo TJ Shorts preciously little room to operate.
“It was a tough start but we hung in there and we fought. This win took everybody,” Bolomboy said in his postgame comments. “A really good team effort by everyone as we were focused defensively. We’re in a good position but we are going to take it one game at a time as we still have a lot of room for improvement,” he added.
Head coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos echoed Bolomboy’s views, having warned his men against complacency after praising them for a blistering display which kept Zvezda’s fervent fans on their feet throughout the pulsating contest in the Belgrade Arena.
“Good defense was key to winning the game,” the Greek tactician told reporters at the postgame press conference. “We were not good tactically in the first quarter as we got caught by their rhythm, but once we calmed down we were able to turn things around. We must stay humble and keep working hard, taking it one game at a time.”
Paris head coach Tiago Splitter now faces a formidable task of restoring confidence after a fifth successive loss. The skid followed a magnificent 10-0 run which had catapulted Paris to the top of the standings, as the EuroLeague newcomer made headlines around Europe.
However, it appears that Paris has been cut down to size and brought crashing down to earth, with a postseason berth looming as a tall order if Splitter doesn’t stop the rot soon. The Brazilian hinted that Paris may have become a victim of its own success but still lauded his men for a die-hard attitude, which had turned them into the season’s early surprise package in the first place.
“We are not bothered by the hype,” he said. “Teams now know us better than before and prepare for us better. We had some bad luck and bad shooting nights down the stretch, but it’s part of the game and a matter of momentum. Tonight, Zvezda got its momentum in the second quarter and kept it throughout.
“We had a great momentum after 10 wins in a row and now we’re struggling, I am not going to lie about it. But I see the team fighting and not giving up at any time, hence I am proud of them. You are only broken once you lose that fight in you, but the team is not broken. We only lost a game.”