Partizan loses to Virtus, statement by Željko Obradović

The reason for the defeat of the Partizan coach against Virtus is obvious. “It was a great basketball game, with ups and downs for both teams, I am very proud of how my team played. We fought a lot, even though we had some problems with certain players, and I believe that we lost this match by ourselves. That’s my impression.

At the moment when we played with four perimeter players, we lost some cheap balls due to Virtus’ aggressiveness. This means that they deserved to win. Regardless, my team did a great job, I congratulate Virtus and of course, thanks to our fans who came once again to support us. It is very, very important to us,” he said.

The Italians won both matches of Partizan and Virtus dramatically. How do you comment on the development of Virtus throughout the season? “They play excellent basketball, Luka is doing a great job, and it is obvious that they have a chance to finish among the top four teams and go to the Final Four. Of course, the playoffs are ahead and everything is possible, but in any case, they play great basketball.”

Journalists from Serbia asked Obradović about the drop in the game at the end and the large number of mistakes, lost balls… “I would love to be able to explain to you, but I can’t either. Four ‘small’ players to play pressing, it’s the easiest thing in the world to introduce the ball, we made mistakes, we didn’t even bring in the ball. In the last quarter, we lost six balls, and that is the direct reason why we lost the game.” Will this defeat lead to a psychological drop for Partizan?

“There shouldn’t be a psychological drop when you play a game every other day, and to win – it’s the same, there’s no need to think about it, just look at what’s ahead of you,” Obradović added. The team will visit Igokea in the next “Adriatic” round on Sunday, February 11. After that match, Željko Obradović’s team will travel to Niš for the Radivoj Korać Cup (from February 14 to 17).