Edgaras Ulanovas explains why Zalgiris collapsed at OAKA

Giorgos Kyriakidis
Staff Writer
2023-01-27 07:05

Edgaras Ulanovas explains to BasketNews why Zalgiris Kaunas broke down in the second half of their game vs. Panathinaikos and points out that the outcome was far from surprising.

Credit: Panagiotis Moschandreou/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images
Credit Panagiotis Moschandreou/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Going into the EuroLeague Round 21 game against Panathinaikos Athens, Zalgiris Kaunas had almost everything on their side. 

First and foremost, they came in as one of the most in-form teams across the continent, having racked up four straight wins. Two weeks ago, they beat both Italian teams on the road in a pretty convincing fashion. Last week, they downed a solid playoff contender, Crvena Zvezda, in Kaunas. 

On the other hand, what did Panathinaikos have to showcase? A frail 7-13 record, seven losses in the last eight fixtures, and an almost empty OAKA arena because the club's football team was playing an important Greek Cup game at a 10km distance from the indoor hall.

Player of the Game
Paris  Lee
EFF
27
Paris Lee
Points 24
Accuracy 9-12
Rebounds 1
Assists 4

Thus, almost half of the nearly 3,500 fans that actually went to OAKA, including some very noisy Zalgiris supporters, took their seats after tipoff. 

Even the weather conditions in the Greek capital seemed to change and remotely resemble Kaunas' low temperatures. One needs only remember that last season's game in Athens between the two teams was postponed due to heavy snowfall. 

However, despite all their theoretical advantages, the Lithuanian powerhouse came to OAKA short-handed. Keenan Evans is out for the season, while Isaiah Taylor, his replacement, is also sidelined.

Tyler Cavanaugh will miss the next three months, but the latest reinforcement in his position, Achille Polonara, made a successful debut against Zvezda. 

The first 20 minutes of the contest confirmed what most would expect. Zalgiris were the dominant team on the court on both ends, forcing Panathinaikos to tough shots as the guests kept compiling offensive boards that even outnumbered the Greeks' defensive rebounds at some point.

PAO went 1/8 from distance, couldn't rebound the ball, couldn't make free throws, and Zalgiris' fans were the only ones to be heard. 

The two teams went to the locker room, with the Lithuanian side leading 42-27. The few PAO fans in attendance started booing their team again. Another tough night for them was unfolding before their eyes. 

"The first half was perfect for us. We played how we wanted to offensively and defensively, made a lot of good fouls, didn't let Panathinaikos feel the rhythm," Edgaras Ulanovas told BasketNews in the Lithuanian team's locker room. 

The following 20 minutes turned into a nightmare for the 31-year-old forward, and his teammates as Panathinaikos ran them over.

The Greens of Athens stormed into the second half behind a great all-around performance by Paris Lee and made the perfect game. They hit 9/11 of their 3-point attempts, made deflections, scored easy baskets, and didn't let Zalgiris catch their breath. 

"We stopped playing. You don't need to look at the stats because Panathinaikos punished us, and they deserved to win," Ulanovas puts things in perspective. 

PAO's supersonic second half amounted to a partial score of 62-23, enough to cancel out Zalgiris' convincing first part and turn the contest into a one-sided show. The hosts recorded the most impressive 20 minutes ever put together by a EuroLeague team, but Ulanovas isn't impressed.

"First of all, you can't say it's a surprise or that someone can be surprised by what happened," he says.

"It's normal, and everything can happen in the EuroLeague. These things, even crazier, are possible. When one team stops playing, 20 minutes is more than enough for the other team to outscore them. That's what happened with us," he explains. 

At the same time, in the postgame presser, his coach was trying to convey his feelings.

"It was a strange game," a disappointed Kazys Maksvytis said.

"Never in my career did my team have a 15-point advantage and lose the second part by 62-23. Even in youth basketball, when I started my career, I didn't see a number like this. I think we relaxed, stopped playing on both ends, and Panathinaikos played better, got confident, and won this game."

Ulanovas thinks that having all the odds in their favor didn't work well for Zalgiris. Can a four-game winning streak, a 15-point margin, and a struggling opponent be the ingredients of a disastrous night? The answer given by Ulanovas is affirmative. 

"One main reason was that we weren't mentally ready to start the third quarter. We looked surprised, like, 'What's going on here?'

We need to understand that these things can happen because Panathinaikos are a very talented team offensively. In 2-3 minutes, they created a lot of problems. I think one of the reasons we broke down was our mental preparation after the two first quarters."

The experienced forward, who's having a great season with Zalgiris (11.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 13.4 in PIR per game), believes his team greatly underestimated its opponent.

That's a capital sin that Panathinaikos' players, with Paris Lee leading the pack with career-highs in points and PIR, were willing to punish. 

"Obviously, if you let them feel comfortable, hit open shots, play transition offense, they can score even more," Ulanovas says.

"But it's our problem. We let them feel great offensively, found a good rhythm in the second half, and it wasn't only Paris Lee. Other guys punished us as well at some point, with rebounds, passes, and scoring."

The 5th place in the standings, the fact that the Final Four will be hosted in Kaunas, and some severe injuries seem to have disoriented the team and put more pressure on the players. Maksyvtis said all that might be true but also emphasized that his team lost its main point guard, which took its toll.

"Today, we didn't control the game the way we should have," he argued. 

According to Ulanovas, that happened because players felt too confident and self-complacent after a 12-8 record and a constant rise that was cut short in Athens, exactly like their unbeaten home run had come to an end when PAO visited Kaunas a couple of months ago.

"There's a lot of stuff and challenges ahead if we want to make the playoffs. We can't think too highly of ourselves. This game is the best example," Zalgiris' captain maintains.

After the toughest loss of the year, Zalgiris will have the chance to bounce back in the LKL. Their next game against Jonava will be Mantas Kalnietis' last of his career, and Ulanovas hopes he and his teammates will be able to give the retiring point guard the farewell game he deserves.

"We need to analyze this game, learn from our mistakes, and not repeat them. On Sunday, we have Mantas' last game, and hopefully, we'll play better basketball and have a good feeling about ourselves. We hope Mantas enjoys his last game," the former Fenerbahce player concludes. 

Kalnietis didn't take the court in Athens, but he'd definitely wish for a better EuroLeague finale. 



Comments:

We want to hear from you. Be the first to comment!

Add comment

Nickname:      
  Subscribe   Total comments: 0

We have the right to remove comments which are offensive, contains abusive language, or violates other rules of the website