Jasikevicius: “Real is an opponent of the highest caliber” 5

Zalgiris steps foot into the last game of the regular season with their hopes of making the Top 8 still alive. Having won five consecutive games, the Kaunas side still faces a do-or-die bout against Real.

The head coach of Zalgiris, Sarunas Jasikevicius gave his comments about the upcoming opponent before the team boarded a flight to Madrid.

“They’re an opponent of the highest caliber. They can punish you very quickly. Their ability to get on a run is what always keeps you on your toes. We’ve got to stay concentrated. We need to play even better than we have for the past few weeks.”

The EuroLeague champions are the second-best offense in the league, averaging 85.9 points per game. Jasikevicius noted the importance of limiting fast breaks as a key to success.

“We have to stop their fast-breaks and close down on their three-point shooters. We need to play smart ourselves on offense, so they don’t have the chance to punish us after our turnovers. As I said, they’re an opponent of the highest caliber and to beat them we’ll need to play our best brand of basketball.”