Jasikevicius reflects on Fenerbahce before the flight to Istanbul 1

Zalgiris left for Turkey on Monday morning, where they are bound to face Fenerbahce in Istanbul.

“It’s practically the same team that has been there for a couple years now. They’ve got the same coach and they play beautifully, since they understand the system, got a good feeling for one another. That’s a factor that worries everyone.”

The Obradovic-coached Turkish giants ended the season with a 25-5 record and won all their home games. Fenerbahce also took both wins against Zalgiris, defeating the Lithuanian champions 82-75 and 78-61.

Coach Sarunas Jasikevicius was happy that the team got some rest before the most important games of the season.

“It’s nice to have a bit of a break mid-season so we could do those two main things – rest and reload. I think we got some rest, got some practices in. We’re trying to get the players back and energized for this series.”

Speaking of the keys of the game, Jasikevicius stressed how well-coached the opponents are and the importance of hustle.

“It’s a whole new stage now, the importance of every loose ball, every detail is much bigger now. They’re very disciplined, very experienced. We can’t give away presents – bad fouls, easy points, because we know they won’t be giving it up easily for us. The team was built for this stage of the season. And it’s important that we understand the importance of every detail.”