“Olimpas”, which welcomes the semi-final, singled out the veterans of the Jurbarkas team / News

“Olimpas” of Palanga and “Jurbarkas-Karys” of Jurbarkas start the National Basketball League (7bet-NKL) semi-final seriesa. By reaching the semi-finals, “Olimpas” repeated the best achievement of its predecessors, “Kuršias”, the Jurbarkas in the strongest four of the NKL – for the first time.

“Olimpas” defeated Joniškis’ “Delikatesas” in the quarterfinals, and “Jurbarkas-Karys” in the next series with a similar result 3-2 scoreže Šakių “Vytė-VDU”. Olimpo’s head coach Sandis Buškevics says that in this round, the team from Palanga will have to play with a completely different team.

Olimpas won all four matches between them this season (73:57 and 83:67 at home and 89:84 and 93:82 away), but the team led by experienced basketball players is always the most dangerous when the most important games of the season are played. The veterans of “Jurbarko-Kario” proved it in the quarter-final series as well.

Team leaders

8.3
REB

5.5
DREB

2.8
OREB

8.2
REB

5.8
DREB

2.4
OREB

44 years oldMindaugas Lukauskis collected 19 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 4.2 assists in the quarterfinal campaign.

41 years oldTomas Delininkaitis averaged 23 points in the series with Šakias, and the sniper from Klaipėda made 47% of his three-pointers. accuracy (22/47). Bushkevics is not surprised by this form of “Jurbarko-Kario” leaders.

“Not surprising at all. Lukauskis, Delininkaitis, Vytautas Šarakauskas, others – such experienced players know very well how to play in the playoffs. Such players are waiting for such series and know how to prepare for them,” said the Olimpo coach.

Buškevics has no doubt that “Jurbarkas-Karys” will show a more mature and intelligent, but at the same time more predictable basketball than the already defeated “Delikatesas”. The coach does not emphasize the fact that “Olimpas” have not yet lost to Jurbarka this season.

“Jurbarkas-Karys did not reach the semi-finals by chance. This is a team of the caliber of the first four. The fact that we won all the matches of the season means nothing. In the playoffs, everything starts again and we have to forget everything that was. It won’t be easy, but I believe our players have already had a taste of the playoffs and will fight for every centimeter on the pitch.”

By the way, the legendary masseur Juozas Petkevičius returned to the Olimpo camp. Due to health problems, Juozukas left the club in February, but he will work together again when he regains his strength. Juozuk was also happy that his health had improved and that he had returned to the seaside with his new pet, Shawn the bichon.

“When my health improved, Jonas (club president Jonas Vainauskas, editor-in-chief) asked me if I wanted to come back. Of course I want! I’m back for the finals. I always followed the team’s game, corresponded with the players. It was difficult, I saw, it was, but now, I feel, everything will be fine!”, said Juozuk after returning to the seaside.

The first game of the series will take place on Thursday, March 28th daya 6:00 p.m. in the Palanga Arena, the second – April Day 2ą in Jurbark, and in April Day 5The series will return to Palanga again. The teams will fight until three wins in the semi-finals.

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