“Olimpas” beat Joniškis “Delikatesas” 3-2 in the quarter-finals, and “Jurbarkas-Karys” defeated Šakiai “Vytės-VDU” 3-2 with the same result in the next series.
Olimpo’s head coach Sandis Buškevicas says that in this round the Palangi team 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.
44-year-old Mindaugas Lukauskis scored 19 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.8 steals in the quarterfinals.
41-year-old Tomas Delininkaitis averaged 23 points in the series against Shaki, and the three-point sniper from Klaipėda shot 47 percent. accuracy (22/47). S. Bushkevic is not surprised by this form of the leaders of “Jurbarka-Kario”.
“Not surprising at all. M. Lukauskis, T. Delininkaitis, Vytautas Šarakauskas and other 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.
S. Buškevicas 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 seashore.
The first match of the series will take place on Thursday, March 28 at 18:00. in the Palanga Arena (Sporto St. 3), the second one is in Jurbarka on April 2, and the series will return to Palanga on April 5. The teams will fight until three wins in the semi-finals.
Tags: Olimpas careful NKL semifinals Lukauskis Delininkaitis play series
