Tiktekno, 26.1/Sport1
After a frustrating and disappointing series of games, Lorenzo Brown and Maccabi Tel Aviv received a shot of relief with the victory over Panathinaikos in Belgrade.
The center played a solid and responsible game against the Greeks with 14 points and 7 assists without losing a ball, and after the game he was free to give an interview to "Basketnews" magazine and talk about the last period, the physical difficulties he experienced this season and his plans for the summer.
"In the last few games we were missing something by half a second. It started in the game against Partizan Belgrade, and continued," Brown said.
"That's why we focused on exactly this matter against Panathinaikos. We knew the second half would be big for us, we wanted to stay calm, not be reckless and not panic. In previous games we panicked, and that's what caused our crashes."
Brown puts the responsibility on himself and his teammates, and in no way on the coaching staff.
"Oded had nothing to do with these crashes. It's us, and us alone," he explained.
"We have to be better, because the coaching staff does everything to prepare us for the games, and we are the ones who go up to play with different levels of intensity, aggressiveness and concentration. We need to put an emphasis on this in order to win big games in the Israeli league and the Euroleague."
Again carrying an injury.
Brown/Official Site, Djordje Kostic
Although Brown rested throughout the summer with the goal of reaching the current season when he is physically at his best, he has been suffering from back pain in recent weeks.
According to him, "I'm more or less at 70% fitness now. It's part of the game, sometimes you have to go through things like that on the fly. I'm trying to overcome it, and painkillers are pretty much my 'thing' right now. I'll get through it and get to 100% Mine and when it happens, you will all know."
Brown admits that in recent weeks the background noise surrounding Maccabi Tel Aviv has penetrated the locker room.
"We all just want to win, we're all competitive. If there were all kinds of noises, it's only because we all want to succeed. Competitiveness is inherent in us. Nothing unusual happened that doesn't happen in other teams. You can't be happy and happy for an entire season. Sometimes you have to know how to get through these blows and move on."
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Will he wear the team uniform again?
His fiancee will decide.
Brown in the Spain team/GettyImages, TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP
Brown even referred to the possibility that he would play in the Spanish national team uniform at the Paris Olympics.
This week national team coach Sergio Scariolo went to Belgrade especially to meet him and talk with him about his plans for the summer.
"We sat and talked for close to an hour after practice," said Brown, and revealed that what will decide whether he will play in the national team's uniform in the summer or not, is the condition of his pregnant fiancee.
"Everything depends on my wife's date of birth, and whether she will give birth in Tel Aviv or in the United States," he says.
"Her estimated date of birth is May, but it's a matter of flights. After the 32nd week of pregnancy, it's not allowed to fly. So we'll have to see how and where it goes."
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Maccabi Tel Aviv in basketball
Lorenzo Brown