Serbia, Coach Pesic: “Finland it’s an opponent that we could not underestimate”

At the press conference after his Serbia’s surprise elimination against Finland, Coach Svetislav Pesic explained the reasons for the defeat. A painful and unexpected loss for Serbia, which for the second consecutive edition exits EuroBasket in the Round of 16.

These are his statements: “Congratulations to Finland. We knew before the game how the Finnish team is playing: energy, transition, shooting, and offensive rebounds. They are the best team in offensive rebounds per tournament, 16 per game, and tonight they got 20. So it’s an opponent that we could not underestimate. We didn’t find a solution for the offensive rebounds, so we lost the game despite Finland shooting 41% and they ended up having 92 points”.

And these were Pesic’s words about Serbia’s injuries and phisycal conditions: “Sure, we could look for excuses. The reality is that in a game like this, in a tournament like this, you have to be better physically prepared. We weren’t at that level. That was missing. Several players were injured, and it showed. Some players had a virus, Jović had problems, he hadn’t even trained, except this morning. These are things that… they’re not excuses. But with this team, in a tournament like this, you need to be in better physical condition, for the team to be able to handle physical contact. You can’t say the players didn’t give what they could. There’s always room for improvement. It just didn’t happen. They were building their confidence, as it usually goes. And of course, everyone sees us as the absolute favorite, which is extra motivation. Anything that can lead to a situation like this. If you shoot and miss, well, you’re playing against the favorite. You have to shake it off. Then another three-pointer comes. It’s nothing new. But if Serbia loses to Finland, it’s normal for everyone to ask how this could happen. Well, it happens.”