Djurovic Pulls No Punches: "Something Is Seriously Wrong with Zvezda's Game!"

"I honestly don't know where to start. First, congratulations to Partizan on winning on a hostile court. They played lockdown defense right from the tip-off. It is clear that Partizan have an identity and a system, with several players in top form. At Zvezda, we don't have a single player in form. It's unbelievable—can you point to anyone who actually looks like a proper player? Chris Jones had an off night. Zvezda have no structure and no clear system. The worst thing for a coach is having a roster full of players who think, 'I'm going to shoot the second I get the ball.' They hit the first one, earn some leeway, miss the next, and get substituted. That's just wandering aimlessly. Nwora, Ojeleye, and Izundu look far worse than last year; they are completely unrecognizable. Motley has been a huge disappointment. The defense is weak. I said Zvezda had to fight like warriors, yet they committed their first foul in the sixth minute. Every opposition attack was a basket—at least break up the rhythm with a tactical foul. Itoudis knew exactly what he was doing. He kept pushing the ball inside to exploit one-on-one matchups that Zvezda couldn't guard." - Vlade Djurovic

"Indeed. Hapoel won't achieve much either. But going on a 10-0 run only to drop to minus-11—those aren't real contenders capable of major results. What hurts most is that Hapoel shot just 44 percent from two-point range, and even worse from three. They missed eight free throws, and Zvezda had more rebounds. There is something seriously wrong with Zvezda's game. Ojeleye padded his stats, but nearly all of Hapoel's rebounds came over him because he failed to box out. He has become a major liability for Crvena Zvezda. Just as I said Punter was misleading Zeljko Obradovic, the exact same thing is happening here. Moneke is the same story. I never trusted Motley—his mentality is problematic. The players fought hard today, but it wasn't enough. Let's be honest, the final scoreline is deceptive. Butler sank some late three-pointers that flattered the result. Anyone who didn't watch the game might get the wrong impression. If the game had gone on, Zvezda had nothing left. Micic was 'bailing Zvezda out' before he closed out the game with masterclass threes. I am disappointed, and the fans are too. Efes are coming to town in two days, and they are a far better team than Hapoel." - Vlade Djurovic