The Barcelona point guard, one of Jasikevicius’ arguments against Real Madrid, will play the final in Kaunas, near his hometown
Rokas Jokubaitis (Maziekai, Lithuania, 2000) has a great weekend ahead of him. As much as the Polish Tomas Satoransky be the starting option for Saruns JasikeviciusThe explosiveness of this young Lithuanian point guard, who arrived at Bara in the summer of 2021 and whom the NBA keeps an eye on, may be one of the great arguments for the Catalans to finally shake off the bittersweet taste ( much more sour than sweet, of course) from their previous two consecutive Final Fours. In the first, Anadolu Efes defeated them in the final. And in the second, last year, it was Real Madrid that cut them off directly in the semifinals. A duel that, curiously, will be repeated again this year in Kaunas.
- He is going to play in Kaunas, at the Zalgirio Arena. Would it be special for you to play a Final Four at home?
- Yes, of course. It is a special occasion, especially due to the fact of playing in Kaunas, the city where he spent four years before coming to Bara. My family and friends will be there, it is an event to see all over Lithuania. It’s something I look forward to.
- Be Bara’s third consecutive Final Four. Do you think it will finally be the charm?
- I hope so. We will play in Kaunas, again against Madrid, like last year. So, we were not lucky and I hope that this time everything will be different. More than a matter of luck, what we need is to get there in the best shape possible and with maximum concentration.
- Is there a certain feeling of revenge for last year’s defeat?
- Each time we play they are different matches, they have nothing to do with the previous ones, but in the classic ones you always have to fight a lot. Last year they beat us and of course we head into the semifinal wanting revenge, but Madrid are also going to play with maximum concentration. It is difficult to predict what will happen on the field, but I think that, in any case, we will see a very good game.
- Were you surprised by what happened in the series between Madrid and Partizan, both the fight in the second game and the comeback signed by the whites?
- It’s not very normal for a game to end with a fight on the track, I don’t think it’s a good thing that things like this happen, but Madrid, on the other hand, knew how to control the situation, although everything had become very complicated for them, and they dealt with it. They managed to get into the Final Four. Before the fight happened, I thought they were going to be left out, but then they turned everything around, they managed to get to 3-2 and they are also going to be in Kaunas. The fight helped Madrid, but that’s not the way to go: basketball should just be basketball.
- Speaking of your game, are there things you want to improve?
- There are always things, like defense, triples, my right hand… If I said that I shouldn’t improve at all, I would be wrong. I work a lot and, little by little, I am getting it.
- Always dreamed of being a professional or was yours a late vocation?
- Well, when I started playing, at the age of six, my whole family was already playing this sport. I can say that basketball is in my blood.
- The NBA option is something that is still on the table. Have you already decided when to try to make the leap?
- We’ll see. The season hasn’t finished yet, I don’t know what position I’ll be in. When everything is finished, I’ll talk to my agent. It is something that is always there, but I want to go when he can contribute something, not to stay on the bench. Right now, I only think about the Bara.
- Do you dream of lifting the Euroleague?
- Everyone who is there dreams of lifting the Euroleague, but it is better not to talk about it. First of all, to achieve this, you have to beat Real Madrid.
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2023-05-18 19:18:43
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