INTERVIEW - Filip Kraljević: “Dino Rađa once told me… “

The match of the 20th round has proven that it had deserved its title. Zadar and Cedevita have played a fantastic game in front of 4,000-strong crowd in Višnjik and in the end, the home fans were ecstatic as their favourites kept the pair of points at home.

The player that stood out during the game was the home side"s giant Filip Kraljević, former Cedevita player, that buried his former teammates with 30 points and 7 rebounds. He spoke about the game, about Zadar"s season, himself and also about the feeling of being a member of the team in a town that is fanatic for this sport, like the Dalmatian basketball capital.

Read more in the interview below.

In a magnificent game, full of attractive plays, you have beaten Cedevita for the second time this season. Can we say that the game of Zagreb's Euroleague side suits you well?

"Well, maybe there is something about it, but we don"t consider it that way. We have been preparing for Cedevita like we do for every other game. It is true that we believed in the triumph more, but there are certain reasons for it. Like, for instance, our victory in Zagreb against them in the first part of the season, as well as two games won in a row, ahead of this game, which gave us additional self-confidence.”

You shined with a great individual performance, which you ended with 30 points and 7 rebounds - do the games against Cedevita give you additional motive - both due to the chance of proving yourself against top level players like Miro Bilan as due to the fact that they are your former team?

"I would not say that I found an additional motivational reason. I consider games against Cedevita like every other game. However, despite the fact that I am happy for my friend Miro Bilan, who is having a fantastic season, I am also happy for myself that I am able to demonstrate something as well (laughs).”

Over the past few games, you have been playing excellent and no less than 3 times over the past four games you achieved an individual valuation, higher than 20. What was the key for this?

"If I know the complete formula to raise the level of performances, I would play fantastic all the time (laughs). But seriously, this is what sports is like - unpredictable - and this is its magic. There are no rules, not even tough practices, not even perfect attitude towards the game, none of this can guarantee you to succeed. Some things that you have no influence on, happen sometimes. I can only hope that me and Zadar continue the way we played against Cedevita.”

You are famous for your blocks and this season you are again amongst the top shot blockers in the entire ABA League - what is the feeling like when you reject an opponent in that kind of an attractive way?

"It is truly a wonderful feeling. Except for the fact, that it makes the fans ecstatic and that it raises the self-confidence of the whole team, it also lowers the level of morale of the opponents and prevents them from penetrating towards the rim. Often and unconscious. They are exceptionally useful in my opinion. Sometimes only one is enough to change the course of a game.”

After a string of bad results, you have raised as a team and achieved second consecutive win in ABA League - is it easier for you to breathe after this game? What is your impression about the situation in the standings this season - it is perhaps even the most exciting by now?

"Well, for us this was the third triumph in a row, counting in extremely important Croatian national cup game against Zagreb and for sure the relief is great, since the league has never been as dramatic as this season. Only one game divides you from feeling comfortable and from being desperate…”

Your faithful fans have once again been your sixth player. 4,000 of them helped you to beat Cedevita and this season you are the second in the league by the average home game attendance in the ABA League. Do you feel that this city lives for basketball even when you are off the court?

"Oh my… when I signed with Zadar, Dino Rađa told me: "If you haven"t played for Zadar and Panathinaikos, it"s like you haven"t played basketball”. I haven"t immediately understood what he wanted to say, but soon I did. For instance, after this win everyone in the town is greeting us and buying us drinks… everyone loves us. However, when you lose, it"s sometimes just like: "Don"t leave your house!” This is what the people here are like. Very passionate and they love their club. So it is an invaluable experience and pleasure to play for Zadar.”

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Filip Kraljević: "Dino Rađa mi je jednom rekao…”

Derbi 20. kola ABA lige je opravdao svoj naziv. Zadar i Cedevita odigrali su fantastičnu utakmicu ispred 4.000 navijača na Višnjiku i na kraju, domaći navijači bili su presretni nakon što su njihovi ljubimci zadržali dva boda kod kuće.

Igrač koji je zablistao tokom utakmice bio je visoki centar Zadra Filip Kraljević, nekadašnji igrač Cedevite, koji je svoj bivši klub zatrpao sa 30 koševa, dok je uhvatio i 7 skokova. Za službene stranice ABA lige pričao je o utakmici, Zadrovoj sezoni, njegovoj formi, kao i o osjećaju igranja za ekipu iz grada koji toliko voli taj sport, kao dalmatinskom glavnom košarkaškom gradu.

Pročitajte više u donjim redovima.

U veličastvenoj utakmici, prepunoj atraktivnih poteza, po drugi put u sezoni ste pobijedili Cedevitu. Da li može da se priča o tome, da vam igra zagrebačkog evroligaša posebno odgovara?

"Pa, možda i ima nešto u tome, ali mi to ne gledamo na taj način. Spremali smo se za Cedevitu kao i za svaku drugu utakmicu. Istina da je vjera u pobjedu bila izraženija, ali postoje i određeni razlozi za to. Kao sto je, primjerice, naša pobjeda u Zagrebu protiv njih u prvom dijelu prvenstva, pa niz od dvije vrlo važne pobjede prije ove utakmice, koje su nas dodatno 'nahranile' samopouzdanjem.”

Vi ste zablistali sa vrhunskom partijom, koju ste završili sa čak 30 koševa i 7 skokova - da li vas utakmice protiv Cedevite posebno motiviraju - što zbog igranja protiv vrhunskih igrača poput Mira Bilana, kao i zbog činjenice da je u pitanju vaš bivši klub?

"Ne bih rekao da sam u tome pronašao neki dodatni motiv, gledam na ovu utakmicu kao i na svaku drugu. Opet, s druge strane koliko god sam sretan zbog prijatelja Mira Bilana sto igra fantastičnu sezonu, tako mi je i drago da mogu i ja pokazati nešto, haha.”

U posljednje vrijeme vi lično igrate odlično i čak tri puta u posljednje 4 utakmice postigli ste indeks veći od 20. šta je bilo ključno za podizanje vaše forme?

"Kad bih znao u potpunosti recept za podizanje forme, ne bih ju nikad ni gubio. :) . Salu na stranu... Sport je takav, nepredvidljiv sto i jest njegova čar. Nema tu pravila, ni jaki treninzi, niti pravilan pristup ponekad ti ne garantiraju uspjeh. Poklope se neke stvari na koje možeš utjecati i neke na koje ne možeš. Uglavnom, nadam se da ćemo i ja i ekipa Zadra nastaviti u ovom tonu.”

Poznati ste po blokadama, a i ove sezone ste među najboljim blokerima sezone u ABA ligi - kakav je osjećaj u trenutku, kada na ovako atraktivan način zaustavite protivničkog igrača?

"Jako lijep osjećaj. Osim sto dize publiku i samopouzdanje ekipe, istovremeno spusta moral protivniku i smanjuje ulazak protivničkih igrača u reket. Često i nesvjesno. U svakom slučaju po meni su jako korisne. Ponekad je i jedna dovoljna da promijeni tijek utakmice.”

Nakon serije loših rezultata kao momčad ste se podigli i postigli drugu uzastopnu pobjedu - koliko se nakon ove utakmice u svlačionici lakše diše? Kako vidite stanje na tabeli u ovoj sezoni, vjerojatno najzanimljivijoj u povijesti natjecanja?

"Pa, nama je ovo treća pobjeda u nizu ako ubrojimo za nas jako važnu kup utakmicu sa Zagrebom i sigurno da je olakšanje ogromno jer je liga zaista nikad dramatičnija. Jedna pobjeda dijeli ekipe od sigurnosti i ponora...”

Vaša vjerna publika je opet bila vaš šesti igrač. Do pobjede protiv Cedevite vam je pomoglo 4.000 navijača a ove sezone je Zadar drugi po posjećenosti domaćih utakmica u ABA ligi. Da li se i van parketa osjeća da vaš grad živi za košarku?