'Have you seen 'Dumb and dumber'?' what the head coach of UNICS said after victory

Tomović Had Five Wins in Seven Games, But the Kazan Team Took a Nasty “Bite”

The third head-to-head meeting between UNICS and Lokomotiv this season took place against the backdrop of major changes in both teams. Since their last meeting on January 4, the rosters and staffs have undergone changes: the Kazan side strengthened with Ty Brewer, while the Krasnodar side changed its head coach. The mentor's post at “Loko” was taken by 42-year-old Serbian specialist Tomislav Tomović, replacing Anton Yudin, who now coaches “Uralmash.” The Serb has three years of independent work and substantial assistant coaching experience in clubs like Crvena Zvezda, Mega, and Chinese league teams.

For Tomović, the current meeting with the Kazan team was a kind of déjà vu. The last time the Serbian coach crossed paths with Velimir Perasović was in Moscow at the 2022 Super Cup — he was then part of Mega's staff, which lost to UNICS. The only “connecting link” between that match and the current one in the Kazan lineup remains Jalen Reynolds.

Three years later, the Serb returned to Russia as a full-fledged opponent to Perasović. Tomović's statistics at “Loko” are impressive (five wins in seven games), and the list of teams that have beaten them is limited to Uralmash, Yenisey, and now UNICS. The match in Krasnodar kept tension high until the end: the “railroaders” trailed by only one possession, but a miss by Mike Moore in the final seconds sealed the final score — 79:82.

“A Serious Team Cannot Play Like This! Both Teams”

A huge chasm lies between the two Balkan specialists — Perasović and Tomović. Their methods of team management can be described as a classic confrontation between the “stick” and the “carrot.” The difference was especially evident during post-match communication with the press.

— Have you seen the movie “Dumb and Dumber”? — Perasović addressed a journalist. — Today both teams played like in that movie. They lose the ball, we lose the ball, what can I say. We try to do something, we do what we can, but the players don't execute. Players who were supposed to make decisions didn't make them. They don't understand what we want from them. A serious team cannot play like this! Both teams. It's impossible.

Perasović was self-critical, calling the first half of the match the worst in his entire coaching career at UNICS. Nevertheless, the Kazan team managed to overcome an 11-point deficit and snatch their 23rd win of the season, simultaneously spoiling Lokomotiv's 500th anniversary match in the VTB United League. Tomović, on the other hand, chose the role of his players' advocate: he emphasized that he is proud of the team despite mistakes in decision-making. At the same time, the “railroaders” mentor hinted at external factors, noting that the result is not always exclusively in the hands of the players.

Career-High for Ishchenko in the United League, Shved's Best Match for the “White-Greens”

The start of the match by the Kazan side made fans recall the recent game against Uralmash — UNICS again allowed a stumble in the first half. It seemed as if the visitors decided to “parody” CSKA's recent surge, and fortunately, the plan worked.

It started with Mikhail Belenitsky and his signature corner shot. The forward had a productive duel with Krasnodar's Vsevolod Ishchenko. However, in the second period, “Loko” looked more convincing, extending the lead to "+10” after a shot by the same Ishchenko. The turning point came after the big break. Alexey Shved inspired the team to chase with two three-pointers, and Jalen Reynolds finished the job in the “paint," allowing UNICS to take the lead again — 48:46.

By the final buzzer, UNICS approached as the leader — Shved's accurate shot a minute before the end made it 79:73. Lokomotiv responded with a surge from Martin and Moore, reducing the gap to a minimum. The last seven seconds of the match turned into a drawn-out thriller.

A key moment was the fifth foul by Vsevolod Ishchenko — the young talent of “Loko” left the court amid the best performance of his career. Kulagin increased the Kazan team's lead to three points by making free throws, but the right to the last attack remained with the hosts. And here nerves failed Kirill Temirov: the player failed to inbound the ball within the allotted five seconds, which essentially sealed the visitors' victory. Tomislav Tomović reacted most emotionally to the loss, rewarding the referees with sarcastic applause. At the press conference, the “railroaders” coach expressed doubt about the fairness of this decision:

— Honestly, in my feeling, it all happened much faster than five seconds. From my side, it looked exactly like that because the whistle was blown very quickly. I can't say for sure now — I was on the court, emotions were high. I need to rewatch the video, and then I can say more accurately, — he explained.

The referees' ban on a substitution at the end caused confusion in the UNICS staff but did not hinder the ultimate success. Despite Vince Hunter's steal and Moore's final shot, which could have sent the game into overtime, the Kazan side maintained their lead and won the third head-to-head meeting of the season.

UNICS will play its next game at home on February 12 against Perm's “Parma” — start at 19:00 Moscow time.

Match Statistics:

Lokomotiv-Kuban — UNICS — 79:82 (19:18, 22:16, 15:24, 23:24).

Krasnodar leaders: Ishchenko (20), Martin (16), Moore (11).

Kazan leaders: Reynolds (21 + 7 rebounds), Shved (17 + 5 assists), Brewer (11), Bingham (10 + 7 rebounds).