It should have been a no-brainer. Opava basketball players were clear favorites in the quarterfinals of the national league with NH Ostrava.
And the result?
The defending champions will not play for a medal this year. They lost the sixth duel in Ostrava 85:86 and lost the series 2:4 in games. “It was a basketball commercial. And the atmosphere created by the supporters of both teams was great,” praised Ostrava coach Adam Choleva.
“Ostrava prepared well for us, they were excellent and they keep going,” Opava coach Petr Czudek praised the opponent. “Our disappointment is also great because we have great fans and they deserve another fight in the playoffs. We didn’t win the series.”
The coach expected that the Ostravas would bet everything on one card in the sixth game. “According to that, they flew into the match. They created a lead that calmed them down. Unfortunately, we got scared,” pointed out Czudek, who lost the first quarter 20:34. “We struggled, we didn’t hit the lineup.”
Opavane were closing in on the lead of the home team throughout the match.
Coach Czudek admitted that some players did not manage the match mentally. “If they learn from it, they can handle the next obstacles, if not, they will be at the level they are at. But I can’t deny the boys’ fighting spirit. We worked hard, players dropped out. I am proud of my team,” Czudek said.
The second meeting in Opava, which NH Ostrava won 84:82 and leveled the matches at 1:1, showed a lot about the development of the entire series.
Elyjah Williams (left) and Rashad Madden from Ostrava encourage each other.
After all, Ostrava managed the endings of all four winning matches. In the fourth (100:93), Michal Svoboda sent them into overtime with a three-pointer three seconds before the end of regular time. They won 77:70 at home the previous day, also thanks to a great finish.
“The course of the season pushed us to the point where we found out where our pain points were, what didn’t suit us, what caused us to lose. Now we were careful about it, although it didn’t always work out. But we kept the four endings, and that’s important,” said Choleva.
What did they have to change?
“Problems were caused by imprudence in the attack, when we wanted to hastily create an open shot, but lost the ball, or, when we got the ball, we wanted to start an attack too soon with a cross pass or a dribble, and it didn’t work either,” answered Choleva. “Now we valued the ball more in the end zone and tried to play until the last possible shot. That worked out pretty well for us. And we also went for more fouls, pushed each other under the basket more.”
At the same time, in the regular season, Ostrava were on the edge of the play-off, the last place. Among other things, they were lifted by changes in the team, when Chase Jeter and Elijah Weaver left and were replaced by Rashad Madden, Benjamin Stevens, Jarrid Rhodes and also David Škranc.
“The team is not bad, and it wasn’t, but we were missing some pieces like Michal Svoboda, who was injured at the beginning. He is one of our most striking players and he is also valid in the defensive half,” said Choleva. “We lacked Madden’s experience in the tight ends. The team sat down. In addition, Dominik Heinzl is showing an incredible end of the season, he has risen enormously, and the same can be said about half of the squad.”
Ostrava fans encourage their players.
Coach Choleva regrets that the team changes every year, that it is not possible to keep him to continue the set work together.
“But now I can say that we have agreed with all the Czech players and with Matej Majerčák to continue. This is the first important step for the future, and we will see how it turns out with foreigners,” said Adam Choleva.
On the other hand, Petr Czudek also spoke about the fact that he takes elimination as a great experience and a gift.
“It was our first season after the title,” he pointed out. “I expected a bigger crisis after the regular season, but we kept the second place. However, we did not manage the derby in the quarter-finals. It is instructive for us.”
He recalled that, on the other hand, they turned the last season, which did not develop well at all and in which they went to the preliminary round of the playoffs, into a great one. “Sport can be like that too. Now we have nothing left but to prepare for the next season,” added Petr Czudek.
NH Ostrava will face Nymburk again in the semi-finals for four wins. In his hall, the series will start on May 5 and 6 from 15:00 and 19:00, in Ostrava the teams will compete on May 9 and 10 from 18:00 and 17:30.
“If we managed to win with Opava, why not with Nymburk?” Adam Choleva cheers his team.
