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Slupsk planning their revenge

Last year, Stelmet knocked out their current hosts in the first round of the play-offs but the the reigning champions are not looking really convincing this season

Slupsk will try to continue their winning run in the home championship today. They didn't face too strong opposition in the first two rounds. First they managed to take care of Polpharma without many problems and then they beat Kotwica away with even less problems. It was a game that was interesting only in the first half. Slupsk made the crucial difference in the third quarter in which they won by 12 points only to continue their aggressive defense that allowed their opponents only 26 points in the second half. It was a great show by the power forward Keith Wright who scored 19 points and had 12 rebounds while Michal Nowakowski had 20 points.

The home team quickly turned to their game against Stelmet today, the club that knocked them out in the first round of play-offs in the last two season. It was especially painful last year as Slupsk lost only after 5 thrillers.

- We are highly motivated and mobilized. We have to be aggressive all 40 minutes  both in offense and defense. We showed that we can play well as a team. I spoke to the other players and I can say that the motivation for revenge for last year's crashing out is huge - said Slupsk captain Marcin Dutkiewicz and added:

- We have no typical leader in our team. Anyone can jump in at any point in the game and that's our biggest asset. That's the way we have to play against Stelmet, as a team, and not individually as a positive result will be hard to come by in this case. We have to focus on all 12 players they have in their rotation. 

The only problems for the home team ahead of this game is the stomach flu that some players had a few days ago - Roderick Trice, Wright and Jaroslaw Mokros. However, this shouldn't make a too big impression on their performances as they have been having full-intensity training since Thursday.

The guests from the Zielona Gora don't seem to convincing at the start of this season. They did, however, get two wins in the championship but they also showed lots of weaknesses and won only in over-time. The fact that their main players from last year left is definitely felt. The team has been completely rebuilt and coach Mihail Uvalin will need some time to put things in order.

This is especially felt in the Euroleague games in which they left a terrible impression. First Bayern crushed them at home by 20 points, then Unicaja delivered an even bigger blow to them. Their game completely fell apart in the second quarter, their opponents had a 13-0 run and they were down by 23 points by half time. The defense was in disarray. They conceded over 100 points and had not solutions in the offense. Their 3-point efficiency was 5/20 (25 %), and free throw show 5/14 (35,7 %). Then there were 19 turnovers, 12 rebounds less than the opponents...

- They managed to limit us with their strong defense. It was a very tough game, but we knew things would go that way - coach Uvalin briefly said. 

The only player who had a solid game was the power forward 
Vladimir Dragicevic who played as the classic center. He had 20 points (field goal 9/11). Their main shooter Przemysaw Zamojski also got double digit tally (11 points), but his 3-pointer was 1/7. Dragicevic should be their main weapon against Slupsk today. It is clear he got into the game very quickly, and even though he was Stelmet's last reinforcement, he looks better than all other players.

Slupsk's biggest problem is the center position. On the other hand, Stelmet's shooting guards might see lots of difficulties as the home players are extremely athletic, especially in back court. Mantas Cesnauskis won't be able to help Stelmet due to problems with his Achilles' tendon. 

The fact is that Stelmet haven't started playing the right way, and this is mostly felt in defense. They conceded 94 against Bayern, 101 against Unicaja, 81 against Trefl at home. Their only good defensive performance was against Kotwica, but they are one of the weakest teams in the Polish league with a very weak offense.

Stelmet are the reigning champions, but this year's team is radically different from the one last year. The players are not organized the right way and this has left the biggest mark in the defense. In this respect, it is clear the will need more time to organize things. They conceded 101 and 94 against Bayern and Unicaja, respectively. Those games are not a real measure for today's match, as their opponents are not as strong, but Stelmet's game against Trefl ended in number of points conceded over this margin. They allowed 81 points in their last round. Slupsk are a well-organized team and the entire team player the whole game in full force, their shooting guards are solid and prefer faster pace. They are a home-oriented and highly motivated team. In four games they played against Stelmet last year, they were left under 80 points only on one occasion.