Jasikevicius answers if Barca's season is a failure, defends Mirotic / News - Basketnews.com

The 2022-23 season is a huge disappointment for Jasikevicius. Even though Nikola Mirotic played his worst game with a Barca jersey, Saras defended the player and said that it might happen and the team has to overcome bad performances.

Credit: R.Snarskis Credit R.Snarskis

FC Barcelona lost the second EuroLeague semifinal in a row. At the same time, it was the second semifinal loss in a row against Real Madrid.

Player of the Game EFF 38 Walter Tavares Points 20 Accuracy 7-9 Rebounds 15 Assists 1

In the post-game press conference, Barca's head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius was disappointed the players could not bring out a team game.

"Madrid was better today, they played more like a team, they were more patient throughout the course of the 40 minutes. The responsibility always falls on the coach. We didn't find a way to play a better team game," Saras said. "We looked like a team that wanted to win by ourselves. We came in here playing good basketball, good team basketball. It's one bad game and you get the chance to lose the titles."

After getting eliminated from the NBA title contention, Milwaukee Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo went viral for his answer about failure, saying that every season is a step toward success.

On the European side of basketball, playing for Barcelona is always about the titles. Yet, Jasikevicius' Barca hasn't won a single title this season after losing out on Supercopa, Copa del Rey, and now - the EuroLeague trophy.

Asked whether he considers this season to be a failure, Jasikevicius shared his disappointment.

"It's up to you guys to decide. For me, it's a huge disappointment," Saras said. "Failure? I don't want to be on the news quoting Giannis."

Nikola Mirotic played his worst game as a member of FC Barcelona on Friday, scoring just 3 points on just 1-for-10 shooting and finishing the game with -2 PIR, the third-worst number in his EuroLeague career.

However, Jasikevicius didn't want to single out Mirotic.

"He has the right to play badly, like other players. I didn't find a way to get us to play like a team. With individual performances, anything can happen. As a team altogether, you must overcome bad performances," he concluded.

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