Djokic: Our goal is National Championship now

When it came out that Vlade Djurovic stepped down as the head-coach of Reflex the team was immediately ranked as the total outsider for the Final Four tournament in Zagreb. But the management of the club found a fireman for the fire that broke out on Thursday morning. It was Bosko Djokic who took the challenge, the same man who started his career in BC Ivo Lola Ribar from Zeleznik in 1979 where the captain of the team was Nebojsa Covic, nowadays one of the important people in the club. Ever since nobody has really forgotten Dokic brought the team into the first division in 1995. Those most devoted fans awaited Reflex in front of the home hall in the suburb of Belgrade on Sunday night and the party continued in a well-known club Bombo until the early morning.

»I came to Zagreb too late to make a practice with the team before the semi-final game. I knew Vlade Djurovic made an incredible team, he is an excellent coach, and we know each other for a long time. My job was to raise the psychological atmosphere in the team, to bring them out of the lethargy and put them into the right rhythm,« explains Djokic.

He fulfilled his task at the team's meeting before the semi-final game with Red Star. After many years in basketball he knew immediately who are the two key players for the team.

Naturally those were Ognjen Askrabic, the leader of the team who played most highly ranked games in the past, and Reggie Freeman. I did not know much about Freeman and Ffriend before but I was sure Freeman has a motive to prove at the Final Four since he will no longer play for Reflex this season. He is not registered for the National Championship of S&MN. Both reacted as real professionals.

The semi-final game was something people will talk about also in the future.

Both teams are quality but have totally different models how to play. Whenever we play together games are very aggressive, it is the traditional rivalry I talk about. Luck was on our side this time but it was combined with the right character in the key moments of the game. And there were many important moments on Friday, so many I can not even remember any more some of them.

The final with Cibona was a totally different story. Many thought Reflex will not succeed in the run for the title. It was like the champagne would be ready for Cibona.

My players did not feel comfortable before the game. That is understandable if we remember the last year final in the NC of S&MN Red Star after that in the National Cup and were eliminated in the semi-final of ULEB Cup.

Therefore he prepared players totally different then he did for Red-Star.

I succeeded to relax players telling them they already reached the main goal playing in the final. Players like Jorovic and Krstovic were playing in the second division club Borac until this season. I expressed my support explaining there is no need to feel the pressure in the final. The basket in Drazen Petrovic Hall is the same height as it is Cacak.

It was Jorovic who made a three pointer for 69:69.

When Cibona was in the run in the third period we did not give up. Cibona has an excellent team, which were playing in Euroleague's TOP 16 for the second consecutive year this season. But our defense was just great. There are only a few who did not allow Cibona making less then 70 points on its home court in the last couple of seasons.

Djokic could not return to Reflex's bench in a better way. But although winning the Goodyear league's Trophy he has other goals too.

We will have to play some really difficult games in the National Championship in the next weeks. The game with Partizan will be the first on the schedule. Partizan is the favorite since our players Ffriend and Stefanovic are injured and we are still very exhausted after the Final Four. But on the contrary I expect Zoroski will be back in the team while we will also be stronger for Nesby. Red Star and Hemofarm follow. Our goal is to play in the play-off.