Cibona seeks a victory that would set up a decisive title clash

After three games of the Croatian championship play-off finals, Zadar holds a 2–1 lead in the series and has its first opportunity to clinch the title.

Cibona opened the finals with a dramatic 74–72 road victory in Zadar, a game filled with momentum swings and uncertainty right up until the final second. Zadar responded with a convincing 92–57 win to level the series. In Game 3, played yesterday at Dražen Petrović Basketball hall, Zadar once again came out on top, winning 87–70 and moving within one victory of retaining the championship.

The Wolves now face the most important game of their season. A win would send the series back to Zadar and set up a decisive Game 5 for the title, while a victory for the visitors would bring the finals to an end.

Following Game 3, Cibona head coach Ivan Rudež expressed his belief in the team and called on the fans to once again fill Dražen Petrović Basketball hall.

“I would like to invite all basketball fans to come to our final home game of the season and support us in our fight to stay alive in the finals series. We currently trail Zadar 2–1, but we believe we have the quality and character to send the series back to Zadar. On Sunday, our goal is to level the series, and to do that we will need the support of our fans. With the right approach, discipline, solid execution of our tactical plan, and maximum effort, I believe we can earn the win and extend the series. Zadar was the better team tonight, but we are fully aware of our own capabilities and the opportunity that lies ahead. We need to be smarter, tougher, and more focused in every aspect of the game if we want to achieve our goal and force a decisive fifth game”.

Ahead of the next clash with Zadar, Žan Mark Šiško shared his thoughts on Game 3. One of Cibona’s key players, Šiško was presented with the Croatian Basketball Federation’s award for the best assist leader in the SuperSport Premijer Liga this season before the third final game.

“Game 4 of the playoff finals is ahead of us. Zadar currently leads the series 2–1, which means we no longer have any room for error. We need to prepare well, thoroughly analyze the mistakes from the previous game, and do everything we can to correct them. I would like to invite our fans to once again fill Dražen’s Home Arena and be our sixth player on the court. With their support, I believe we can get the win, level the series, and force a return to Zadar for a decisive Game 5".

Game 4 of the play-off finals will be played tomorrow at Dražen Petrović Basketball hall, with tip-off scheduled for 6:00 P.M. Tickets are available through the CoreEvent platform and at the hall box office on game day from 5:00 P.M. The game will be broadcast live on MAXSport television.