Andrea Trinchieri criticized the referees for their quick exit after a controversial final play in the LKL finals Game 4, humorously comparing them to Usain Bolt.
Zalgiris Kaunas stumbled in the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) finals, losing to Rytas Vilnius 88-87 on Wednesday night and dropping the series 1-3.
This marks the second time in the last three seasons that Zalgiris failed to win the LKL title, having finished third in 2021-22.
Game 4 of this year's finals was a true nail-biter. Rytas scoring machine Marcus Foster made a driving layup with 7.7 seconds remaining to put his team ahead by one point. After a timeout, Zalgiris' Lukas Lekavicius attempted a wide-open three-pointer for the win but couldn't convert. Rytas then secured the defensive rebound and got the ball past half-court, but Arnas Butkevicius stole the ball and drew some contact, albeit after the final buzzer.
Despite the final play, Rytas players and fans began celebrating, while the Zalgiris coaching staff protested at the scoring table, asking for a review of the last play.
Initially, it seemed the game was over, but that was not the case. After a considerable delay, the referees returned to the court, reviewed the last possession, and ultimately declared Rytas the winner.
"That was a foul on Arnas [Butkevicius]. I asked to check because he stole the ball, and there was a contact. I asked the referees to check, but they were already under the shower," said Zalgiris coach Andrea Trinchieri in the post-game conference. "I didn't know that we have Usain Bolt for the referees, so they had to find them to check.
"It was like a prank, I was asking, 'Where are the referees?' and nobody knew where are the referees," the Italian coach went on to say. "I said, 'There was a foul,' and a commissioner, a real gentleman, said, 'You are right, I am gonna find the referees.' The situation was very clear, and I just wanted them to check the last possession because there was a contact on Butkevicius after he stole the ball."
Zalgiris ended up with silver medals and finished the season with one trophy, having won the Lithuanian Cup mid-season. However, they did not make it to the EuroLeague playoffs.
When asked about his future, Trinchieri said, "Listen, I think about my future every day. It's not a series or a game that will define me."
As reported by BasketNews on April 15, Trinchieri had been thrilled to remain with the Greens for at least another season, and both parties were close to finalizing a new deal.
The 55-year-old Italian tactician initially joined Zalgiris in January under a two-year contract with an exit clause set for the summer of 2024.
