«That win over Boston is the biggest and most emotional moment of our season so far.» Egor Dёmin keeps taking steps forward

Hey, Sports.ru!

It always feels great to get support from Russia, especially after a win like this. We did it – we beat the Celtics in the NBA Cup, and we did it on their home floor at TD Garden.

Right now, that’s definitely the biggest and most emotional moment of the season. And I was lucky enough to be part of it. I was on the floor in the deciding minutes and could feel how the whole arena reacted. You could literally feel that energy. For the team, this was hands down our best game. Personally? I’ll let the coaching staff decide – there are a lot of factors that go into that, and it’s not just statistics. But in terms of energy and commitment, we’re on the right track. We stuck to the game plan – and it worked.

Of course, the locker room was electric afterward. It was a real winning locker room – jokes, laughs, everything. Boston might not be the number one title favorite at this point, but the Celtics are top-10 in both offense and defense in the NBA, and this win means a lot for us. Most importantly, it showed us what we’re capable of.

The NBA Cup is a fun new format with its own unique aspects. And the wins still count toward the regular-season standings. The court design is loud and flashy. And half a million dollars to the organization for winning it all is a pretty nice bonus – that motivates a lot of people across the league to bring their best in Cup games. But honestly, here in Brooklyn there’s no real difference – NBA Cup or regular season, we approach it the same way. Same coverages, same sets, same intensity. We’re a young team still trying to build our identity.

People keep asking me in podcasts and interviews about my “Welcome to the NBA” moment. For anyone who doesn’t know, that’s what they call the moment when a rookie really feels the level of the best league in the world. I think my real “Welcome to the NBA” moment is still ahead of me :)

As for the Bilal Coulibaly dunk? No real emotions there, to be honest. I’m totally calm about things like that. It happens to everybody – not just rookies. I don’t really give it much importance, but I fully understand I have a lot of work to do, especially on defense. I need to get stronger physically so I can guard guys that athletic.

Thanks for watching Brooklyn games and reading the blog – stay tuned!