News

Marcelinho leaves record aside and only thinks about Pinheiros

Flamengo faces the São Paulo team this Friday, away from home, in the NBB

By - in

Marcelinho admits it took a while for him to sink in after scoring 63 points against São José and making history as the player with the most points in a Brazilian Championship match, ousting winger Oscar, who had held the record with 59 points, from the top of the list. He also set the record for three-pointers made in a single game—16 in total, on 21 attempts. The previous record was also held by Mão Santa, with 14.

\

In the NBA, the Flamengo forward surpassed Kobe Bryant and Donyell Marshall, both with 12 made shots. However, he insists that his achievements last Sunday are in the past, and his focus is now solely on the match against Pinheiros/Sky, this Friday at 20 p.m. in São Paulo, in the seventh round of the second round of the Novo Basquete Brasil season.

\

"Of course, I was proud and happy with my performance and, especially, with the attitude of my teammates on the court. But my ambitions in basketball were never related to personal records, but rather to collective achievements. That's in the past, and now we have to focus solely on Pinheiros, a strong opponent who is in a great moment in the competition," said Marcelinho.

\

Although he acknowledges that the pressure from the press has doubled after the feat against São José, Marcelinho guarantees that the pressure to maintain a high points average will not hinder his performance in the match in the capital of São Paulo.

\

"I'm an experienced player and I won't let pressure from others get in my way. My dad even joked that when I score 30 points now, people will think it's not enough. But Sunday was a special day, one of those where everything goes right, but I know it's unlikely to happen again any time soon. Especially since my average points attempted per game is usually 50," he explained.

\

With his sights set on a seventh consecutive victory and ninth in ten matches, the Flamengo winger isn't expecting any special marking due to his historic performance in the derby against the São Paulo champions. Accustomed to an aggressive defensive posture from his opponents in every game, Marcelinho knows that Flamengo can't even think about losing from now on if they want to still dream of first place in the qualifying round.

\

"It's a tough game away from home, but we have to go for the win if we want to fight for first place with Brasília. Pinheiros is an opponent with a very strong attacking posture, especially when it comes to Shamell, Diego, and Olivinha, and that's why we have to show why we have the best defense in the league. We have to set our pace from the start and stop them from playing," concluded the red-and-black winger.