By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
The choice of the above photo as the main picture in our “Aftermath” of what took place in VTB United League during the weekend isn’t concidental. It perfectly portrays how Unics fought, reacted and delivered in what was probably the Game of the Week in the championship.
And you can’t but applaud the fine way coach Evgeny Pashutin’s players bounced back after suffering a EuroLeague 29-point loss on Friday. Facing not only against a qualitative team like Zenit St. Petersburg on the road but also against fatigue and not the best possible psychology, Keith Langford, Quino Colom and co. responded in an ideal manner by beating their opponents thanks to a brilliant output on both ends.
This victory keeps Unics at the first place of the standings with an 8-1 record and hand in hand with CSKA Moscow that faced no problem at all against VEF Riga (4-5). Lokomotiv Kuban extended its winning streak (7-2) after breaking the usually “tough to beat” Astana (5-4) on the road and Khimki Moscow (7-1) made short work of still winless Parma (0-9) at home. Meanwhile in Saratov, Avtodor took a precious win over Kalev Tallinn (2-7), the team’s second in the league so far.
The MVP: Quino Colom (Unics Kazan)
He needed only two more boards in order to register a triple-double, since he finished the game against Zenit St. Petersburg with 14 points, 12 assists and 8 rebounds in almost 33 minutes. It’s not a matter of luck that his return to form paced his team to a road victory of much importance. Colom was trouble in any way you can think of for his opponents, slashing through enemy lines to score baskets, winning fouls and of course, creating abundantly.
Best Five of the Week:
- Quino Colom (Unics Kazan)
- The Spanish maestro of Unics was the on-floor mastermind of his team’s sweet win over Zenit.
- Mikhail Kulagin (CSKA Moscow)
- Dimitris Itoudis gives him sufficient playing time in light of the unfortunate absences of Nando De Colo and Milos Teodosic and the 22-year-old Russian guard makes the most out of it. Against VEF Riga, he scored 9 out of his 15 points in the first 12 minutes of the match, almost 1/3 of CSKA’s total output of 29 in that moment, against Riga’s 8. He was solid in his defensive duties as well, making a difference to help his team finish the game… early. He also dished out 3 assists and grabbed 3 rebounds.
- Mardy Collins (Lokomotiv Kuban)
- The multi-faceted weapon of Lokomotiv Kuban was a key factor in his team’s road win against Astana. Collins dropped 11 points, got 7 rebounds, send 8 assists to his teammates and stole the ball twice being the top performer of Loko with 16 in PIR. He also played excellent defense on opposing guards and gave helps everywhere it was needed.
- Janis Timma (Zenit St. Petersburg)
- His top performance in the season so far couldn’t be combined with a victory, but still earns him a spot in our “Best Five” picks. After all, the Latvian forward’s output against Unics Kazan was one of the few redeeming qualities of his team that struggled offensively in key moments of the match. Timma finished with a 27 points season-high plus 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals for 31 PIR. Near the end, he looked like the only one among his teammates not void of fuel but his efforts weren’t enough.
- Vince Hunter (Avtodor Saratov)
- In only his second game with Avtodor Saratov in VTB League, Hunter showed why coach Sergey Mokin chose to bring him to his team. While still trying to adapt in his new surroundings, the big guy from Detroit scored 17 points (on 8/11 from the field), grabbed 6 rebounds and got 2 steals while Avtodor cruised over Kalev Tallinn at home.
Coach of the Week: Evgeny Pashutin (Unics Kazan)
Friday’s blowout defeat by Olympiacos in EuroLeague (the worst in the franchise’s history) was a harsh lesson by Unics Kazan and coach Evgeny Pashutin. One that they put into more than good use in St. Petersburg. It took them some time, but in the end it was implementing the defensive mindset which they devastatingly lacked in Greece, that led Unics to a important road victory over Zenit. Coach Pashutin’s players turned highly physical, passionate and not eager to give anything to their opponents that were completely shut down in the third period, scoring only 10 points from the 25th to the 33rd minute of the match.
Pashutin had many complaints on the defensive behavior vs Olympiacos and his guys obviously didn’t only get the memo but learned it by heart . He must have been pleased to see them reacting emphatically in the VTB derby against Zenit.
The Last word: Cast your vote for the VTB League All Star Game
Alexey Shved and Keith Langford are the voting leaders for the VTB United League All Star Game that will take place in the city of Sochi on February. Not surprising since we are talking about two of the elite players in the championship and fan favorites no matter which team a voter supports.