By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
One way or another, the VTB League powerhouses had their way this week, grabbing what they wanted even if they ventured far from home.
CSKA Moscow overpowered VEF Riga by tightening its defense in the second half, Khimki Moscow passed the obstacle that Parma proved to be and Zenit St. Petersburg incinerated Unics Kazan.
As you might’ve expected no other than the protagonist of Zenit in this match is also our MVP of the Week…
MVP of the Week: Sergey Karasev (Zenit St. Petersburg)
True to what his twitter handle (@SKgetbuckets ) suggests, Sergey Karasev hurt Unics Kazan relentlessly for every single defensive mistake, filling the opposing basket at will and in any way imaginable. Via drives, off-balance jumpers, weak side punishers, post-dribble 3-pointers … you name it, until he finished with 26 points. He took care of his teammates as well, dishing out 4 assists in a complete offensive output.
Best Five of the Week:
Quino Colom (Unics Kazan)
He tried really hard to prevent Zenit from passing victorious from Kazan but despite everything positive he contributed on offense, his team’s defense took one blow after the other. Colom finished the match with 25 points, 9 assists giving quite the trouble to his opponents, something obvious by the 10 (!) fouls he won.
Tony Taylor (Enisey)
Enisey climbed to the sixth spot of the standings by beating Nizhny Novgorod on the road perhaps more difficult than what the final 80 – 93 shows. The outcome of the match would’ve been different, if Tony Taylor didn’t have such a strong playmaking display. The American guard tallied 13 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, stole the ball twice while committing only two turnovers the 30 minutes he spent on the floor.
Cory Higgins (CSKA Moscow)
With Nando De Colo out, CSKA needed all hands on deck to defeat VEF in Riga. And the help provided by Higgins was substantial and diverse, something illustrated on the 16 points (team-high), 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals he notched. He stayed on the court 27 minutes, more than any other of his teammates, since he was solid in his defensive duties as well.
Sergey Karasev (Zenit St. Petersburg)
His lethal ways were too hot to handle by Unics.
Marko Todorovic (Khimki Moscow)
It’s not only the 16 points, 5 rebounds and six fouls won that he registered in Khimki’s road victory over Parma. More importantly, in the game was more difficult than initially thought, he was a completely positive presence on the court, finishing with a team high 15 +/- .
Coach of the Week: Vasily Karasev (Zenit St. Petersburg)
Frankly, we have been spoiled by Zenit St. Petersburg delivering a series of offensive shows in this season’s VTB League. Thus, the 109 points scored in Kazan aren’t that surprising but certainly come out as impressive if we consider that Janis Timma was not there. It was a key absence of a player that influences his team’s game more than what his numbers say, since the mere attention he attracts from the opposing defense, facilitates things for his teammates. Still, Karasev’s players had once more great production rates, displaying exceptional team (28 assists in total) basketball.
The Last Word: Astana’s… “Bob Marley” opens up!
Rob Lowery has a splendid season (14.4 points, 3.8 assists, 3.2 rebounds) in the playoffs-bound Astana and recently gave a quite lengthy and interesting interview in the official website of VTB League.
Contrary what popular belief might think… he doesn’t have many common things with the reggae icon.. save for his hair. But he’s a big fan. “I love his music,” he said. “It’s very inspiring. He was someone people tried to emulate.”
When asked what’s the secret behind the winning record of his team, his answer was clear. “The team is totally different with new leaders. We’ve got guys on the team that want to win no matter where we’re playing: home or away. I think the secret is our winning mentality.”