VTB Aftermath: Zenit rising

2017-03-22T14:19:19+00:00 2017-04-04T14:43:24+00:00.

Aris Barkas

22/Mar/17 14:19

Eurohoops.net

With just three games this week, things were simple in the VTB United League. Zenit St. Petersburg is emerging as a real title contender and the race for the top can be more open than most think.

By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net

The team of coach Karasev has so far an amazing 17-3 record and even if Parma is not the right mesure for Zenit’s success, it’s obvious that things are going to be more than interesting for them, specially in the post season. Can the club from Saint Petersburg be a real threat for CSKA Moscow? That’s the big question. And of course, the MVP comes from them.

MVP

Janis Timma

He is having his best season yet and was the top scorer of the winners with 17 points. Mind you that Zenit was missing Stefan Markovic, however even without its “brain”, the team worked as always, being a well oiled machine. Timmas was the best among equals.

Best three

Janis Timma: He is the key for Zenit, the “glue guy” if you prefer.

Janis Blums: It’s a good week for Latvian, as he led VEF Riga to the win over Astana (73-62). What’s really surprising from the veteran shooter is not the fact that he had 17 points, but that he also grabbed 7 rebounds.

Vitaly Liutych: He has 25 points, leaving Kalev Talin to the win over Tsmoki Minsk. He proved that even the game between the 11th and the 12th team of the league can be interesting.

The last word

Can Zenit St. Petersburg keep the pace and stay in the second place until the end of the regular season in order to face CSKA Moscow in the finals? Can Zenit St. Peterburg get the ticket to next season’s EuroLeague? Those are more than interesting questions and they will be answered in a VTB United League season that’s turning out to be more excited than expected.

 

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