By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
The VTB League derby of the week between CSKA Moscow and Khimki Moscow was pretty much a show with only one protagonist. Greatly focused right from the very first second and extra ferocious after smelling blood from the wound that Alexey Shved’s absence left to their opponents, the defending champs were merciless, delivering quite the statement win on the road.
This result didn’t change much in the league’s standings. CSKA still holds dominion over all with a 19 – 2 and Khimki remains third at 16 – 4. On Saturday a great battle that took place in Krasnodar finished with Zenit St. Petersburg triumphant over Lokomotiv Kuban and a favorite to finish at least second in the regular season.
Enisey and VEF Riga also took important victories to remain deep within the playoffs zone while Unics Kazan outscored Avtodor Saratov with a literally giant performance by a certain Belarusian pivot.
MVP of the Week:
Sergey Karasev (Zenit St. Petersburg)
The season score between Zenit St. Petersburg and Lokomotiv Kuban was 3 – 0 (including two EuroCup games) so Sergey Karasev and his teammates were really forward to catching a break this time. More importantly, they needed this win to further glue themselves on the second spot of the standings.
The Russian swingman did the deed and then some, dropping 23 points (on solid shooting, 9/16 from the field, 3/4 from the line) while dishing out 3 assists and stealing the ball twice. While he stayed on the floor for 32:40 he commited only one turnover, despite suffering quite the pressure from perhaps the stoutest and well organized defense in the league.
Best Five of the Week:
Nando De Colo (CSKA Moscow)
Another day at the office for Nando De Colo who was – surprise, surprise – the top scorer and performer of his team in the victory over Khimki. It took the French basketball chef only 14 minutes (!) to finish with 18 points (6/9 field goals), 4 rebounds and 3 assists setting the pace for the triumph of CSKA with an outstanding team high 30 +/-.
Janis Blums (VEF Riga)
You might be surprised to hear that Janis Blums had never before finished a match with 31 points in a club level. Yep, all true. The win of VEF Riga over Kalev Tallinn was marked by a career night for the Latvian veteran who surpassed his previous scoring best (27 points in his team’s 90 – 104 loss by Khimki on January). He was particularly blazing in the first half when he scored 21 points by drilling seven 3-pointers in 11 minutes. Goodness gracious.
Sergey Karasev (Zenit St. Petersburg)
He’s been heating up in the last weeks hasn’t he?
Suleiman Braimoh (Enisey)
Tsmoki Minsk proved to be a tough-nut-to-break, perhaps more than Enisey expected in light of recent departures (including Dru Joyce, their top player). But ultimately the team from Krasnoyark managed to grab a key win for the playoffs battle with Suleiman Braimoh delivering 20 points, 8 rebounds and 8 fouls won in just 23 minutes.
Artsiom Parakhouski (Unics Kazan)
A monster performance by the Belarusian center who notched an overall (!) career-high of 30 points while getting 10 boards as Unics Kazan beat Avtodor Saratov at home. Parakhouski was so efficient that he almost didn’t miss a shot, registering his new personal record with 15/17 2-pointers. He was also a towering presence on the other end, throwing 3 blocks.
Coach of the Week: Vasily Karasev (Zenit St. Petersburg)
Zenit St. Petersburg managed to snap a 3 – 0 losing streak against Lokomotiv Kuban in all competitions while extending its VTB League record to 12 – 0 with a road victory in Krasnodar. Karasev’s players didn’t simply beat an opponent that looked like it has their number but also succeeded in overcoming one of the top defenses in the league with 83 points away from home. Now Zenit has gotten us used to more offensive performances so far in the season but let’s look at this from the right perspective: Before that game Lokomotiv conceded only 69 points per game, but Zenit dropped 14 more than that.
Karasev’s fast paced basketball simply forced a rhythm with lots of shots and an increased number of possessions he knew it was in his team’s favor. He insisted on his principal, despite the emergence of problems during the game, as he admitted himself. In the end, it obviously paid off.
The Last Word: No Shved, no party
Without newly named EuroCup season MVP Alexey Shved, Khimki Moscow looked completely muzzled against the full spectrum of CSKA Moscow’s power. Truth be told, they seemed more or less helpless, ultimately suffering a blowout defeat. Coach Ivanovic certainly missed the 22 points and 5.5 assists his star-player brings in each game, though Shved’s absence isn’t really excuse for the complete lack of competitiveness that characterized Khimki in the match.