By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Khimki Moscow had a period of struggle without its star-player but no more. VTB League top scorer Alexey Shved is back and his squad runs on maximum power again, as it showed with the road victory against Nizhny Novgorod.
Apart from Shved’s show, the weekend action in VTB League saw also two more teams getting aboard the playoffs train with Enisey and VEF Riga joining the postseason party. And while Enisey qualified by defeating Astana, Riga checked its quarterfinals ticket despite losing to Unics Kazan, after one serious fight that was decided in overtime.
Meanwhile, CSKA Moscow showed how dangerous it can be even without Nando De Colo, Lokomotiv Kuban got back on the winning track and Parma celebrated its first VTB victory… ever!
MVP of the Week: Alexey Shved (Khimki Moscow)
Rejoice Khimki Moscow fans because your team’s leader is back. And considering how he performed against Nizhny Novgorod, he’s out for trouble in a vengeful mood. A VTB season-high 32 points, which also ties his overall career-best, along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists as Khimki remained on the hunt for the second place of the classification.
Best Five of the Week:
Sergei Chernov (Parma)
It’s quite fitting that a season-high performance by the Russian guard handed Parma its first victory of the season! Chernov dropped 23 points while grabbing 4 rebounds and dishing out 3 assists as his team passed victorious from Minsk against Tsmoki erasing that ugly “0” next to their number of wins.
Tony Taylor (Enisey)
If a celebration is in order for Enisey after locking a VTB playoffs spot for the second time in history, then Tony Taylor should lead the festivities. With 21 points and 6 assists he slashed through the defenses of Astana for a win that opens the postseason door to his team.
Alexey Shved (Khimki Moscow)
The “Go-to-Guy” of Khimki made quite the noise in his return.
Artsiom Parakhouski (Unics Kazan)
After registering an overall career-high last week, the Belarusian center had an impeccable night in Riga vs local VEF. His 16 points behind 8/8 shots along with his 9 rebounds were precious for Unics that needed the extra time to beat the feisty Latvian squad.
Ian Vougioukas (Lokomotiv Kuban)
Lokomotiv Kuban snapped a 3-game losing streak by defeating Avtodor Saratov with Ian Vougioukas flirting with the double-double: 12 points, 9 rebounds plus damage on his opponents via 5 fouls won in just 18 minutes he spent on the floor.
Coach of the Week: Oleg Okulov (Enisey)
This is the sixth season for Enisey in the VTB League but only the second that will live the playoffs experience. The team from Krasnoyark advanced mathematically by beating Astana and did so… relatively early, if we might add.
Coach Okulov’s guidance had been sound throughout the whole season and his choices in this playoffs-clinching result were key towards win. Enisey took some gambles with Astana’s perimeter shooting and executed fast on the other end to outplay its opponents right from the start, setting the pace towards victory.
The Last Word: Parma caught a break!
Winless no more! After 20 defeats, Parma finally tasted the sweet flavor of victory and on the road no less, by defeating Tsmoki Minsk. The players of coach Viacheslav Shushakov showed their hunger right from the start, taking a 19-point halftime lead, 49 – 30. It was more than enough.
As Shushakov said after the game, “Today was essentially our last chance to win and we did that during the first two quarters. At halftime, evidently, we thought it would be enough. But Tsmoki got going after the break and started cutting into the deficit. It could have been a nerve-wracking finish. But congratulations to my team on the win!”