By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
CSKA Moscow suffered back to back defeats and after the second, the “Army Team” dropped to the 3rd place of the standings with a 10-2 record, just over Zenit which is now at 9-2.
It’s obvious that things are not going to be easy for no one and it’s evident from our weekend recap that everyone has to put real effort on the court in order to get a win. And maybe nobody tried harder this week than our MVP.
MVP
Sergey Karasev
He is just 24 years old, he has been an NBA player and he was a real force for Zenit, scoring 23 points and grabbing seven rebounds. It’s not a secret that Karasev is a gifted scorer, however so far he averages just 15,5 points per game in the VTB United league. The game against CSKA Moscow was the best way to remind everyone that a new power resides in the north.
Not a first
CSKA Moscow simply doesn’t lose, or, to be exact, this happens rarely specially in the domestic contests. However, three years ago, on February 2015, CSKA had also a two-game losing streak in the VTB. Considering the fact that the best – or second best team – of the VTB United League also gets a spot in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, it’s obvious that the top clubs of the competition are ready to challenge everyone around Europe and the idea that the “Army Team” marches without any opposition towards the VTB crown, should be abandoned at this point.
Like a Lokomotiv
The big winner of the weekend was without any doubt Lokomotiv Kuban, which has an excellent season so far and the best record in the league with just one defeat in eleven games (10-1). Can the team of coach Sasha Obradovic go all the way? They certainly hope so, as the club has build upon the legacy of their EuroLeague season two years ago and they are ready to compete with the best.
Colom rising
“No One is a Prophet in their Own Land”. The expression is biblical and it suits naturally Quino Colom. His winning shot this weekend was a miracle and Unics Kazan was saved on the road against Nizhny Novgorod just before the buzzer. The former player of Bilbao, who is 29 years old, is playing the best basketball of his career and he remains one of the most underrated players in Europe. However, if he continues to play that way, things will certainly change in the near future for him and probably also for Unics Kazan.