By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Fresh off its EuroLeague triumph, CSKA Moscow hopes to conclude the 2018-19 campaign with its ninth VTB United League title. Dimitris Itoudis’ side will go against Khimki Moscow Region in the best-of-five series set to determine the champion. First place in the Regular Season equals home-court advantage but isn’t the only aspect in CSKA’s favor.
The Red Army has seen many success in the VTB making it to the top in nine of ten seasons since 2008. In 25 Finals contests, CSKA has only lost three times. Defeat came to a significant cost in 2011, when Khimki battled its way to the 66-64 victory at Kazan to secure first place in the Final Four and become the only VTB champion other than CSKA.
Kicking off the run
The League presented itself in 2008 with the Promo-Cup, which took place in Moscow. CSKA marched to the Final and took down Khimki, 70-66, for the top spot. Lithuania’s Kaunas and Vilnius hosted the 2010 and 2012 Final Four, respectively, and CSKA beat UNICS Kazan both times, but succumbed to Khimki in between.
Best-of-five series dominance
From 2013 until 2017, the championship was determined by a best-of-five series with CSKA sweeping Nizhny Novgorod in 2014 and Khimki in 2015 and 2017. In 2013 against Lokomotiv Kuban and in 2016 against UNICS, the club needed for games to capture first place with the pair of defeats raising its total of losses in Finals to three.
Latest Khimki matchup
Last season, in 2018, the Final Four was reinstated and CSKA made it to the Final once more facing Khimki for the fifth time in the latest stage of the season. The 95-84 victory crowned the dominant VTB side champion once again and improved its W-L tally against Khimki in the Finals to 8-1.
And…
This year, the best-of-five series returns. CSKA will host Game 1 on June 5th and Game 2 on June 7th. Three days later Game 3 will take place at Khimki’s court and if necessary Game 4 will follow on June 12th. If the VTB Finals stretch to five matches for the first time, the winner-take-all game will return to CSKA’s court on June 15th.