Army renaissance: CSKA is the first again, and Zenit got Uralmash
CSKA Moscow became the winner of the VTB United League regular season for the first time in three years, and in addition to this, won the pre-season Super Cup and the intra-season Cup. The Army team did it ahead of schedule, having suffered only three defeats in 40 matches. Twice, the team led by Andreas Pistiolis was able to beat UNICS (2-2 in the season series), which took second place (33-7). Zenit finished in the top 3 (28-12), which changed its head coach during the season and significantly updated its squad. The fourth — for the third year in a row — was Lokomotiv Kuban (27-13), which will face Parma in the first round of the Belov Cup. Permians became the main opening of the championship, regularly defeating the giants and finishing the regular season with a positive balance of wins and losses (22-18).
Ups and downs
The final position of the clubs in the regular season was determined on the final day. Uralmash needed to beat Avtodor to take sixth place. As a result, the Ural team achieved the desired result and reached Zenit. These teams have already met in the first round of the playoffs in the 2023/24 season. Then the Yekaterinburg club, which made its debut in the top division of Russian basketball, was able to impose a serious fight on the blue-white-blues. Everything was decided at the end of the decisive fifth match of the series (86:83 in favor of the team from St. Petersburg).
This year, fans will also be able to see a competitive confrontation. After the appointment of Anton Yudin in mid-January, Uralmash beat UNICS, Zenit and Loko once each, and also came close to success twice in matches with CSKA. Octavius Ellis has gradually gained the form that allows him to be considered one of the best centers in the league. Kirill Popov joined the team well, having performed the main Russian performance in the regular season (35 points and 5 rebounds in the match against Samara), and Garrett Nevels is always able to give a super match.
However, Zenit will be the favorite in any case. Dejan Radonjic seems to have found the optimal combinations in the final games. Trent Fraser established himself as captain, Xavier Moon as the main scorer, and at the last moment Pavel Zemsky and Igor Volkhin returned to the squad, gaining confidence in Saratov. Plus, the team's infirmary is finally empty, so the Montenegrin specialist will be able to use the full roster in the decisive matches of the season.
"We've had a lot of ups and downs, but in recent months we've come together and grown together," Trent Fraser told Izvestia. — And I think, psychologically, we have become a single team. We are building something great. Every day, everyone comes to training with a smile, works hard, respects each other, plays together, and enjoys the process. This is important before the start of the playoffs.
On the last day of the regular season, UNICS also recognized his opponent in the first round. The IBA-MAI team will face Kazan. The Muscovites have already completed their main task for the season, winning the Russian Cup and returning to the playoffs after a two-year absence. Therefore, Vasily Karasev's team can play for their own pleasure against the Swede and Co. Although it is unlikely that this will help them. Velimir Perasovich has too powerful a squad, who at the end of the regular season also got Mikhail Kulagin and Elijah Stewart at his disposal.
—Bingham and Reynolds are the two strongest centers in the United League," UNICS defender Alexei Shved told Izvestia. — If they play smart and right, then we always win. Having such players is a huge advantage. In general, we have motivated foreigners and high-quality Russian players. There are diligent guys who give their partners a lot of energy. We can win the Belov Cup.
The power of a champion
The most interesting fight may unfold in the Loko–Parma pair. The teams have already played six official games this season, and so far the score is equal (3-3). Permians have an excellent fusion of young local players (Gleb Firsov, Lev Svinin, Ivan Egorov) and experienced foreigners. And Evgeny Pashutin has a much more solid experience of playoff matches than his counterpart Tomislav Tomovich. The Serbian specialist led the Krasnodar team during the season and won 15 out of 22 matches. Not the best result for a top club. Yes, captain Patrick Miller is still good, Vsevolod Ishchenko is having a strong season, but if you compare with last year, then there are no more legionnaires of the level of Tajer McCall and Antonius Cleveland in the railroad team. So no one will be surprised if Parma gets to the semifinals.
It is worth mentioning separately about CSKA. The Army team won the pre-season Super Cup in Belgrade, recently won the intra-season Cup in St. Petersburg and showed a dominant performance in the regular season. It's worth the fact that the Muscovites won the season series against Zenit and Loko. The team has a well—rounded squad (compared to the last championship season, there are only a few changes), Melo Trimble is by far the strongest player in the championship, and veterans Nikita Kurbanov and Semyon Antonov do a fantastic job in the locker room and help the team out in difficult moments (such as in the final of the intra—season Cup with UNICS). With such an introduction, the Red and blue are able to go through the playoffs without defeats. At the same time, do not forget that the regular season champion has not been able to win the Belov Cup for the last six seasons.
In the first round of the playoffs, CSKA will face Yenisei, which was able to beat Nizhny Novgorod, Avtodor and Samara. The latter have won only two matches. Saratov, who were sixth with the lowest budget in the league last season, did not guess with foreigners this time. Nizhny Novgorod, who faced financial problems during the season, lost a number of key players and soon dropped out of the fight for the top eight.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
