«FINAL FOUR»: CSKA AND UNICS GO TO THE FINAL

«Final Four» of VTB United League has started today in Kaunas. Russian CSKA and UNICS became the triumphators of the first day after they defeated in the semifinals «Khimki» and Lithuanian «Zalgiris» and win the right to play in the crucial match.

The first –Russian-  tournament semifinal managed the expectations of the specialists and the fans, who packed the fabulous Kaunas «Sporthalle». The match between two profound rivals , CSKA and «Khimki», came out a sight for sore eyes, which kept everybody from the first to the last minute. In beginning of the battle CSKA have a 7-point lead on the 6th minute, but this fact  hadn`t  confused the Khimki`s players. Forsterlings of Sergio Scarliolo leveled the score and in the second quarter of the match they went ahead. Notably that «Khimki» made it not due to the   star legionaries but  due to the Russian players (they scored 28 from the 33 team points in the first half of the play). Moscow region team continued their attack: they achieved an 11-point lead on the 25th minute…
However CSKA remains CSKA. One of the leading European clubs managed to mobilize their efforts in the critical situation. Zoran  Planinic and MVP of the Regular Season Victor Khryapa (who was awarded  the prize by the of  VTB United League Director Andrey Shirokov) once again became the leaders of the team as well as the substitute player Anton Ponkrashov. As a result, CSKA succeed: before the final quarter they leveled the match.
The fourth  ten-minutes period turned out the crucial moment of the match. Both teams had chances to win, the scale waved between two sides, the fate of this battle  depended on every throw, every successful  action of the rival… Eventually success attended CSKA. In the end of the match  the team under the coaching  of Evgeny Pashutin played skillfully, aggressively, convincingly, as it befits to  the leader of European basketball.
«Khimki» were run for equanimity and good fortune. CSKA defeated by a narrow margin: 71:66 and qualified for the final of the tournament.

Lithuanian «Zalgiris» and one more Russian Basketball Club UNICS fighted in the second semifinal. The official opening which preceded the match impressed the fans as well as the game itself. The show was bright, original and at the same time moving with the songs and dance (Russian and Lithuanian), improvised screen from foam plastic on the parquet, flags and fireworks, and welcoming speech of VTB United League management and its title sponsor - VTB Bank. The main characters of that informal part became children dressed in the national costumes (there was a bear with the balalaika among the little actors). The children danced so excitedly that they moved the adult part of the audience.
And then was the game. It was a fascinating, straight-out and intensive game. Expectedly the home zone factor and a thousand army of the «Zalgiris» fans, who gave a deafening support to their favorites, made the play of UNICS is not an easy thing. Nevertheless, the team under the coaching of the famous former player of Kaunas BC Valdemaras Homicius did not lose head.  The players from Kazan stemed the onslaught of the host team and gained the lead with the score 20:12. Meanwhile «Zalgiris» had not left a favour unanswered and organized return attack and dictated their play to their rival in the first half of the match.
In the third quarter UNICS grew bolder and carried an attack. Series of triples plus co-ordinated actions of the defence players (it is enough to say that the leader of «Zalgiris» Marcus Brown did not managed to score not a single point!) allowed Russian club to make a margin- 53:40 on the 27th minute.
«Zalgiris» did not want to put up with such play. In the left time the home players with their fans support strained every nerve to make up lost ground. In the beginning of the last quarter they closed a gap on 7 points, but that day UNICS was obviously stronger. They win because their game was better organized and they had more substitute players than «Zalgiris». The final whistle fixed the win of the Russian team - 75:65. In this manner the final of VTB United League came out Russian: CSKA vs UNICS. «Zalgiris» in its turn will fight with another outsider of the semifinal - «Khimki» - for the bronze medals.