Time and place
Game 1. April 27, 19:30 (Moscow Time), Moscow, Megasport
Game 2. April 29, 19:30 (Moscow Time), Moscow, Megasport
Game 3. May 3, 12:00 (Moscow Time), Krasnoyarsk, Arena Sever
Game 4. May 5, 15:30 (Moscow Time), Krasnoyarsk, Arena Sever*
Game 5. May 8, 19:30 (Moscow Time), Moscow, Megasport*
* – if necessary
Regular Season
CSKA: 1st place (37 wins and 3 losses)
Enisey: 8th place (15 wins and 25 losses)
Season Series
Looking at the raw numbers, it might seem that CSKA easily swept all 4 games against Enisey in the regular season. But that view would be too superficial. Only the second matchup between the teams was relatively smooth sailing for the Moscow team. Back then, the team firmly took the initiative midway through the first quarter, held a comfortable lead by halftime, and ultimately secured a decisive 102-79 win.
In the other games, however, things were surely heated in the CSKA locker room during halftime. After all, the Siberian team battled the Moscow team for a long time and even held the lead. The third game between the teams was the most hard-fought in this regard. On January 28 in Krasnoyarsk, the hosts played without star player Danilo Tasic and was ahead after three quarters. Only the individual brilliance of Casper Ware (31 points) saved CSKA from loss that day—79:66.
In their most recent matchup, the Krasnoyarsk team also stayed in the game until midway through the third quarter, but ultimately fell under a barrage of three-pointers from the Moscow team – 103-70.
Why can CSKA win?
In this season’s matchup against Enisey, the Moscow team has already shown all the strengths that should help to take this series. The individual skill of leaders, a high three-point shooting percentage, roster depth, and home-court advantage—these factors can help CSKA to win. The Moscow team has entered the playoffs in good shape, which must demonstrate in knock out games. The team has 11 wins in 11 games with Andreas Pistiolis as head coach. And the Moscow teamis determined to continue this winning streak.
Why can Enisey win?
The Siberian team faces a very difficult task. But there have been instances in VTB League history where the 8th-seeded team knocked out a previously undefeated favorite in the first round of the playoffs. So Enisey will do everything in its power to achieve a similar result.
The key to success for the Krasnoyarsk team should be bigmen. Danilo Tasic and Egor Ryzhov have performed quite consistently throughout the season and have been the foundation of Enisey’s successful run in the League. As the example of UNICS shows, relying on two frontcourt players can work quite well against CSKA. And the Siberian team will try to apply Kazan team successful experience in quarterfinal series.
Unlike bigmen, Krasnoyarsk team backcourt players had a very inconsistent regular season. And this inconsistency seriously affected the team’s results. In games where the backcourt played up to the potential, Enisey competed and even defeated the top teams. In the opposite case, the Siberian team struggled even in games where it was considered contender. If Sonko, Coleman and Artis enter the playoff series in good shape and with the right mindset, Jovica Arsic team will be able to give CSKA a tough battle.
X-Factor
The three-point shot is likely to be the key factor in this matchup. In the regular season, CSKA led the League in both three-pointers made (11.3 per game on average) and field goal percentage (39.6%). In games against Enisey, however, the Moscow team relied on sharpshooters even more frequently and aggressively. Over 4 games, the team made 59 three-pointers (14.8 per game on average) with a 41.3%.
The teams’ most recent matchup was particularly telling in this regard. Back then, the Moscow team struggled to score for a long time (4 of 17 three–pointers made), which is why CSKA lost the first half. But after halftime, the Moscow team started to score and completely turned the game around.
For the Siberian team, three-pointers are also a major factor. This season, Enisey has lost a number of games largely due to poor three-point shooting. So if the Krasnoyarsk team can simply make its shots, that alone will be a significant boost for the team.
Facts
Under the new format (since the 2014–15 season), CSKA has lost only one game in the quarterfinal series— to Nizhny Novgorod in 2021.
CSKA finished the regular season with a 92.5% win rate—the second-best in the League history. The only better performance came in the 2022/23 season (30-2, 93.8%), when the best regular season ended with the worst playoff performance—CSKA was eliminated in the semifinals.
Enisey will be participating in the VTB United League playoffs for the fifth time (2014, 2017, 2022, 2024). In previous playoff runs, the Krasnoyarsk team has not recorded a single win—11 losses in 11 playoff games.
In all of its time in the VTB League, Enisey has beaten CSKA in Moscow only once—in March 2024, with Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Jeremiah Martin on the roster (74-65).
CSKA has 11 wins in 11 games against Enisey with Andreas Pistolis as head coach.
The Moscow team became the only not to lose a single home game in the regular season—20 wins in 20 games.
CSKA became the highest-scoring team of the regular season for the fourth consecutive time. This season, the Msocow team averaged 93.1 points per game.
CSKA and Enisey each have 2 players who did not miss a single game in the regular season—Ivan Ukhov and Samson Ruzhentsev for CSKA, and Matt Coleman and Dominic Artis for Enisey.
CSKA has not lost a single game in the four regular seasons in which Vladimir Karpenko has played: 60-0 since the 2021-22 season, including 23 wins in the recently ended regular season.
