In the best-of-three quarterfinal series UNICS will face Zielona Gora.
Where and When
Game 1. Russia, Kazan, Basket Hall, May 12, 19:00 UNICS vs Zielona Gora
Game 2. Poland, Zielona Gora, May 14, 20:00 Zielona Gora vs UNICS
Game 3. Russia, Kazan, Basket Hall, May 16, 17:00 UNICS vs Zielona Gora*
* – if necessary
Regular season
UNICS: 3rd (18 wins и 6 defeats)
Zielona Gora: 6th (13 wins и 11 defeats)
Regular season head-to-head
The Green Derby in the United League this season exceeded the expectations. In the first game in November, Zielona Gora were leading almost all game long, and even after UNICS’ 17-poins comeback the Poles managed to get the win, franchise first over Kazan.
It was the game, when Iffe Lundberg showed his first performance that became one of the brightest of the season. That day, the guard scored 32 points, 8 of them were clutch.
The second meeting was two months later, with little difference in the heat from the previous one. Once again UNICS allowed Zielona Gora to regain a double-digit lead, but ended up with a 6-point gap. This time it was Jamar Smith, who scored on three consecutive possessions and made his last shot with just 9 seconds left to put UNICS ahead, 65-64. On Iffe’s next possession, Lundberg couldn’t bring Gora to victory.
Jamar CLUTCH Smith 🚨 pic.twitter.com/T4w23D0WEl
— VTB League (@VTBUL) January 6, 2021
Why can UNICS win the series?
Kazan are the clear front-runners in this series until 2 wins. They benefit from home-field advantage, roster size and experience in similar series. They have several top players on the roster who can take the lead if necessary – Isaiah Canaan and Jamar Smith proved that more than once during the season.
In addition, UNICS has much more time to prepare for the game. Dimitrios Priftis’ team played their last game on April 30, while Zielona Gora only finished their final game of the Polish championship on Thursday. Gora played six games in 11 days and was the vice-champion of its country. Immediately after the Polish final, Zan Tabak’s team would fly to Kazan and play in the VTB League with the opponent of an entirely different level.
UNICS also has the stats on their side. Kazan play better defense at home, allowing just 70.1 points per game, their best mark in five years. Considering the transfer of Zielona Gora’s best scorer, Iffe Lundberg to CSKA, that could be the deciding factor in the series.
Why can Zielona Gora win the series?
Zielona Gora in the 2020/21 season is an absolutely unique team. In the course of the championship, the Poles experienced the departure of Iffe Lundberg and Marcel Ponitka, signed and immediately lost guard Nikos Pappas due to injury, played almost 70 games in three tournaments – but still remain the same, sustaining this incredible pace.
Much of the credit goes to Zan Tabak, the Croatian coach has managed to get his players properly tuned for a difficult season and has had a key influence on Zielona Gora’s game. Can the coach figure out how to handle this UNICS, which has already proven its worth going to the Euroleague?
Zielona Gora has a chance. The team has shown that they are ready to play defense in Kazan – in January, the Poles lost on the road only due to a clutch basket by Jamar Smith. True, Iffe Lundberg can no longer be counted on, but another guard – Adam Smith – will try to replace him. Forward Rolands Freimanis was honored the day before as the best sixth player of the season – the Latvian will certainly be a problem for UNICS.
Much will depend on Zielona Gora’s physical condition: Whether they can regain strength in time for May 12, after an exhausting final series of the Polish championship. But the psychological factor will probably be on the Polish team’s side: no one’s expecting heroics from the sixth team of the season, which, in addition, had a pretty poor showing in the regular season, and that will only benefit Zielona Gora.
X-factor: centers’ duel
Geoffrey Groselle is one of the best centers in the League and along with Rolands Freimanis is the leader of Zielona Gora. The loss of the red-haired giant cost the Poles fifth place in the standings, and he will serve as the leader of their offense in the series with UNICS.
Another problem for UNICS is that their starting center, Jordan Morgan, missed the Eurocup finals against Monaco because of an injury. There’s no word on whether Morgan will be ready to return to the floor in the series with Zielona Gora, and UNICS may have some problems in the paint without him.
Dimitrios Priftis does have Russian Artem Klimenko and “Mr. Lock-2021” John Brown III, but will that be enough to stop Groselle, who is scoring nearly 15 points per game and claims the season MVP title?
