Moscow vs. Moscow Region, Nando De Colo and Milos Teodosic vs. Alexey Shved, Dimitris Itoudis vs. Dusko Ivanovic.
Where & When
Game 1. USH CSKA, Moscow, Russia. 7:30 PM (7:30 MSK), June 8
Game 2. USH CSKA, Moscow, Russia. 5:00 PM (5:00 MSK), June 10
Game 3. BCMO, Khimki, Russia. 7:30 PM (7:30 MSK), June 13
Game 4. BCMO, Khimki, Russia. June 15 (if necessary)
Game 5. USH CSKA, Moscow, Russia. June 18 (if necessary)
Regular Season
CSKA: 1st place (22-2)
Khimki: 3rd place (19-5)
Head-to-Head
Round 1: CSKA – Khimki, 95-79
Round 2: Khimki – CSKA, 70-92
+ CSKA
Even before the semifinal series with Loko–CSKA’s first serious postseason test–it was tough to find a weakness in the Army Men’s game. Nothing changed. Playing against the League’s top defensive team, CSKA played three very different games, but secured a win each time, demonstrating its ability to adapt to any style of play and thrive in any environment (from an up-tempo 101-95 win in Game 1 to a defensive battle in Game 2, 74-66).
CSKA’s depth and flexibility explains how the Army Men seemingly go along with an opponent’s style of play in the early going, but dictate the terms in the end. That could lay the foundation for another title against Khimki. Moscow Region is not exactly blessed with numerous options on offense. If, for example, Zenit’s big men often left their guards to defend Shved & co. single-handed, then CSKA’s excellent help defense in the frontcourt won’t allow as much freedom. Overall, the Red-Blues may be the only team in the United League (and one of a select few in Europe), without a clearly-defined star and signature approach. Take, for example, Zenit’s quick pace, Khimki’s iso and Loko’s defensive skill. CSKA’s key feature is the team’s ability to transform every minute, if necessary.
+ Khimki
Moscow Region didn’t just play its best playoff basketball against Zenit; it also provided a lot of food for thought. The first factor would be the team’s toughness. Khimki managed to pull out a series despite trailing 2-0 and not making many changes. Dusko Ivanovic’s strict adherence to the pre-game plan is perhaps the biggest takeaway from the semifinals.
Zenit was second only to CSKA in depth and roster flexibility in the League. Khimki’s strategies against the Army Men were already tested by Dusko Ivanovic against St. Petersburg. Aware that his team wouldn’t be able to compete with Zenit’s constant improvisation, the Moscow Region boss simplified his team’s approach to the max and assigned strict roles to each player. Calling Khimki a one-man show may seem unfair to many players on the team, but that’s Ivanovic’s goal and the model that brought the team to the finals and ensured a berth in the EuroLeague. Simplicity and reason: Those are Khimki’s calling cards. Disciplined teams have been known to upset squads with greater skill. With the help of hard, physical play, contact, simple pick-and-rolls, enforcing a slower tempo and battling on the boards: That’s how Khimki was able to overcome St. Petersburg. It could be a factor once more against CSKA.
CSKA’s X-factor
The Army Men have been unstoppable so far in the playoffs, making it difficult to single out an X-factor–in other words, an individual player who can rescue the team when needed. Even so, should it happen, Vitaly Fridzon is your man. Both in the regular season and postseason, the Russian guard has been solid. He’s outscoring all of CSKA’s highly-regarded foreign players (not counting the De Colo-Teodosic superduo, of course). He’s also shooting an elite 52.4% from beyond the arc in the playoffs.
Khimki’s X-factor
Alongside the magnificent Shved, Marko Todorovic has established himself as a team leader in the playoffs. He’s second in scoring (12.9 ppg), ahead of even E.J. Rowland. His hard-nosed approach in the paint, meanwhile, helped him dominate Zenit’s frontcourt. The Shved-Todorovic pick-and-roll runs smoothly every time, giving Khimki a reliable option on offense. CSKA will have to work hard to polish its pick-and-roll defense if it wants to keep Khimki from running wild.
Match-up
Alexey Shved vs. Nando De Colo
At the end of the day, you have to admit: Khimki never would have advanced to the finals against CSKA without Shved’s productivity. The regular-season MVP is averaging 27.2 ppg, five more than he did over the first 6+ months of the season. Opponents are fouling him more, the assist-turnover ratio has greatly improved and his shooting percentage has only gone up with each new shot (typically percentages decline with more attempts). Overall, Khimki’s entire offense runs through Shved and it’s no secret to anyone.
But that dependence could play into CSKA’s hands. Zenit squeaked out a win in Game 2 by limiting Shved’s efficiency (6-22) and shutting him down in the final minutes. With the Russian guard out of commission, no one else was able to step up in Moscow Region and take on a leadership role. Isolating Shved is the first step for an opponent. The other issue is that there are very few defensive specialists in Europe that could shut Shved down when he’s hot. CSKA, like others before them, will need to depend on team-centric defense and helping each other out.
Moscow’s offense is another story. De Colo and Teodosic present the primary threat, which makes it difficult to predict who will take the lead against Shved and in the VTB United League. The stats back it up. The duo had nearly identical impacts in the series with Loko. Still, Frenchman De Colo would likely feel more comfortable in a physical, grind-it-out game.
Interesting Facts
– Moscow Region head coach Dusko Ivanovic and Dimitris Itoudis’ assistant at CSKA Darryl Midletown have worked together since their playing days, including a joint stint at Girona in 1992.
– Many players will be playing against their former team: Alexey Shved, Sergey Monia, Egor Vyaltsev, Dmitry Sokolov, Valery Likhodei all wore the Red and Blue once. In addition, Khimki youngster Timofey Yakushin came over from CSKA. The Army Men have a more modest collection of ex-Khimki players, but Vitaly Fridzon is a pretty good one to have. James Augustine also used to play for Khimki.
– 850 days since Khimki’s last win over CSKA.
– Overall, this is one of the oldest rivalries in the United League. The two teams have played 21 times, with CSKA posting a 15-6 record.
– Two years ago, during the 2014-15 season, these two teams met in the finals. The Army Men proved better.
– E.J. Rowland played at Banvit in 2013-14 under Dimitris Itoudis.
– 12 cm – the height difference between starting centers Marko Todorovic and Kyle Hines.
Quotes
CSKA head coach Dimitris Itoudis:
– The finals are the finals. It’s the culmination of a season and we worked all year to have the home-court advantage now. We are facing games against a very serious opponent: Khimki proved that by winning the series with Zenit, despite trailing 2-0. We’ll go from game to game. We’re calling on our fans to come and help the team.
Khimki head coach Dusko Ivanovic:
– These are the finals and anything could happen. It’s obvious to everyone that CSKA is the favorite. The Army Men play good basketball, which allowed them to finish the regular season in 1st place. But we think we have a chance and we’re going to fight for it. We need to forget about all of our physical and mental problems and focus exclusively on the game, so that we’re able to play all 40 minutes at our max.
