Where & When
Game 1. SC Yubileyniy, St. Petersburg, Russia. 3:30 PM (3:30 MSK), May 1
Game 2. SC Yubileyniy, St. Petersburg, Russia. 8:00 PM (8:00 MSK), May 3
Game 3. Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia. 5:00 PM (5:00 MSK), May 6
Game 4 (if necessary). Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia. May 6
Game 5 (if necessary). SC Yubileyniy, St. Petersburg, Russia. May 11
Regular Season
Zenit: 2nd place (21-3)
VEF: 7th place (11-13)
Head to Head
Round 1: Zenit – VEF, 90-76
Round 2: VEF – Zenit, 73-82
Backcourt
Markovic – Toolson – Harper – Karasev – Sergeev
vs.
Gaddy – Richard – Blums – Skele – Gordon
During the offseason, St. Petersburg was careful to build a roster that would be able to compete on multiple fronts and not burn out by December. As a result, the club has impressive depth, even when compared to teams like Loko, Khimki and UNICS. That depth is most visible in the backcourt. Zenit brought in playmakers with experience in Europe’s top leagues and an understanding that they would need to push themselves in order for St. Petersburg to break through this season.
Markovic has been a threat to score, while Toolson has shown an ability to distribute the ball, underscoring the team’s versatility at every position. With Karasev dropping down to shooting guard on occasion and ex-Kalev guard Demonte Harper wreaking havoc with his dribble, the St. Petersburg backcourt has caused problems for even the stingiest defense. Pavel Sergeev’s emergence has been the cherry on top, giving Zenit depth at the guard position to rival CSKA.
VEF took a restrained approach during the summer, but as time has shown, the front office was plenty effective. Boss Gailitis created a potent mixture of experience and youth, going small at the same time. Give him credit, it’s been very effective. VEF may not have finished very high in the standings, but they took care of business. Riga even upset Khimki, while testing UNICS and Zenit, not to mention showing some flashes against CSKA. For a team that lost virtually everyone during the summer and relied on a veteran core, it’s an impressive result. You get the feeling Janis Blums isn’t done quite yet, while Alex Gordon could be the energetic guard Riga needs to spark the team in the postseason.
Frontcourt
Timma – White – Landry – Mbakwe – Pushkov – Valiev
vs.
Mejeris – Meiers – Gromovs – Labuckas – Antrops
Even without any dominant centers and a frontcourt packed with 204-207-cm tall big men, St. Petersburg finished second in rebounds in the regular season. Everyone crashed the glass, including Janis Timma, American forward Trevor Mbakwe and even Demonte Harper, who moved to small forward at occasion during his stint in Minsk. Once you add in Markovic’s crafty ability to snag 2-3 rebounds per game, rebounding is clearly a huge value for Zenit.
VEF takes a more direct approach to the paint. Given the team’s preference for a small lineup with plenty of perimeter shooting, the big men are usually on their own. Mejeris, Meiers and Labuckas do most of the work, leaving Riga with little room to experiment. The team’s predictability also makes it easier for opponents to prepare, knowing there won’t be many adjustments in game. That could be a reason VEF finished the regular season with four straight losses and only beat one team with a winning record after New Year’s.
Coach
Vasily Karasev
vs.
Janis Gailitis
Janis Gailitis deserves respect, if nothing else, for his ability to lead VEF to the playoffs despite a losing record. Working with a much smaller budget and limited roster, he put together a strong Latvian contingent and brought in talented, if largely unknown, foreigners. Gailitis’s system has worked for all kinds of players, including those who can only play one position. At the same time, he did a good job distributing playing time and responsibilities. As a result, VEF was in nearly optimal condition for the team’s biggest games.
Nonetheless, he’ll have a tough time against Vasily Karasev. Toughened up by working with a shorthanded Russian national team, the Zenit boss learned how to make the most of any situation. This year, he’s blessed with a balanced, deep roster, with no one averaging more than 27 minutes per game. The point guards and centers work together well, the wings are aggressive, there’s plenty of help defense and everyone understands how to execute on a fast break. To sum up, Karasev’s players know how to meet their coach’s demands, almost intuitively, at times. There are also plenty of playmakers on the team, which makes everything easier. Karasev simply has more options than his Latvian rival.
Bench
There are some big differences between the two teams when it comes to the bench. VEF is generally hoping to stay competitive, at best, when turning to the bench, whereas Zenit looks to introduce new weapons. St. Petersburg basically plays with two full-fledged lineups, whereas VEF looks to give the starters a breather, before bringing them back as soon as possible. At the same time, Riga did add two players over the winter, guard Alex Gordon and forward Gints Antrops, to address the lack of depth.
Star
Sergey Karasev
vs.
Janis Blums
Sergey Karasev only trailed Janis Blums by one point in the scoring race during the regular season, but he played two fewer games, indicating he’s got room to grow as a scorer. In this upcoming match-up, expect the versatile Russian national team forward to play at his max ability and win the duel with Janis Blums.
For his part, Riga’s most experienced player will try to inflict damage on Zenit from the perimeter. Blums is extremely dangerous from outside. Though he lost narrowly to Karasev in the Three-Point Contest in Sochi, he can be lethal when he’s hot. Blums knows how to feint and cut to get open, plus he’s got a lightning-quick trigger. Often, he’s the spark that gets the offense moving again and keeps the team’s hopes alive.
X-Factor
Aaron White
vs.
Abdul Gaddy
For Zenit, Aaron White could be the unexpected star of the series. He’s got a challenging job in the paint and rarely draws attention, but White pulled down a combined 25 rebounds in two games against VEF this season, helping Zenit to a 2-0 record.
VEF will have a tough time finding someone who can make as big of an impact. But we’ll go out on a limb and say Abdul Gaddy. First, he’s the only Riga perimeter player who can slow down Zenit’s ball movement thanks to physical man-t0-man defense. Second, he’s more accurate passing the ball than fellow guard Kris Richard, who almost always looks to score the ball.
