In the best-of-three quarterfinal series CSKA will face Nizhny Novgorod.
Where and When
Game 1. May 11, 19:30 msk, Moscow, USH CSKA
Game 2. May 13, 19:30 msk, Nizhny Novgorod, CEC Nagorny
Game 3. May 15, 15:00 msk, Moscow, USH CSKA*
* — if necessary
Regular season
CSKA: 4th (17 wins and 7 defeats)
Nizhny Novgorod: 5th (14 wins и 10 defeats)
Regular season head-to-head meetings
The game between Nizhny Novgorod and CSKA was the first game in the United League in 2021: The Army team traveled to the city on Volga on January 3. Ironically, Nizhny Novgorod were the front-runners: Zoran Lukic’s team finished second in the standings, 7 wins in 8 games, overtaking CSKA.
The first half proved that the teams can indeed play even basketball. But two baskets by Moscow, 11-3 by Hackett and Schengelia and 6-0 by Hilliard, gave CSKA a 16-point lead and virtually eliminated any questions about the winner by the end of the third quarter.
Nizhny played its worst offensive game of the season at the time, scoring only 63 points in 40 minutes. There was an explanation for this: Offense leader Anton Astapkovich missed the game due to injury.
Their second game was held on the final day of the regular season and had no impact on the final standings: CSKA remained in fourth place, while Nizhny Novgorod was in fifth. Considering that both squads were facing tough playoff appearances in the Euroleague and Champions League, respectively, the coaches gave their young players an opportunity to shine.
For example, Ilya Platonov, Aleksander Chadov and Timofey Gerasimov were named to the starting lineup, while Andrey Lopatin was named to CSKA’s starting five. Despite the friendly status of the game, which Zoran Lukic gave the visitors in the postgame conference, the game was tight, and CSKA won in the final seconds: Semen Antonov made up for two missed free throws and knocked down Ivan Strebkov’s block shot, preventing the Volga club from taking the win.
Why CSKA can win the series?
Despite the fact that the teams finished the regular season on neighboring places in the standings, CSKA is the clear favorite to win in two. There are several reasons for that, one of which is the quality of the players and the strength of the Army team. At the end of April, CSKA reaffirmed its status as one of the best teams in Europe, reaching the Euroleague quarterfinals without a loss to the fearsome Fenerbahce.
CSKA had Nikola Milutinov injured and released Mike James to the NBA, but Dimitris Itoudis still has a sizeable roster with at least two players for every position. Nizhny Novgorod, on the other hand, suffered an injury of Alexander Gankevich, causing problems under the basket, which were already evident in the Champions League Final Eight quarterfinal game against Zaragoza.
In addition, all the speculation about the Army team’s weakness caused by James’ departure seems unfounded in the light of their play in the Euroleague playoffs. Iffe Lundberg is slowly adjusting to his new level of play, while Will Clyburn has been reminded in recent games of his 2019 season.
CSKA also has the stats on its side. The teams have met 25 times in the United League, but Moscow have lost only two of them. The NN’s last win over the Army team dates back to 2015, when Semen Antonov played for Nizhny Novgorod. The teams have met in the playoffs in three seasons, and Nizhny has never managed to defeat CSKA in at least one game.
Why Nizhny Novgorod can win the series?
“I never would have thought that with fifth place and the best result we’ve had recently, we’d be facing CSKA in the quarterfinals”, said Sergey Panov, the general manager of Nizhny Novgorod.
Nizhny Novgorod is certainly not the front-runner for the first game in the series, but being the underdog helps Zoran Lukic’s team. Many believe the Army team will win the series, especially after Novgorod went down in the first game of the Champions League Final Eight, while CSKA’s inability to advance to the semifinals would be viewed as nothing short of a failure. And the lack of pressure from the public will help Nizhny Novgorod approach the series more relaxed.
In addition, the Army team will have a very difficult month: May 11 will begin their quarterfinal series against Volga, and on May 25 they’ll need to be in Cologne for the Euroleague Final Four. If they win the VTB League quarterfinals, CSKA will also need to win the semifinals. The Moscow team will likely try to save their energy wherever possible, while Nizhny Novgorod will try to take advantage of it.
X-factor
Andrei Vorontsevich
The Nizhny Novgorod forward knows as well as anyone what the Army team is like in the playoffs. At the very least, that’s because he spent his entire United League career prior to this fall with CSKA Moscow.
Nizhny Novgorod has a leader in Kasey Shepherd, a strong offensive player in Anton Astapkovich and one of the best defensive players in the league in Evgeny Baburin. Andrey Vorontsevich is the most experienced player in Zoran Lukic’s rotation, and it will be his play against his former team that could change the balance of power in this series.
