Krasnodar vs. Kazan, Mardy Collins vs. Keith Langford, Sasa Obradovic vs. Evgeny Pashutin.
Where & When
Game 1: Basket Hall, Krasnodar, Russia. 8:00 PM (8:00 MSK), May 5
Game 2: Basket Hall, Krasnodar, Russia. 4:00 PM (4:00 MSK), May 7
Game 3: Basket Hall, Kazan, Russia. 7:00 PM (7:00 MSK), May 10
Game 4: Basket Hall, Kazan, Russia. May 12 (if necessary)
Game 5: Basket Hall, Krasnodar, Russia. May 15 (if necessary)
Regular Season
Lokomotiv-Kuban: 4th place (19-5)
UNICS: 5th place (15-9)
Head-to-Head
Round 1: Lokomotiv-Kuban – UNICS, 75-64
Round 2: UNICS – Lokomotiv-Kuban, 77-83
Backcourt
Khvostov – Rochestie – Baburin – Janning – Zakharov
vs.
Colom – Ponkrashov – Langford – Andjusic – Voronov
To a certain extent, Krasnodar and Kazan’s backcourts demonstrate two contrasting philosophies: “quantity vs. quality”.
Quino Colom and Keith Langford are top-5 in the League at their positions and have a huge impact on everything UNICS does. Most of the team’s offense runs through the backcourt duo (15.3 points, 8.4 assists from Colom; 19.0 points, 3.6 assists from Langford). Though there are several other talented guards on the roster, Quino and Keith each average more than 30 minutes per game. Don’t expect any changes in the playoffs. Veteran Anton Ponkrashov is probably the only guard that will see significant playing time off the bench. It’s almost impossible to stop both UNICS leaders at the same time, but if they can be slowed down, Kazan could be in trouble.
Lokomotiv has a more equal distribution of roles and talent. Dmitry Khvostov and Taylor Rochestie handle the ball, playing about 20 minutes each. Khvostov focuses on setting up teammates and defense, while Rochestie looks to attack. Evgeny Baburin and Matt Janning stretch the defense and can make opposing defenses pay when hot. Krasnodar doesn’t have a clear-cut leader in the backcourt: Everything depends on the opponent and immediate circumstances.
Frontcourt
Collins – Broekhoff – Zubkov – Ivlev – Jones – Vougioukas
vs.
Clark – Kaimakoglou – Panin – Antipov – Williams – Banic – Parakhouski
Loko’s frontcourt has an outsized impact and not just because of its size. Kuban’s big men are extremely versatile and always make life difficult for the opposing defense. Take, for example, point-forward Mardy Collins, elite 3&D wing Ryan Broekhoff, stretch “4” Andrey Zubkov, post king Ian Vougioukas and leading scorer and defensive stopper Kevin Jones. Sasa Obradovic’s biggest problem is spreading the playing time around and making sure each player gets enough touches. He generally succeeds.
UNICS’s frontcourt doesn’t have the same depth and has struggled with consistency. Artsiom Parakhouski has been the most reliable, but the same cannot be said about his teammates, who have dealt with frequent injuries and inconsistent performances. At the same time, UNICS desperately needs production from the frontcourt if and when Langford and Colom run into trouble. In each of Kazan’s two losses to Kuban during the regular season, Parakhouski scored only four points, while Jones (15) and Vougioukas (21) led Lokomotiv in scoring, respectively. That can’t happen again in the quarterfinals.
Coach
Sasa Obradovic vs. Evgeny Pashutin
Sasa Obradovic rescued Lokomotiv’s season after a disastrous start and Fotios Katsikaris’s firing in November. Under the Serb, Loko has become more disciplined and plays with more desire. Kuban has the League’s top defense, went on a big winning steak during the regular season and is a legitimate threat to win the title. Obradovic runs a tight ship and keeps everything under control in Krasnodar.
Kazan, meanwhile, has been headed the opposite direction. UNICS started strong, but injuries and fatigue have made for a rough 2017. At times, it looked like Pashutin was losing control of the team. But Kazan has had three weeks to prepare for the playoffs and we’ll see soon if that has changed. Should UNICS struggle in the quarterfinals, Pashutin’s future in Kazan could be in doubt.
Bench
Kazan’s lack of depth, given the EuroLeague grind and numerous injuries, proved disastrous during the regular season. The club simply wasn’t ready to withstand the six-month marathon made even more tiring due to the constant travel. Everyone is now rested and healthy, though Pashutin is still likely to use a short rotation and rely on his stars, especially considering the stakes.
In that sense, Loko is much more intriguing. Krasnodar’s strength lies in the fact that it doesn’t have a clear-cut leader. Anyone can take over at a moment’s notice, including someone off the bench. Rochestie, Zubkov, Collins are not typical reserves, they just happen to start the game on the bench. In basketball, it’s more important who finishes the game.
Star
Kevin Jones vs. Keith Langford
Jones and Langford have very different leadership styles: Let’s call them the Kazan Kobe Bryant and Kuban Tim Duncan. Langford has long been one of Europe’s top one-on-one players and is always at the center of attention. He’s focused on scoring points and pushes everyone on the team to get better because of his own drive to win.
Kuban’s big man isn’t quite as flashy, but also has a huge impact. Kevin manages to lead the Red-Greens in scoring (13.7 per game), while playing a leading role on defense and setting an example for everyone else on the court.
For obvious reasons, these two stars won’t match up on the court. But it will be interesting to see which leadership style, and which player, emerges on top in the quarterfinals.
X-Factor
Mardy Collins vs. Pavel Antipov.
It’s been a while since Loko has been able to enjoy the value that Collins brings to the table. After missing a month to injury, he only scored two points apiece in his first two games back. But we could see the old Mardy on the court in the playoffs. The swingman can do it all: Drive the paint and score over big men or punish slower defenders with the pull-up jumper. Collins also helps run the offense on occasion and isn’t afraid to take big shots. During the playoffs, he’s the type of player that often has an outsized impact.
Kazan has someone who closely mirrors Collins: both in skill and experience, as well as health–Kostas Kaimakoglou. But he hasn’t played since February when he broke a finger. It’s unclear what kind of shape Kaimakoglou is in right now and whether or not he’ll have an impact.
But UNICS fans shouldn’t despair. Since Kaimakoglou’s injury, Pavel Antipov has taken advantage of extended playing time. The Russian national team candidate is averaging 25 minutes per game since February 5, cementing Kazan’s defense and averaging 5.6 three-point attempts per game. If he can be a little more accurate, Antipov could be the X-factor UNICS so desperately needs and relieve some of the pressure on Langford and Colom.
