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Enisey, VEF and Astana each came very close to winning individual games, but much like the current NBA playoffs, the favorites march on. CSKA, Zenit and Khimki drew comparisons to the Cavs and Warriors as they swept to the semifinal round.
Lokomotiv-Kuban and UNICS provided more intrigue, with both teams seen as possible title contenders entering the season. But Krasnodar ultimately defended the higher seed, winning three in a row to advance to the next round after losing Game 1 at home.
Loss
Expectations were high for the Lokomotiv – UNICS showdown in the quarterfinals. Despite UNICS playing in the EuroLeague this season, Lokomotiv entered as the favorite, boasting home-court advantage and a much better conclusion to the regular season. That changed quickly when Railwaymen leader Kevin Jones was forced to leave Game 1 with a tailbone fracture only 2:22 into the contest. He was injured on a block attempt, leaving Krasnodar with a much weaker frontcourt over the next week-plus.
Lokomotiv was also missing Matt Janning in the game and never recovered. Evgeny Pashutin spoke prior to the series about how important it would be to steal Loko’s home-court advantage and his team did just that, limiting Krasnodar to 62 points en route to a win.
Activation
Loko center Grigory Shukhovtsev–does everyone remember him?–has filled the role of veteran back-up, getting most of his touches in practice. During the regular season, he played in only six games for a total of 26 minutes.
But after Jones went down, Shukhovtsev shook the cobwebs off his shoes and provided some much-needed depth in the frontcourt. The Russian big man played in each game for a total of more than 40 minutes.
Block
3-Pointers
UNICS finished 1st as a team in three-point shooting (39.6%), while CSKA was 6th (33.8%) during the quarterfinals.
Miss
After Zenit won 15 straight to close the regular season, many expected a lopsided series between St. Petersburg and Riga. But the Latvians held their own, giving the #2 seed a scare in Game 2.
The momentum in the series was decided in a flash. Ignoring the odds, Riga had a chance to force overtime in the final seconds, with Janis Blums taking the final shot. Despite struggling throughout the series and shooting only 1-8 from downtown in Game 2, VEF trusted the veteran with the game on the line. But to the relief of the St. Petersburg fans, his show was off target, allowing Zenit to improve to 2-0 and seal the deal in Latvia a few days later.
Assists
Three players dished out more than 20 assists in the quarterfinals: Stefan Markovic (24), Quino Colom (22) and Anton Ponkrashov (21). Alexey Shved, meanwhile, worked a little magic on the side.
X-Factor
Not Karasev, Toolson, Timma or Markovic. Aaron White led Zenit in scoring against VEF, despite his reputation as a defensive stopper. Nobody, not even Vasily Karasev, likely expected 51 points (17 ppg) from the American forward.
Rematch
Astana returned to the postseason after missing out in 2016, drawing CSKA in the first round in a rematch from 2015. The Army Men’s three-game sweep didn’t surprise anyone, but the Kazakh club played CSKA much tighter this time around, losing by an average of 20.3 points per game instead of 2015’s 43.7-point average margin of defeat.
In recapping the season, Astana general manager Valery Tikhonenko announced that the club would have higher goals next season. If so, the team may want to consider avoiding CSKA in the first round for a third consecutive time.
One For All
Point guard Rob Lowery scored a series-high 51 points for Astana vs. CSKA.
Opportunity
While VEF had a chance in Game 2 with Blums at the buzzer, Enisey could have picked up a win in Game 1. With nothing on the line, Krasnoyarsk lost big to Khimki in the final game of the regular season. The playoffs were a different story. Fighting to protect home-court advantage, Moscow Region was bailed out by Alexey Shved’s magnificent 33 points.
Krasnoyarsk, which only shot 13-24 from the free-throw line in Game 1, also lost star Frank Elegar to injury, joining Alexander Pavlov and Andrey Koshcheev in the training room. Not surprisingly, Khimki cruised the rest of the way, outscoring the underdogs by 28 and 21, respectively, in Games 2 and 3.
Dunk
Usefulness
Alexey Shved posted a quarterfinal best +61 in +/- rating.
War
One of Sasa Obradovic’s assistants announced prophetically that it would be war on the court in Game 2. Loko had no plans to lose two in a row at home, but UNICS was also motivated to seize control of the series. Ian Vougioukas and Latavious Williams were both tossed from the game, while Quino Colom also fouled out. Anton Ponkrashov gave Taylor Rochestie, who scored 17 in the first half, a hard foul. The two teams ultimately combined for 58 fouls, forcing numerous game stoppages and instant replay… Wizards forward Markieff Morris promised Hawks players an MMA-style brawl in the series between Washington and Atlanta. That’s more or less what Krasnodar fans witnessed in Game 2 as the home team emerged battered but victorious to tie the series.
Earning It
Loko was much more aggressive in Game 2, led by Vougioukas, who overcome a shaky debut to draw eight fouls. Overall, Keith Langford drew a quarterfinal-best 29 by Vougioukas with 27.
Return
Loko got a big boost from Janning in Game 3. The sniper helped out Taylor Rochestie on offense, scoring 13 points in the first half to give the visitors a big lead in the pivotal contest.
“We defended poorly today, giving up 83 points and losing a lot of one-on-one battles. We couldn’t take care of their snipers on the perimeter,” – summarized Evgeny Pashutin following the game.
Krasnodar, meanwhile, was able to slow down UNICS star Keith Langford, allowing only 3-12 shooting. Game 3 went to Loko.
Rebounds
UNICS forward Latavious Williams pulled down a quarterfinal-best 29 rebounds.
Prediction
“What do I expect from the series with CSKA? Lokomotiv-Kuban winning 3-0.”
After the decisive third win over UNICS, Obradovic was in a good mood. The Serbian boss had every reason to be happy. Loko came back from a disastrous Game 1, winning a tightly-contested Game 4 to advance to the next round.
Points
81 – number of points scored by Alexey Shved against Enisey (33+26+22).
He averaged 27 points per game in the quarterfinals, smoking the competition. No else averaged more than 20 per game.
Stars
Taylor Rochestie (Lokomotiv-Kuban)
He was the biggest star of the quarterfinals, helping Loko swing the momentum against UNICS and advance. Rochestie took over on offense once Kevin Jones went down, leading the team in scoring in each game. Kazan never found an answer for the American guard.
Alexey Shved (Khimki)
The leading scorer in the quarterfinals was a key factor in his team’s sweep of Enisey.
Aaron White (Zenit)
Always a gritty presence in the frontcourt, White did it all against VEF, leading Zenit in scoring over three games. Riga didn’t have a chance with that kind of production from the American big man.
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