In the best-of-five semi-final series Lokomotiv-Kuban will face UNICS.
Where and When
May 18, 2021, 19:30 msk, Krasnodar, Basket Hall
May 20, 2021, 20:30 msk, Krasnodar, Basket Hall
May 23, 2021, 17:00 msk, Kazan, Basket Hall
May 25, 2021, 19:30 msk, Kazan, Basket Hall*
May 29, 2021, 15:00 msk, Krasnodar, Basket Hall*
* – if necessary
Regular season
Lokomotiv-Kuban: 2nd (18 wins and 6 defeats)
UNICS: 3rd (18 wins and 6 defeats)
Regular season head-to-head meetings
Lokomotiv defeated UNICS twice in the regular season, earning a higher tie for first place. The first meeting took place on November 1, 2020, in Krasnodar. The Red and Green managed to erase a 13-point deficit and outscore their opponent in the closing stages, 93-81. The April 25 game wrapped up the regular marathon and decided who would finish in second place. UNICS, which had already guaranteed its place in the top three, played with half reserves before the EuroCup finals and didn’t put up much of a fight, falling, 99-78.
Last March’s Eurocup quarterfinal series, in which UNICS won 2-1 (94-88, 74-86, 82-78), was the first step on the road to the finals and a trip to the Euroleague.
Why Lokomotiv-Kuban can win the series?
Lokomotiv maintained their momentum from the regular season and they’re still in good shape. The team has an 11-game winning streak in the VTB League, which probably gives the Kuban a lot of confidence in their abilities. Their last loss in the League was back on January 31, when the Red and Green lost to Zenit. The club’s last loss, including the EuroCup, was also seen by fans as “long ago and not true” – it took place on March 31 in Kazan. Loko’s good readiness is confirmed by their series with Khimki. With Khimki, Krasnodar failed twice in the second half (14-30 and 23-29), but they rebounded and improved quickly after the break (53-33 at home in the second half and 47-33 at BCMO).
In that same quarter, Nigel Williams-Goss and Kevin Hervey showed cosmic form. The guard had 20 points and 11 assists in the first game and then updated his personal best performance in the League in the second game with 30 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Hervey was very good in Krasnodar, but he shined in Khimki with 28 points, 6 rebounds and 6 steals (a League record for the season). Loko’s stars showed that they can make the playoffs. Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Drew Gordon should not be forgotten either.
Last, but not least, Lokomotiv has home court advantage. That could be the deciding factor in the series between two evenly matched teams. You don’t have to go far to find an example: In the recent EuroCup series, UNICS took the lead thanks to two home victories. It should be noted that Krasnodar looks very strong in the VTB League in Kazan’s Basket Hall. UNICS’ last win over Lokomotiv at home took place long ago – on October 14, 2018.
Why UNICS can win the series?
UNICS has already beaten Lokomotiv in a playoff series this season, on their way to the EuroCup finals. In addition, this time Krasnodar club may be without their leader, regular-season MVP Mantas Kalnietis, who missed the entire quarterfinals because of injury. The Khimki team had enough strength, depth and skill to overcome a weakened opponent, but will they have enough against a stronger, more grounded UNICS? Against two opponents at the same level, the loss of one key player could prove disastrous.
Despite the fact that Lokomotiv, compared to UNICS, had an extra day off, the quarterfinal series demanded more energy from the Kubans than from Kazan, who dominated their game against Zielona Gora without overloading their leaders and evenly distributing their workload. As for Loko’s leading players, Williams-Goss barely left the court in the quarterfinals, while Kuzminskas, Hervey and Gordon played an average of more than 30 minutes.
Okaro White has been in great shape. In the quarterfinals against Zielona Gora he had 23 points and 5 rebounds, as well as 15+10 with 5 of 12 from the field in the away game. All that said, Kazan’s strength is that anyone can shoot on the court in a single game. Jamar Smith, Isaiah Canaan and John Brown deserve special attention in that regard.
Another reason for Evgeny Pashutin to worry is the threat from beyond the arc. UNICS is second this season in average 3-point percentage (38.66%, 259 shooting). Lokomotiv, on the other hand, is in 11th place (35.58%, 185 shots). The White-Green’s ruthless sniper brigade once again proved itself in the series with Zielona Gora: 11-of-26, 42% in game one and 12-of-23, 52% in game two.
X-factor
Drew Gordon.
UNICS lost their starting center Jordan Morgan in April. Artem Klimenko is trying his best to make up for that loss, playing well and posting decent statistical numbers. Still, Morgan’s absence has weakened the White-Green. That’s particularly troubling for the Kazan crowd in the face of a strong Lokomotiv frontcourt, in which Drew Gordon, who is very mobile and energetic at 111 kilograms, is the main player.
UNICS has “Mr. Lock” John Brown, but with Kuzminskas and Hervey present, he has enough work to do without Gordon, whose brief periods of absence are aided by the enormous Reggie Lynch. The best rebounding team of the season (37.8 average per game vs. 33.9, 7th place for Kazan) has a good chance to control the board throughout the semifinals. The club from Tatarstan will spend a tremendous amount of attention and energy containing Williams-Goss, Hervey and Kuzminskas. The pigtailed Krasnodar center, against whom the White and Green squad has no equivalent, is poised to collect a double-double in every game and possibly play a key role in his team’s success.
Comments
Lokomotiv-Kuban head coach Evgeny Pashutin:
– We saw how tough the games against Khimki were, so we expect the same physical contact in the semifinals, because it’s the playoffs. We must regain our form not only physically, but also mentally and get in the best shape possible for this semifinal battle. We must be ready for the power play, which UNICS is always trying to impose, control the rebounding, stay focused for all 40 minutes of the game, play smart on offense and play defense. You have to limit the opponent’s shooters and not allow them to attack freely. It is understandable that they will make their shots but our task is to make these shots hard and contested. We’ll play the first games of the series at home, so of course we’ll do everything we can to win. Our goal in this game is to advance to the finals; we will mobilize all our strength and energy to beat UNICS. We’re expecting the fans at the game; we know they’ll be rooting for us and we’ll do everything we can to please them with good basketball.
UNICS head coach Dimitrios Priftis:
– We reached the semifinals without home-court advantage. And for that reason, Lokomotiv looks like the favorite in this series. We have a few injuries that we need to control, but we’re going to Krasnodar to fight for the best result. It will be a tough series, and we have to play with energy and confidence.
