Moscow vs. Krasnodar, Milos Teodosic vs. Taylor Rochestie, Dimitris Itoudis vs. Sasa Obradovic.
Where & When
Game 1. USH CSKA, Moscow, Russia. 7:30 PM (7:30 MSK), May 26
Game 2. USH CSKA, Moscow, Russia. 5:30 PM (5:30 MSK), May 28
Game 3. Basket Hall, Krasnodar, Russia. 8:00 PM (8:00 MSK), May 31
Game 4. Basket Hall, Krasnodar, Russia. June 2 (if necessary)
Game 5. USH CSKA, Moscow, Russia. June 5 (if necessary)
Regular Season
CSKA: 1st place (22-2)
Lokomotiv-Kuban: 4th place (19-5)
Head-to-Head
Round 1: Lokomotiv-Kuban – CSKA, 83-74
Round 2: CSKA – Lokomotiv-Kuban, 83-77
CSKA’s Strength
The Army Men compete for championships and that philosophy permeates the club’s strategy from top to bottom. Perhaps CSKA’s greatest asset is its roster depth. The Red-Blues had their ups and downs this season, but defeats were rarely the result of a fatigued starting lineup or lack of production from the bench. Dimitris Itoudis is a master at managing minutes and deploying creative lineups. Even when CSKA struggles to execute a game plan, the team is usually able to react and exploit an opponent’s weaknesses over the course of 40 minutes.
41, 46, 54 – that’s how many points CSKA’s bench scored in the Astana series compared to 36, 48, 37 from the starters. The reigning VTB United League champions are without question the most balanced team in the league, advancing to the semifinals without trouble despite the absence of superstar Milos Teodosic.
Lokomotiv’s Strength
Loko’s resources are much more modest and the Railwaymen were forced to play most of the quarterfinals without Kevin Jones, while Mardy Collins and Matt Janning both fought through injuries. Not surprisingly, Loko suffered a setback in Game 1 against UNICS. But Krasnodar bounced back in impressive fashion, relying on League-leading defense (70.3 points allowed per game) to limit Kazan to less than 80 points in each of the final three games.
Loko’s super physical, and, more importantly, super athletic defense could cause issues for the Army Men. If the Railwaymen can slow down CSKA’s offense, much like Olympiacos in the EuroLeague Final Four, this series could prove more competitive than expected.
CSKA’s Weakness
The Red-Blues don’t appear to have any weaknesses. But as several games in the United League and EuroLeague demonstrated, there are a few vulnerabilities. For all of CSKA’s creative genius, Nando De Colo and Milos Teodosic bear much of the burden on offense, and neither player particularly enjoys physical, hard-nosed match-ups.
Loko was able to stymie Kazan’s offense, using Evgeny Pashutin’s own weapon against him. CSKA’s leaders may also struggle with Loko’s sheer physicality, in which case veterans like Victor Khryapa and Kyle Hines will need to step up their scoring.
Loko’s Weakness
We’ve already talked about Loko’s limited options on the bench. While Sasa Obradovic could compensate during the series against UNICS with elevated effort and stifling defense, CSKA won’t be as easy to overcome. Evgeny Baburin noted following the first round that Loko sometimes used five guys to defend Langford, a strategy CSKA’s perimeter shooters would love to test. But Krasnodar will need to find a way to slow down De Colo. Kevin Jones’s injury could also have a big effect on the series. CSKA may have an imbalance between the frontcourt and backcourt, but without Jones, Loko will have a much harder time taking advantage.
CSKA’s X-Factor
Sasa Obradovic showed impressive flexibility against UNICS, utilizing veteran Grigory Shukhovtsev, sticking Broekhoff and Collins at power forward, etc. The changes, though largely successful, were born out of necessity and CSKA will likely be able to take advantage of a weakened Loko frontcourt. Kyle Hines will play a key role. The broad-shouldered Army Man does an incredible amount of dirty work and will get the green light against Loko. Krasnodar came out on top despite poor rebounding against UNICS, but while Parakhouski and Williams did not maximize the advantage on the glass, CSKA has far more options, beginning with superior perimeter defense. By forcing their opponent to shoot from outside, Moscow could dominate even more on the boards. Loko’s going to have a tough time getting inside, despite Ian Vougioukas’s skill down low.
Loko’s X-Factor
Kuban didn’t shoot very well from outside during the regular season, averaging 36.4%, while taking the fewest attempts of any team in the League, 82 less than 12th-ranked UNICS. Excluding Game 1 against UNICS, however, Krasnodar had excellent success on the perimeter in the quarterfinals, shooting above 40%. Taylor Rochestie led the way, bumping his scoring average from 10.6 per game in the regular season to 19.8 over four games against Kazan. It’s unclear whether the American can keep up his production in the semifinals, but the Army Men will need to be prepared for an energized and red-hot Rochestie.
Interesting Facts
– One of CSKA’s key players, Nikita Kurbanov, enjoyed a breakthrough season with Loko in 2014-15.
– CSKA center Pavel Korobkov is a Loko product and won two youth MVPs in Krasnodar
– Loko center Grigory Shukhovtsev won the 2013-14 United League with CSKA
– Ian Vougioukas played for Panathinaikos from 2010-12 when Dimitris Itoudis was an assistant to Zeljko Obradovic.
– Lokomotiv-Kuban and CSKA are the top two defensive teams in the League (70.3 and 74.3 ppg allowed, respectively).
– Loko and CSKA (as well as Khimki) share 2nd place for most road wins (10-2).
– Krasnodar is one of CSKA’s most uncomfortable opponents in the League. The Army Men are 12-7 all-time, but Krasnodar has won four of the last seven meetings.
– There were 16 lead changes in the most recent game between these two teams. CSKA ended up handing Loko its first loss since Sasa Obradovic took over, snapping a 13-game winning streak.
Quotes
Lokomotiv-Kuban head coach Sasa Obradovic:
– The team feels confident, especially after the series with UNICS. We’ll see how well we’re able to prepare. It’s not just about strategy, but also mental preparation. We need to be ready for everything. The first games won’t be easy for anyone. They say that with such strong rivalries, being the favorite is not necessarily an advantage. I hope we are able to control the game and play good basketball throughout the entire contest.
CSKA head coach Dimitris Itoudis:
– We are beginning the semifinals and understand the importance of the upcoming games. We’ll focus on the first game.
