CSKA will face Lokomotiv Kuban in the Semifinals up to 4 wins.
Series Schedule
Game 1 – April 15th, Moscow
Game 2 – April 17, Moscow
Game 3 – April 20, Krasnodar
Game 4 – April 22, Krasnodar
Game 5* – April 25th, Moscow
Game 6* – April 28, Krasnodar
Game 7* – May 1st, Moscow
* – if necessary
Regular Season
CSKA: 1st place (30 wins and 2 losses)
Lokomotiv Kuban: 5th place (17 wins and 15 losses)
Rivalry
The rivalry history between CSKA and Lokomotiv Kuban is pretty interesting. Loko is one of the few teams that ables to beat the Army team occasionally.
This season hasn’t been quite as usual: Lokomotiv has not been able to oppose CSKA at all. The Krasnodar team lost only once with not a huge difference out of 4 games. In that game on December 16, the Moscow team was without Nikola Milutinov and Alexey Shved, but still looked better and created a comfortable lead at the right time. The first game happened on October 13 in Krasnodar. Loko had a good start, but the guests came back in the second quarter and kept up the pressure in the third quarter, eventually winning 84:64.
The last thing Lokomotiv fans want to remember is the game on February 10. Before that game, CSKA’s 24-game winning streak ended. Emil Rajkovic team took control from the very beginning, and in the third quarter crushed the opponent – 35:17. The game ended 98:66. Finally, on March 26, CSKA proved that their previous wins were not accidental. Already in the first quarter, the hosts had a double-digit lead. Loko came back after the break, but the Army team dominated (30-13) in the fourth quarter and achieved another big win – 94-74. The Moscow team denied Loko’s fourth place potential. The average difference after 4 games was +19.
First round
CSKA
Despite Alexey Shved absence, the Army team beat Avtodor confidently in 3 games as expected. The Game 1 ended with a 35-point difference (103-68). The Game 2 ended with CSKA win by 26 points (111:85).
In the Game 3 in Saratov, Avtodor fought. Malik Newman scored 8 points in the first 3 minutes, while the hosts led 10-3. The Moscow team quickly got back into the game, but the Volga team felt confident. As a result, the Army team had to play maximum defense after the break to decide the outcome. Playing without Scott Machado and Rade Zagorac, the Volga team had problems with shooting and Dallas Moore had 11 points in the fourth quarter. Avtodor played good, but CSKA advanced – 76:67.
Lokomotiv Kuban
If CSKA and Avtodor Series result was expected, then the Krasnodar team and Pari Nizhny Novgorod was widely considered the most unpredictable and likely to stretch out as many games as possible. But the reality did not live up to the expectations.
Nizhny Novgorod won all 4 games against Loko in the regular season. But the absence of Ivan Strebkov, Dragan Apic and Dmitriy Khvostov, as well as the Russian Cup winning were important factors forcing the team to take a lot of emotions and effort. Even with all that in mind, Pari Nizhny Novgorod showed the character. The first 2 games were classic playoff style: a lot of fighting, many fouls, and a clutch in the fourth quarter. Loko was better in both games with DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell and Jalen Barford actions – 93:81 and 77:72.
The third quarter in the Game 3 didn’t begin well for the Volga team, with Okaro White 2 threes in a row. The hosts lead was beginning to become fatal for Pari NN. With 3 minutes left in the quarter, Zakhar Vedischev brought Loko’s lead to 20 points for the first time. But Pari NN found the strength to reply. Not only did they begin the fourth quarter with an 11:1 run, but also made White to foul out. The guests couldn’t make a comeback, though: Barford turned on again and Chris Horton added. Aleksander Sekulic team maintained the advantage (92-81) and took convincing revenge for their 0-4 regular season loss.
Strengths
CSKA
CSKA’s strength is its general lack of weaknesses. The Army team is a dominant force this season. The Moscow team has wide rotation – Emil Rajkovic can use the elite big man Milutinov or switch effectively to the small five with multiple shooters and have strong individual players in each position, meaning to have a variety of options for every situation.
All of this is led by an ambitious Macedonian mentor, for whom winning the Belov Cup would be the biggest achievement of his career. The motivation of the coach and the club, which in the year of its 100th anniversary will try to regain the championship title is undeniable. CSKA rolled over opponents in the regular season, updating all their key winning records, and they are going to do the same in the Playoffs.
Lokomotiv Kuban
Lokomotiv made some big additions during the season: DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell, Chris Horton and Okaro White made the Krasnodar team a different one. That could become a factor in the Semifinals because the foreigners missed the first games of a rivalry in which CSKA dominated. In their series with Pari NN, Loko have already shown that their regular season results do not reflect their force at this crucial moment in the season.
Traditionally strong foreigners combined well with the young Russian players. Andrey Martiuk, Aleksandr Scherbenev, Vladislav Emchenko and Zakhar Vedishchev play big roles. Loko, which has solved the minimum goal, will play in the Semifinals without pressure.
Key Factor
Alexey Shved conditions
Shved has been recovering recently from an injury, as a result he missed a long time since February. He began training when the Playoffs had started. The Moscow team decided to save the guard in the Quarterfinals, while he will surely play against Loko. The shape of the best scoring CSKA player remains questionable after the extended break.
Evil genius
Livio Jean-Charles has established as Lokomotiv specialist over the season. The French bigman looked relatively modest in the first game only: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Milutinov and Shved were unable to play in the second game, and the forward bumped into the starting five and finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks.
Both of the Army team’s leading players were on the floor in the third game but Jean-Charles was on the top from the bench with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists in just 16 minutes. Livio had 16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks in March game.
Home court
Lokomotiv Kuban looks best against CSKA at home, where the win-loss ratio does not look as high as it usually is for the Moscow team against most of its opponents. The Semifinals will be up for 4 wins, so the Krasnodar team can play a maximum of 3 games at home.
