VTB United League Honorary President Sergei Ivanov spoke at the press conference following the Board Meeting:
Last season was unique in that the Finals ended 4-0, while the 3rd place series lasted longer than the championship games. As a result, one of today’s decisions is that the bronze medal series will now be a maximum of three games – not five, so it is guaranteed to finish before the Finals.
Next season the League will have 12 teams – up from 11. Nizhniy Novgorod left for well-known reasons, Astana returned – they had been in the League from its first year. Dynamo Vladivostok have been accepted for one year on a trial basis.
Another change is the structure of the season. All 12 clubs will play each other in Phase 1 – 22 games each. Then they split into two groups of six. The top six will go straight to the playoffs, while in the bottom group, teams finishing 1st through 4th will play in a play-in. We are bringing the play-in back. The top two teams from the play-in join the main playoffs. Those are the main changes.
The play-in gives clubs outside the top six a chance to reach the playoffs. The makeup of the top six is fairly predictable. This format gives the other teams something to fight for, and it increases the number of games they play.
Splitting into two groups will also attract more attention from fans. The top group will have the strongest clubs. When they play a lot of games against each other, it draws attention – from fans and from broadcasters.
