The biggest stories from the past seven days in the League.
Positioning
UNICS got some good news before even taking the court in Tallinn. Thanks to CSKA’s win over Nizhny Novgorod, the Tatar club clinched a spot in the 2016-17 postseason. CSKA, Khimki, Zenit and Lokomotiv-Kuban have already secured playoff berths.
Seven clubs are in contention for the final three spots. VEF, Astana and Enisey have the inside track, while Nizhny Novgorod, Avtodor, Kalev and Tsmoki-Minsk could still crash the party.
Drive
UNICS clinched a spot, while Astana took one step closer to returning to the postseason by defeating Parma at home. Visiting Perm, on the other hand, was eliminated from the postseason chase.
MVP
Khimki leader Alexey Shved was named the February MVP, beating out CSKA guard Nando De Colo and Zenit guard Stefan Markovic.
Shved played three games in February helping Khimki to a 3-0 record. The Russian guard led the League in scoring (28.0) and efficiency rating (29.3) during the past month to go with 5.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game.
“Shved deserves the honor. He’s playing one of the best seasons of his career,” – said Russian basketball legend Vitaly Nosov.
Shved also won the MVP of the Month award in November.
Return
Semyon Antonov played his first game in Nizhny Novgorod against his former club. During 19 minutes on the court, Antonov collected nine points, three rebounds and two blocks. There must have been some mixed feelings for the former Black-White star.
Attitude
Khimki faced Tsmoki-Minsk between games in the Eurocup quarterfinal series vs. Valencia. Moscow Region evened the series on Friday, before taking on Minsk on Sunday. Dusko Ivanovic said his team’s attitude and concentration would play the biggest role, given the conditions. His players were clearly listening. Khimki got the win to go with some impressive highlights… Khimki stays in the hunt for the top seed in the playoffs.
Flight
Duo
Since joining Kazan mid-season, Artem Klimenko and Danilo Andjusic haven’t had many opportunities to show what they can do. That changed on Tuesday. In a convincing win over Kalev, Klimenko and Andjusic showed why Evgeny Pashutin brought them on board, leading the team with 18 points apiece.
Reinforcements
The regular season is winding down, but plenty of teams are still searching for extra reinforcements. Focused on a playoff run, Zenit inked Kalev leader Demonte Harper. Avtodor and Parma, per the front office, signed new additions with an eye toward next season. Australia’s Cameron Gliddon joined Avtodor, while Domagoj Samac went to Perm. VEF continues to add veteran depth, bringing in forward Gints Antrops and guard Alex Gordon.
Recognition
Avtodor newcomer Cameron Gliddon shared that people know about the VTB United League in Australia.
“I’m really happy to come here and finish the season with Avtodor. I watched VTB League games on TV in Australia and was very impressed by the talent in the League.”
Motivation
Lokomotiv-Kuban forward Kevin Jones promised to sing smash hit “Love Me, Love” by the group Otpetye Moshenniki if fans donate 150,000 rubles to charity.
Stat
72 – number of points scored by CSKA’s bench in the road win over Nizhny Novgorod.
CSKA played an incredible 1st quarter on the road against Barcelona in the Euroleague, leading 29-4 after 10 minutes. A few days later, the Red-Blue machine picked up another convincing win in Nizhny Novgorod, outscoring the home team by 36. The bench was especially impressive, chipping in with 72 of the team’s 101 points.
Dunk
Despite the setback, Nizhny forward Petr Gubanov put on a show.
Quote
Nizhny Novgorod head coach Arturs Stalbergs:
– Boynton’s technical decided everything, leaving us with only Sergei Marikhin at point guard. As you saw, we looked like a VTB Youth League team the rest of the way.
Stars
Ousman Krubally (Astana)
Krubally gave Parma’s defense nightmares, racking up 21 points and 12 rebounds on 7-8 field-goal shooting, while drawing 11 fouls.
Quino Colom (UNICS)
UNICS won by 24 in Tallinn, led by Colom’s scintillating 16-assist night. The Spanish guard also had 15 points, guiding his team to 110 points on the road.
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