Here are the biggest stories in the League this week.
UNICS hangs onto 1st place in Khimki
Both meetings between Khimki and UNICS this season have featured unexpected comebacks and dramatic finishes. Kazan has also won both times. By taking down Khimki on the road (Jamar Smith scored 21 points in a Sixth Man of the Year-worthy performance), UNICS enters next week’s showdown vs. CSKA with a nine-game winning streak and the best record in the League. The regular season title could very well be decided in Moscow when the two powerhouse clubs clash.
“We have a goal of winning the VTB League regular season. We can do it. But the season doesn’t end with the regular season. The most important stage–the playoffs–are still ahead. After that, we have big plans for the Final Four. God willing, we’ll win,” – Evgeny Kolesnikov discussed Kazan’s ambitious goals following the win over Khimki.
Khimki was playing for the third time in a week, but somehow managed to erase a 17-point deficit in the 4th quarter, despite coming up a little short at the end. Moscow Region may have a 9-9 record, but no one wants to face them in the postseason.
PARMA and Astana shuffle the standings
With only a handful of games remaining on the schedule, the race for the final two postseason spots continues to heat up. Six teams are separated by a measly game and a half, leading to instability in the standings. After back-to-back losses to playoff hopefuls (Tsmoki-Minsk and VEF), PARMA dropped out of the top eight, but a win over Astana lifted the Siberian club four spots, from 12th to 8th. Astana, meanwhile, dropped from 7th to 9th with the loss. The Russian club deserved the coveted top-eight position, snapping Astana’s four-game home winning streak. Yannick Moreira led the way for the visitors, pulling down a season-best 17 rebounds.
Nizhny’s revenge
There was more turnover in Minsk with two playoff hopefuls–Tsmoki-Minsk and Nizhny Novgorod–taking the court. Nizhny ultimately exacted revenge for a 91-82 loss at home earlier in the season and climbed to 7th in the standings (Tsmoki dropped to 11th).
There’s only one problem for the Black-Whites. Because they won by eight points (78-70), Tsmoki-Minsk holds a one-point edge in the season series and would have the tiebreaker if these two teams end the season with identical records. Based on how the season has gone so far, that’s a distinct possibility.
CSKA’s fifth 100-point game
And a little magic from Vitaly Fridzon.
CSKA had an uneventful tuneup to the showdown with UNICS on April 2. Enisey traveled to Moscow with a five-game losing streak and without three starters (Lyutich, Hilliard, Lyons). After allowing Leo Westermann to impress with 14 points and five rebounds, and conceding more than 100 points in the loss to CSKA, Enisey’s playoff hopes are on life support. The club has now lost six in a row and trails 8th place by two and a half games with eight games remaining.
6 x 6
The number 6 took on special meaning this weekend in the playoff chase. The six teams ranked 7th-12th in the League each have six wins.
It won’t last long, but here’s how they line up right now: Nizhny Novgorod, PARMA, Astana, VEF, Tsmoki-Minsk and Kalev. Stay tuned.
Турнирное положение после 21-й игровой недели/Standings after week 21: pic.twitter.com/KQvjbliFK7
— VTB United League (@VTBUL) 27 марта 2018 г.
