5 Keys To CSKA's Win Over Khimki

CSKA vs. Khimki lived up to expectations on Monday night, featuring an exciting finish, high-powered offense and a duel between two of the league's top coaches.

In the newest edition of Breaking It Down, Konstantin Kucher identifies five keys to CSKA's win in the VTB United League's most heated rivalry game.

Perimeter shooting
Rimas Kurtinaitis's men neutralized CSKA's ability to drive the paint. Aaron Jackson, Cory Higgins and Nando De Colo struggled most of the night to get past Khimki's first line of defense.

But Khimki's interior defense came at a price, opening up the perimeter. CSKA took advantage, finding an effective strategy to attack from outside.

The guard drove into the lane

drew an extra defender

then passed the ball to an open man on the perimeter.

Khimki gambled that CSKA wouldn't shoot a very high percentage from outside. Instead, the Army Men hit 13 of 23 three-point attempts, including a 4-4 performance from Demetris Nichols.

Early offense
The Army Men also outgunned Khimki, a team that typically outruns its opponents. In this game, however, CSKA scored a lot of points on fast breaks and early in possessions, especially in the first half. Quick transition offense was a big reason the Army Men were able to build such a big lead in the first half.

Kyle Hines
Hines was the unsung hero on Monday night. He made all five field-goal attempts, played solid defense against Khimki's frontcourt and forced three turnovers. One of those steals came in crunchtime when the outcome of the game was still in the balance. Not surprisingly, Hines tied Andrei Vorontsevich for the best +/- differential of the game (+10).

The big man also did a lot of dirty work. For example, watch Hines set two screens and clear a path to the basket for Vitaly Fridzon.

First, Hines stopped Petteri Koponen from getting to the corner to defend his man.

Then he stopped Koponen from sliding over to defend a driving Fridzon.

Defending the paint against Khimki's centers
Khimki big men Paul Davis, James Augustine and Marko Todorovic converted 12 of 15 attempts from inside the paint. Once the visitors got the ball in scoring position, CSKA couldn't stop them.

But CSKA coach Dimitris Itoudis was prepared. He didn't bother trying to stop Khimki's big men one on one and focused instead on preventing the entry pass. That strategy worked most of the night, with Khimki's big men getting few touches inside.

And, in the event Khimki did get the ball into the paint, CSKA immediately double teamed, often forcing the ball back to the perimeter.

Khimki's mistakes in crunchtime
Despite trailing most of the contest, Khimki tied the game up midway through the 4th quarter and trailed by only two with just over a minute to play. However, the final seconds were not kind to the visitors as several mistakes ultimately cost them the game.

First, with the shot clock winding down, James Augustine committed an unnecessary foul on Milos Teodosic, sending him to the line for two free throws. The Serbian guard converted both, putting CSKA up by four.

At the other end, Koponen and Augustine got mixed up, leading to a steal by Kyle Hines.

With just over 20 seconds left, Khimki missed its final opportunity. After Tyrese Rice missed a quick shot, James Augustine failed to grab the rebound and keep Khimki's hopes alive.

Monday's game proved that the league has never been more competitive at the top. Yes, CSKA was better, but Rimas Kurtinaitis's men proved that the current team's potential can allow them to believe and hope in a long-awaited triumph at the end of the season.

Konstantin Kucher