Recap. Finals

VTB-League.com recaps the Finals, looking back on the biggest moments and stars.

Quotable I
CSKA center Dmitriy Sokolov:
- Of course, I have no desire to tarnish basketball by fighting. And it’s not something I’m comfortable with at all. But when you’re hit in the nose with an elbow, it’s hard to stay under control, especially when the game is close and your whole body is on edge. I’m talking about the situation with Papadopoulos in the finals of the Russian league in 2011. In the series against Lokomotiv I won’t let my teammates get pushed around either. I don’t recommend making me mad.

… CSKA had to play without its starting point guard and center in the Finals: Milos Teodosic and Alexander Kaun were out with injuries. As a result, extra responsibility lay on the shoulders of reserve center Dmitriy Sokolov, who brought up his fight with Khimki center Lazarus Papadopoulos in the finals of the 2010/11 Russian league before the start of the series. Dmitriy stated that if need be he would stand up for himself and his teammates and his words proved to be prophetic. Sokolov did get involved in an on-court scrap, which played an important role in the decisive Game 4. But we’ll get to that later…

The Chase
Lokomotiv-Kuban improved greatly this season, which its Eurocup championship demonstrated. Nonetheless, during Game 1 of the Finals vs Russian basketball’s flagship club, the Railwaymen had to make up for a shaky start in the first quarter. Krasnodar’s leaders were invisible in the early going, allowing CSKA to race out to a big lead.

Yet Krasnodar came charging back, first at the end of the first quarter, then in each subsequent period when the home team re-established its advantage. The chase was hot and the suspense built as the game neared its conclusion.

Kuban nearly pulled off the upset. After drawing within one possession in the final minutes, Lokomotiv had several chances to tie the game or pull ahead. But ill-timed turnovers derailed the offense and CSKA held on for the 72-65 victory.

Quotable II
CSKA head coach Ettore Messina:
- This was a game of nerves. We took a fairly big lead three or four times – 12-13 points – but we couldn’t hold it. Our offense wasn’t so sharp, but our defense, especially in the second half, was excellent. I hope we’ll play even better tomorrow.

Taking Control
Lokomotiv coach Evgeny Pashutin could only look on in frustration at the start of Game 2. Once again, his team struggled out of the gate, scoring just three points in the first eight minutes of the first quarter. CSKA built another solid lead, which it refused to relinquish the rest of the game. Overall, the pace of the contest was unhurried and the scoring minimal, which played into CSKA’s hands. The visitors did pull within four points in the third quarter, but that was as close as Russia’s southernmost VTB United League club would come. Moscow put together an excellent fourth quarter to win, 64-54, and take care of home-court advantage in the five-game series. Ettore Messina’s men appeared to be firmly in control, with just one step left in claiming the championship.

Quotable III
Nizhny Novgorod general manager Sergey Panov:
- Krasnodar can probably get back in the series. After all, their home court and fans will make a difference. In the first two games it was clear that CSKA’s desire and commitment to winning were higher. In principle, that’s what decided the outcome of the two games. CSKA looked more united. If Lokomotiv can change something in its approach, then anything is possible.

Working on Its Mistakes
Game 3 attracted an enormous amount of attention in Krasnodar. The club website announced a sellout the day of the game and later that night a huge crowd showed up in hopes of seeing Lokomotiv finally defeat the reigning champions (Loko had defeated CSKA just twice in its previous 41 meetings, with the last win coming under head coach Kestutis Kemzura).

Sergey Panov, just like other analysts, took note of CSKA’s energy and commitment in the first two games, which allowed them to roll over their opponent in Games 1 and 2 in Moscow. Evgeny Pashutin, who once worked for CSKA coach Ettore Messina, made the proper adjustments prior to Game 3. This time the fired-up Railwaymen came out hot in the first quarter, then shut CSKA down in quarters 2 and 3, to take an 11-point lead into the final period. The Army Men tried to make it a game, switching to zone defense, but James Baron’s 3-pointer and Derrick Brown’s fast-break dunk made it clear this series would go another game. Lokomotiv-Kuban captured Game 3, 69-58, forcing CSKA to remain in Krasnodar one more day.

Big Play

The Injury
Game 3 cost CSKA and its fans more than a loss. Team leader Victor Khryapa went down with an injury near the end of the contest, after a collision with Lokomotiv guard Maxim Grigoryev following a three-point attempt. Khryapa landed awkwardly and turned his ankle, and, as he found out the following day, would be unable to take part in Game 4.

Turning Point
Ahead of the Finals, Lokomotiv-Kuban center Alexey Savrasenko announced that he would be retiring following the series. Evgeny Pashutin, after the two losses in Moscow, inserted Savrasenko into the starting lineup in Krasnodar. The move paid off and Pashutin rewarded the Russian big man with more playing time in Game 4. For the first half of the contest, the home team controlled the momentum, with CSKA clearly struggling to generate much offense in the absence of its captain Victor Khryapa.

Derrick Brown played the biggest role in Lokomotiv’s early domination. The Railwaymen appeared well on their way to forcing Game 5 back in Moscow, and Savrasenko helped the cause early in the second half by coupling his typical solid defense with an alley-oop dunk and slick assist to Simas Jasaitis…

Near the end of the third quarter, however, the veteran center got entangled in a rebounding battle with Dmitriy Sokolov. The two players, particularly Savrasenko, lost their cool in the moment, leading to a brief scuffle on the baseline which threatened to turn into a full-on brawl…

Sokolov wasn’t lying when he said that he doesn’t like to get in fights. But sometimes emotions overcome reason. It wasn’t easy to keep the two big men separated and the refs were eventually forced to eject both players from the game.

Savrasenko’s departure was a big blow to Lokomotiv under the basket. Already affected by the foreigner limit, the home team lost its rhythm on offense, missing shots and turning the ball over with alarming regularity. CSKA allowed Lokomotiv to hang around, thanks to its own offensive deficiencies, but Sonny Weems and co. did just enough to take the lead and hold off Lokomotiv in the final minutes. CSKA won the game, 59-54, and secured the VTB United League championship for the second straight season and third time overall!

Quotable IV
CSKA head coach Ettore Messina:
- These playoffs and the entire tournament were probably the most difficult of my career and it brought a lot of joy in the end. As you know, we had to play without Teodosic, Kaun and Khryapa (in the final game). Plus, it came just after the difficult Euroleague Final Four. On the way to the title, we had to handle EuroChallenge champions Krasnye Krylia, Euroleague Top 16 club Khimki and Eurocup champions Lokomotiv-Kuban. I don’t think any other domestic European league has such a difficult path to the title.

Series MVP
Victor Khryapa. The CSKA captain earned numerous plaudits during the season. It’s hard to come up with something that hasn’t been said before at this point, but perhaps we can understand his importance via comparison. During the 2012/13 season, fans got to enjoy the old Tim Duncan, who’s been a huge factor in San Antonio’s run to the NBA Finals. Despite their different positions, Khryapa and Duncan have a similar effect: Both are the backbone of the team. Victor and Tim impact the game on both ends of the floor and are even similar in terms of personality – calm, self-confident, focused on the game and the ultimate outcome. They’re both leaders. Their teammates have only to follow their example. San Antonio’s famed big man is leading his team to another title, while Khryapa’s already done so. CSKA is the champion – thanks to its captain, the biggest star in the Finals and the Playoffs MVP.

Video

Photo