Semifinals: Desperate Khimki Battles Euroleague Champs CSKA

CSKA Moscow plays Khimki Moscow Region in the VTB United League playoff semifinals.

Who:
CSKA, 2014-15 VTB United League champions, 2015-16 Euroleague champions
vs.
Khimki, 2014-15 VTB United League runners-up, 2014-15 Eurocup champions

Time & Location:
Game 1. USH CSKA, Moscow. 8:00 PM (8:00 PM MSK), May 19, 2016
Game 2. USH CSKA, Moscow. 6:00 PM (6:00 PM MSK), May 21, 2016
Game 3. BCMO, Khimki. 7:00 PM (7:00 PM MSK), May 24, 2016
Game 4. BCMO, Khimki. 7:00 PM (7:00 PM MSK), May 26, 2016 (if necessary)
Game 5. USH CSKA, Moscow. TBD, May 29, 2016 (if necessary)

TV:
Match TV (Russia), Match! Nash sport (Russia), United League TV

Regular Season:
CSKA: 1st place (28-2)
Khimki: 4th place (22-8)

Face To Face
CSKA and Khimki have played 87 times, with the Army Men leading the series, 70-17. The two teams have met often in the VTB United League, including several games that became instant classics. Take the second meeting between these teams last season, when Tyrese Rice knocked down a '3' in the final seconds to lift Khimki to a 107-104 victory. That was Moscow Region's only win vs. the Army Men in 2014-15. CSKA won the first meeting, 78-60, and swept its rival 3-0 in the playoff finals to win yet another VTB United League championship.

CSKA and Khimki have already played four times in the 2015-16 campaign. The Army Men pulled away in the first league encounter, leading big in the first half. Khimki mounted a late comeback, tying the game in the final minutes, but CSKA held on for the win, 100-93. Khimki took revenge in the Euroleague Top 16 as Alexey Shved drilled the game-winner with one second remaining, 91-89. The Yellow-Blues, however, lost the two remaining contests, dropping a 96-85 decision in the VTB United League and a 108-98 scoreline in the Euroleague.

Looking Back

Intrigue
The biggest rivalry in Russian basketball is back. CSKA and Khimki meet in the semifinals, a series worthy of the finals. The Army Men have only lost the title once, back in 2012 to Khimki. Coming off a Euroleague championship, the club will try to protect its VTB United League crown and make the 2015-16 campaign one of the best in club history.

Khimki put together a deep roster over the summer with an eye to the postseason. The Yellow-Blues brought in several players with experience in big moments, but the team's first hurdle proved insurmountable as Khimki just missed out on the Euroleague playoffs. Now the team has a chance to make up for that disappointment and keep its Euroleague hopes for next season alive. Former CSKA guard Alexey Shved will also try to salvage what has been a somewhat disappointing return to Russia. Despite some big moments and terrific performances, Shved is itching for an even bigger breakthrough. He will get that chance vs. CSKA, a team that has been virtually impossible to beat in a five-game series during the modern era.

Question
How will CSKA's long-awaited breakthrough in the Euroleague impact the team?

CSKA had been waiting for this moment since 2008, suffering heartbreak after heartbreak, before finally lifting the trophy in Berlin. The Army Men have accomplished their primary goal for the season. That doesn't mean, however, that the Muscovites won't be motivated for the semifinals. It sounds trite, but the club's philosophy is to win every game, no matter the stage. Head coach Dimitris Itoudis relishes the challenge, imploring his men to leave everything on the court, even when his team leads by 20 in the second half.
But the showdown with Khimki could prove mentally challenging. CSKA has played angry in recent years, storming through the VTB United League postseason in search of redemption after yet another Euroleague disappointment. Back in 2014, the Army Men even erased a 2-0 deficit to Loko in the quarterfinals, winning three straight and going on to sweep UNICS and Nizhny Novgorod in the next two rounds.

Will there be a Euroleague hangover? Emotions are high, but the team will need to regroup and refocus on the task at hand, with only four days separating Sunday's final in Berlin and Game 1 of the playoff semifinals.

Khimki, meanwhile, has had two weeks to prepare and needs a series win to match the lofty expectations placed upon the club at the beginning of the season. Going against a bitter rival and newly-crowned Euroleague champs will only motivate the Khimki players even more.

Duel
Milos Teodosic and Nando De Colo vs. Tyrese Rice and Alexey Shved.

CSKA is keeping up with the times. The team's offense is dictated by the backcourt and the Army Men boast two of Europe's top guards in Milos Teodosic and Nando De Colo. Khimki, though, can't complain about its own options. Tyrese Rice and Alexey Shved are a worthy match for the Red-Blues' superstar backcourt. The two Khimki leaders combined for 47.3 points per game against Lokomotiv-Kuban in the quarterfinals, more than half the team's total offense (89.7 ppg). Rice was especially impressive, nearly doubling his average points and efficiency rating from the regular season. It's tough to predict who will step up in the semifinals, but there's little doubt that the outcome will depend heavily on the performance of each team's backcourt.

X-Factor
How will Khimki's 3-point shooting perform?

Despite the quick turnaround from the Euroleague Final Four, CSKA will be favored in the semifinals. Moscow Region, however, has one deadly weapon: 3-point shooting.

Khimki's sniper brigade, led by Rice and Shved, showed just how dangerous it can be in the quarterfinals. Moscow combined for 33 3-pointers in the first two games, a huge factor in Moscow Region's series sweep.

Interesting Facts
- Khimki added Dmitry Sokolov midway through the season, joining Sergey Monia, Egor Vyaltsev and Alexey Shved as former CSKA players currently at Moscow Region. Red-Blue sniper Vitaly Fridzon played for Khimki from 2004-2013.

- Khimki and CSKA were the league's top-scoring teams during the regular season. Khimki averaged 95.5 points per game, with the Army Men a close second at 95.2. Overall, Moscow Region scored just 10 more points than CSKA: 2866 vs. 2856.

- Khimki head coach Dusko Ivanovic and CSKA assistant coach Darryl Middleton played together at Italian club Girona during the 1991-92 season.

Quotes
CSKA head coach Dimitris Itoudis:
- We didn't have much time to prepare for the semifinals. It's tough to reset after such a big win, but I'm totally confident that we will be properly motivated for the game. We know that there's still work to do. We've met Khimki four times this season and we know it will be tough. I'd like to ask the fans to fill the arena to celebrate our success and support us in a tough series.

Khimki head coach Dusko Ivanovic:
- We had almost two weeks to prepare for the first game of the semifinal series vs. CSKA. There are some drawbacks: we didn't have any official games and got out of rhythm. Plus, we are dealing with injuries. Augustine and Davis are practicing, but are still questionable for the start of the series.

CSKA really looks good right now. Outside of the 3rd quarter of the Euroleague final vs. Fenerbahce, they are playing great, both on defense and on offense.

In order to make the finals, we need to win three games. I wouldn't emphasize which is more important: game one or two. What matters is getting three wins. Each game will be different and we can't think about the whole series, but only each upcoming game.

Prediction
- This will be a true derby, - says 2007 EuroBasket champion Nikita Morgunov. - Basketball fans will get to enjoy a terrific series. I don't think either team will have a clear advantage. It will be very interesting to see the guard duel between De Colo and Teodosic and Rice and Shved. Khimki has had been preparing for this matchup with a spot in the finals on the line and had two weeks of preparation. In turn, I expect that CSKA won't lose its form after the victorious Final Four in Berlin. The home-court advantage, plus the talent still favors the Army Men, but not as much as it might seem.

Team Stats

Player Stats