CSKA puts 1st place on the line on Thursday and Sunday.
Situation
The All-Star Game in Sochi is behind us; players are remembering how to play defense; and teams are gearing up for the final third of the regular season. Coming out of the All-Star weekend, the League is playing catch-up, scheduling games nearly every day during the week.
On Wednesday, Khimki and Avtodor set a new scoring record, combining for 227 points in Saratov. Next up: two huge games for 1st-place CSKA against Lokomotiv and Zenit. Loko sits one game back of the leaders; Zenit is two games behind. With less than 10 games remaining on the calendar, this could be the best shot either Loko or Zenit gets at challenging CSKA for the top seed in the postseason.
What? Where? When?
8:00 PM, February 16. SC Yubileyniy, St. Petersburg
Zenit – CSKA
TV: Match! Nash Sport, VTB-League.com
4:00 PM, February 19. USH CSKA, Moscow
CSKA – Lokomotiv-Kuban
TV: Match TV, VTB-League.com
History
CSKA – Zenit: 5-0
CSKA – Lokomotiv-Kuban: 47-9
Lokomotiv-Kuban
Record: 13-2, 13 wins in a row
Even the Loks Dancers and Krasnodar’s balmy temperatures can’t compete with Lokomotiv’s hot streak. Kuban set a new club record on Wednesday, defeating Astana for its 13th consecutive win in the League. The team hasn’t lost since October 2016, an incredible run of success.
Lokomotiv has quietly established itself as CSKA’s top Russian rival in recent years. Two seasons ago, Sergei Bazarevich’s Railwaymen defeated the Army Men twice during the regular season. Last season, the two teams split their regular-season meetings, before meeting on European basketball’s biggest stage, the Euroleague Final Four. Kuban became only the second Russian club to reach the Final Four, but couldn’t get past CSKA in the semifinal, settling for 3rd place.
CSKA fans will also remember the series against Krasnodar in the VTB United League playoff quarterfinals. Coached by Evgeny Pashutin, Loko stormed to a 2-0 series lead in Moscow, but missed two opportunities to clinch at home, ultimately dropping Game 5 in Moscow.
Coaches come and go, but Loko continues to be a thorn in CSKA’s side. The club’s current boss, Sasa Obradovic, is a perfect 1-0 against the Army Men, thanks to a December 4 win in Krasnodar. He’ll put that record on the line Sunday, when Kuban travels to Moscow for one of the biggest games of the regular season.
Player Spotlight: Kevin Jones
Jones is a rebounding machine, but he’s also leading the team in scoring. Jones was dominant in the first encounter with CSKA, posting 21 points and 15 rebounds. Whether or not he can match those gaudy numbers, a solid outing from the American big man would be a good sign for Loko.
Zenit
Record: 12-3, 6 wins in a row
Sophomore slump? Not for 3rd-place Zenit, which continues to build on last season’s breakthrough campaign. Already boasting a 12-3 record, the All-Star weekend gave Zenit even more to crow about. Sergey Karasev won the Three-Point Contest, while Janis Timma was named Slam Dunk Champion in Sochi. Karasev is also the reigning League January MVP.
Analysts point to Karasev’s inconsistency as the biggest factor preventing him from reaching the next level. A big game against the defending champs could help change the narrative and polish his case for League MVP.
Zenit will be battling painful memories. The first meeting of the season between these two clubs ended in catastrophe for St. Petersburg, 105-56, Zenit’s worst-ever defeat. After the game, Vasily Karasev told the media that “a lot of teams that face CSKA look like the Bandar-logs facing Kaa the Snake, hands and feet shaking.” Zenit has two jobs to do on Thursday: compete with CSKA on the court and make sure not to give up mentally before tip-off.
Player Spotlight: Sergey Karasev
See above.
CSKA
Record: 14-1, 7 wins in a row
The Army Men are cruising through the regular season, all alone in 1st place with a 14-1 record, the lone defeat coming to Krasnodar in early December. UNICS briefly challenged CSKA, charging to a 10-1 start, before slumping to four consecutive losses and 5th place in the standings.
CSKA, on the other hand, has shown no signs of weakness. With the Defender of the Fatherland holiday around the corner, CSKA hopes to celebrate early by taking out two of its biggest threats and picking up pole position for the top seed in the postseason. Given Moscow’s remarkable consistency, a 2-0 record in these two games would be perfectly plausible.
Building a cushion in the VTB United League would also allow the Army Men to focus on the Euroleague, where they are trying to catch Real Madrid for 1st place. Finally, CSKA will be looking for revenge against Lokomotiv, the only team to taste victory against the Army Men in the League.
Player Spotlight: Nando De Colo
Milos Teodosic is working through an injury and undergoing rehab; All-Star MVP Andrey Vorontsevich is busy driving his brand-new UAZ Patriot back from Sochi. That leaves De Colo, who’s been outstanding since returning from injury. The Frenchman missed the game in Krasnodar and will try to prove that his absence was the primary reason CSKA suffered its only defeat.
Valery Gitarkin
