CSKA vs. Lokomotiv Kuban: 82-65 (+17)
Ettore Messina, CSKA head coach:
It was the first time when my team opposed Zhenya Pashutin's team, and this is the very special day for me. We worked together for three years, won the number of titles together. It is very interesting and it is a big pleasure for me to follow his career - in St.Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan, now in Krasnodar. Zhenya knows how to build a strong team and I am sure he will succeed. I wish him good luck. Today we played better than yesterday, we cut short the number of turnovers, we moved the ball better, especially in the second half, we created good positions for our shooters. It is important to continue in the same way and to reach the same level of physical shape for all the players which is extremely critical for the guys who has played for the national teams past summer. Still I am happy with the team's effort and desire to help each other. And I am happy to get the chance to win the Cup named after the great Alexander Gomelsky for the first time in my career.
