The first!

13.06.2014
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!! (photo: M. Serbin, cskabasket.com)
Our team won its 9th game in a row in the VTB League playoffs and won the tournament for the fourth time adding it to another Russian Championship title.

CSKA vs. N Novgorod: 82-66 (+16)


CSKA: Teodosic (16 + 3 rb + 6 as), Fridzon (8 + 3 rb + 5 as), Pargo (2), Krstic (4), Weems (13 + 2 bs + 4 to), Zozulin (3), Vorontsevich (8 + 6 rb + 4 pf), Kaun (20 + 2 bs), Khryapa (5 + 10 rb + 8 as + 5 to), Hines (3)…

N Novgorod: Baburin (2 + 4 pf), Ivlev (1 + 3 rb), Antonov (9 + 5 rb + 2 bs + 4 pf), Korobkov (11), Gubanov (13), Thompson (14 + 9 rb + 4 pf), Rochestie (12 + 4 rb), Golovin (4)…




Ettore Messina, CSKA head coach:
I don’t have much to add to what I said after Game 2 in Nizhny. I am greatful to the team, to the players. They did something unbelievable by staying together, helping each other, playing with desire and finished the season 9-0. I want to thank our leaders. And to say that Teo got absolutely well-deserved MVP award. We had our ups and downs throughout the season but in the end we played constant game, played as a team with great sense of responsibility and beat some great teams down the stretch.

Victor Khryapa, CSKA captain
The main thought in the games against Nizhniy Novgorod was not to underestimate the opponent. Khimky and others failed on that. But we played with Nizhniy like it was the most serious opponent. Even when we thought we won they made some runs and we had to chase them. Today the game was a bit different. We understood that it would be very difficult for them to beat us three times in a row. They even scored a lot in the first half but in the second one we switched our defense on and got the victory.

Milos Teodosic, CSKA guard:
Having no home advantage I’m happy that we did this. To my mind we became really great team. Even in the Euroleague Final Four we played good but we weren’t lucky. Now we showed our character. I’m really happy I am a part of such a great team.

Photos
Sonny Weems (photo: M. Serbin, cskabasket.com)
(photo: T. Makeeva, cskabasket.com)
(photo: T. Makeeva, cskabasket.com)
Nenad Krstic (photo: M. Serbin, cskabasket.com)
CSKA (photo: M. Serbin, cskabasket.com)
(photo: M. Serbin, cskabasket.com)
CSKA (photo: T. Makeeva, cskabasket.com)
Sonny Weems (photo: T. Makeeva, cskabasket.com)
CSKA (photo: T. Makeeva, cskabasket.com)
Anatoliy Zolotov
CSKA (photo: Y. Kuzmin, cskabasket.com)
CSKA (photo: M. Serbin, cskabasket.com)
Andrey Vatutin (photo: M. Serbin, cskabasket.com)
Vitaly Fridzon (photo: Y. Kuzmin, cskabasket.com)
CSKA (photo: Y. Kuzmin, cskabasket.com)
Aaron Lee Jackson (photo: M. Serbin, cskabasket.com)
Kyle Hines (photo: M. Serbin, cskabasket.com)
Victor Khryapa (photo: Y. Kuzmin, cskabasket.com)
(photo: M. Serbin, cskabasket.com)
Ettore Messina (photo: M. Serbin, cskabasket.com)