CSKA in the Finals

Khimki vs CSKA: 66-90

At the press conference after the third game of the series, Khimki headcoach Sergei Yelevich said he would like to give CSKA a fight in the fourth game and win the matchup. The second game at the Dimanmo Sports Palace answered all questions and put everything back in its rightful place.

Dusan Ivkovic continued to change up his starting five, this time starting Sergei Panov in place of Darius Songaila. The reasons for the change became clear when the players spread out to shake hands before the game. The experienced Panov was set to guard the equally experienced Mikhail Solovev, who created a lot of problems for the CSKA defense in the previous game. But the events on the floor unfolded a little differently this time around. Hard-nosed defense was again the theme of the night. But it only paid off for one of the teams – CSKA. With five minutes gone in the game, Holden hit a shot to give the red and blue an 11-2 lead, followed by a series of Khimki fouls and turnovers. As a result, Khimki managed only 7 points in the entire quarter, as compared to CSKA’s 18. Mikhail Solovev started off the game worse than anyone, picking up five turnovers and four fouls. CSKA center Victor Alexander was also ineffective, leaving the floor without having scored. After missing two shots and having one blocked by Denis Yereshov, Alexander was taken out of the game by Ivkovic and replaced by Alexander Bashminov.

In the second quarter, Khimki began to show weak signs of life offensively. Their first five points of the quarter came from their only legionnaire – Arseny Kuchinsky. However, the margin on the scoreboard continued to grow. Three-pointers by Holden and Monya and a smooth finish on the fastbreak by Papalukas with 5 minutes to play in the half game CSKA a 34-13 lead. Sergei Yelevich was forced to take a timeout. After the timeout, Alexander Kurtenok took the floor for the first time for Khimki, and the game began to get more physical. First off, Kurtenok began to provoke Monya, pushing him with two hands in the key. And at the end of the game, he almost brought about a full-scale brawl. The officials stopped it in time and sent him and Monya off the floor.

After the intermission, Evgeny Pahutin took the floor for the first time. The CSKA captain’s pressure defense in the backcourt turned out to be effective against the Khimki guards. On top of all that, the third minute of the fourth quarter proved to be the final for Khimki center Mikhail Solovev, who was sent off the floor with five personal fouls. With 27 minutes gone in the game, CSKA took a 28-point lead on a basket by Songaila (63-35), after which the Army team allowed a small run by Khimki. Vadeyev and Kurtenok each connected on 3-pointers, not allowing CSKA to extend the lead to 30-points.

In the final quarter of play, the emotions that had been bubbling for the entire series began to boil over on the floor. With five minutes left in the game, Sergei Monya was under the basket, having grabbed a rebound under the other team’s basket. As the referees looked away, he first got a shove in the back from Kurtenok and then a shot in the face from Nosov. The 20-year-old forward’s nerves didn’t hold out, and he reacted by giving the Khimki center an elbow. Vitaly responded by throwing a punch to Monya’s face. But it didn’t turn into an all-out brawl. The players’ teammates stepped in and calmed the players down, though Monya and Nosov were each disqualified from the game. Nikolai Padius replaced Monya, who was applauded by the CSKA fans as he left the floor. The final strech of the game wasn’t much different from the course of the game in general. The final score was 90-66 in favor of Dusan Ivkovic’s team.

Thus, Khimki, having made CSKA slightly nervous, will start preparing for the third-place series. And the Army team must wait for the winner of the Ural-Great – UNIX game, which will be played on May 3 in Perm and decide the other finalist in the Russian Championship.