VTB League final series between CSKA and “Zenith “In terms of intensity of passion, he came close to the breakthrough streak in the NBA,” the former CSKA, Lokomotiv and UNICS coach said in an interview with . Yevgeny Pashutin now in the direction of Uralmash.
After six matches, the score of the final series is 3-3. The decisive match of the United League final will take place on June 5 in Moscow.
– Surprised that the final series reached the seventh game?
– It evokes emotions, joy. It’s good that despite the fact that national teams can’t play here and we don’t play in the Euroleague, our league teams are showing basketball at the highest level. Previously, we had never recorded up to four victories in the United League – this is the first time. And for the first time we see that in such an intransigent struggle, our legendary club, the flagship of national basketball CSKA, is put up by such a serious opponent. Of course, for basketball in general, for fans, professionals, for the league – for everyone, it’s a good holiday. We see the emotions of the public. We see rooms full, packed, while people are even standing. We haven’t seen this for a long time. It’s really good. Also, during the pandemic, due to the restrictions, our rooms were half empty. Now we see basketball of the highest level on both sides. CSKA is the strongest club, in which Shved, Clyburn, Milutinov stand out, and the bench is also good – I won’t list them all. In Zenit, Baron, Loyd, Poythress, Miki are particularly noteworthy. Certainly, the bench of the Petersburgers is experienced and ambitious.
The two strongest teams in our league met. They show basketball of the highest level in every game. Therefore, we now see such a score in the series. Nobody wants to give in, and the fight is on every inch of the site. Of course, the coaches and clubs want to win the league title early, but the fans really want to see that icing on the cake – game seven. The VTB League has come close to the NBA when Game 7 is when the hype peaks. Of course, everyone expects the same fight without compromise, when everything is decided in the last seconds. I would like to thank both teams and their coaches for such interesting matches. It’s very interesting to see the duel of two top coaches.
– Considering the fact that Zenit have won the last two matches and tied the score in the series, are the St. Petersburgers the favorites for the upcoming match?
– Yes, Zenit have won the last two meetings, but CSKA fought hard and showed character. Yes, Zenit probably has a psychological advantage, but that doesn’t mean anything. Because I think CSKA will be more motivated and more angry. The “soldiers” will have a great desire to rehabilitate themselves and prove that CSKA is the strongest club in Russia and Europe. The guys are super motivated right now. Remember, when CSKA took a 3:1 lead, everyone thought Zenit couldn’t resist, but everything turned out to be the opposite. I think now CSKA is in the same position, and the psychological advantage is on the side of Zenit, but we know the character of CSKA players, coach Dimitris Itoudis and club president Andrei Vatutin – I’m sure they will fight. So, once again, the psychological advantage is on the side of Zenit, but that means nothing: CSKA will even provoke it. “CSKA” will play to win.
Source : MatchTV
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
