Defender of Moscow CSKA Ivan Ukhov told he was not yet planning to repeat last year’s VTB United League final with “Zenith but added that the playoff preparation for his team started a long time ago.
The meeting of the army team with Zenit in group A was held in St. Petersburg on Monday and ended with the score 72:69 in favor of the guests. CSKA became the winner of the regular season and next time they will only be able to meet the St. Petersburg team in the playoff final.
“It was a very emotional match. Today the whole team acted in defense. We tried to use our advantages. Milutinov has great dimensions, we found him under the ring, and he scored there points. In general, it was not easy. Both teams played well in defense, tried not to make mistakes. At the same time, CSKA was able to rebuild itself, find its game in attack, everything by continuing to be active in defense, which ultimately led us to victory.
There was almost a full house at the Sibur Arena, the public was very worried about Zenit, at times they were very supportive of their team. It is perhaps on this impulse that the stands of Zenit scored crazy blows. But we are happy that we were able to resist, including against such support and lead the game to victory,” Ivan Ukhov told .
– What is the key moment of the game?
“There were several. We took the lead, then Zenit caught up with us. In the third quarter, we recorded a slight decline. At the same time, I’m very happy that we didn’t get lost in some kind of conversation with the judges and that we just kept playing and believing in what we’re doing. At one point, Casper Weir exploded, brought several points in a row and gave the team an extra boost. This allowed us to get back into the game, to feel confident and to lead the game to victory.
– CSKA have already taken first place in the regular season. Now you can prepare for the playoffs?
– At this stage, the six teams are very strong and we have actually started to prepare for the playoffs from the second round. Because every game is not easy. Now, we have to refine certain interactions so that, in relegation matches, there are no errors in attack, especially in defense.
– Would it be interesting to see Zenit again in the final round of the playoffs, like last season?
– Let’s see. First you have to reach the final. Let’s not guess now. We will just try to go towards our objective, towards the championship. We will continue to do so.
Last season, Zenit secured a voluntary win over CSKA in the final round of the VTB United League. The teams proved to be the strongest in seven encounters.
Watch live broadcasts of VTB United League matches on the federal channel and other holding channels, as well as on the matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru websites.
Source : MatchTV
My name is Adam Jackson and I am an author. I have been writing about Basketball games for over a decade now and am excited to share my knowledge with you all. Additionally, I am also interested in other sports and enjoy discussing them with others. Contact me if you want to discuss any Basketball-related topics!
