Especially for RG, Seoul 1988 Olympic champion Sergei Tarakanov told us who he sees as the favorite of the game and who will be the most suitable opponent for the military team in the decisive series.
Before the start of the playoffs you said that UNICS was the favorite in the fight for the title. Now, before the Kazan team’s seventh game in the semifinals, do you take back your words?
Sergei Tarakanov: Of course, the seventh match is an unpredictable story. But I still think UNICS is the favorite. Plus, they play at home. Especially after such a resounding slap in game six. These defeats damage self-esteem. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Lokomotiv-Kuban won. The teams are equal. There is only praise for the United League for such an unpredictable and incredibly interesting championship for fans.
Loko and UNICS played in last year’s final, and then the Kazan team needed five games to win. Now it’s time for game seven. What has changed in the balance of power?
Sergei Tarakanov: Unfortunately, for me, as a fan, Lokomotiv’s starting five often includes only foreign players. But it seems to me that it is impossible to win the championship with only foreigners. The Russians contribute, they give passion, emotions, desire. Of course, the decision rests with the coach. The thing is that the Krasnodar team has always been an example of how to raise and develop young people. In the current playoffs, the club often deviates from this line.
The seventh game is an unpredictable story. I still consider UNICS the favorite, but I wouldn’t bet all my money on them.
How can we explain that the Russians now play a less prominent role in Loko?
Sergey Tarakanov: For this it is necessary to be inside the kitchen, in the training process. Perhaps the fact is that now we watch American basketball, and in this sense, coaches choose appropriate and proven players. Take Shcherbenev as an example. It’s no secret that he is inferior in physical condition to the same American Patrick Miller. Yes, Alejandro has the advantages of him, but the coach chooses what is most important to him at that moment. As I understand it, athletics is more important for Alexander Sekulic now. The athleticism of the fight against the UNICS players who need to be contained on defense. But these are all my assumptions. To go deeper, it is necessary to be inside the process.
In both semifinal series there were many games with big differences in the final score. How can we explain such an amplitude of these oscillations?
Sergei Tarakanov: The matches take place quite frequently, every other day, so it is quite difficult to stay focused. And when the teams are approximately the same level, it is the attitude that comes to the fore. Setting up players is also a certain art. Let’s say that CSKA won the first match, but in the second the military team clearly did not have that attitude. But he was at Zenit. Then exactly the opposite and so on. In the sixth game, when the stakes were high, maximum spirit could be seen on both sides. Zenit simply wasn’t lucky enough at some point. At the most decisive moment, the leaders, the American Trent Fraser and the Frenchman Thomas Ertel, lost the balls, although they had previously decided everything and were leading the team. And on the contrary: the interception of Semyon Antonov and Anton Astapkovich’s three-pointer from the corner turned out to be very important for the Muscovites. The nuances determined everything.
Lokomotiv-Kuban has a reserve of Russian players. What about UNICS?
Sergei Tarakanov: UNICS had a much worse situation compared to the Russians until they signed Mikhail Belenitsky and Andrei Vorontsevich from Nizhny Novgorod. Some members of the Russian squad were injured, others did not get off the bench. In this sense, the Loko rotation was much broader. Thus, the signings of Vorontsevich and Belenitsky before the decisive matches added depth to the Kazan team. I repeat, from my point of view, UNICS is the favorite, but, as I always say, I am not willing to bet all my money on it.
Now about the army guys. The Muscovites had a difficult road; Just before the playoffs, the club changed coaches. Is it partly a paradox that they reach the final?
Sergei Tarakanov: I would say yes. Changing coaches is a very good decision by the management. I do not want to say that the team’s former coach, North Macedonian Emil Rajkovic, is a bad specialist. He demonstrated, he showed results and under his command the team had brilliant periods. But it seems to me that at some point Emil got a little lost and started running. And this affected his players. CSKA’s new coach, Greek Andreas Pistiolis, worked a lot with Itoudis (he was assistant to Dimitris Itoudis when he worked at CSKA in 2014-2022 – RG note) and learned a lot from him. On the one hand, Andreas is not a dictator, but at the same time he controls the game quite precisely. CSKA started to play better. But in any case this happens after a restructuring. The role of the club’s president, Andrei Vatutin, is important here. This is a process from which CSKA emerged honorably.
Who will be the most convenient opponent for CSKA in the final?
Sergei Tarakanov: It seems like “Lokomotiv-Kuban” to me. But there is a very serious problem associated with the residents of Krasnodar. At the moment it is very difficult to get there. It takes a lot of energy. But this circumstance pales in comparison to the power of UNICS under the ring in the person of the American Jalen Reynolds, the Frenchman Louis Laberie, Vorontsevich and company, mixed with the exploits of the North Macedonian Nenad Dimitrievich, the American Marcos Knight and others. Therefore, Loko would be easier for CSKA. But I don’t think anyone is thinking about that now, I can tell you that as a former athlete. Now CSKA observes and analyzes. In this, the army team has a certain advantage.
Where will we see?
Wednesday, May 22, “Match TV”
18.30. UNICS – Lokomotiv-Kuban. Live broadcast
