On May 25 in Kazan, local UNICS will host CSKA Moscow in the first match of the VTB United League final series. “Championship” prepared an announcement of the main confrontation of Russian basketball. The battle between UNICS and CSKA is a true classic of Russian basketball. The last time these teams played in the final was three years ago. In 2021, the army team defeated the Kazan team and became champions for the last time.
A year later, CSKA lost to Zenit in seven games in the final, and last season UNICS became champions for the first time in their history, beating Lokomotiv-Kuban. The next final will be the fifth confrontation between Kazan and the Muscovites. Previously, the teams met in the season-deciding series in 2010, 2012, 2016 and 2021. CSKA always emerged winners. However, this season everything can change.
Andrey Vorontsevich (left) and Amat M’Bai (right)
Photo: BC UNICS
The Moscow club was the favorite in almost all confrontations, but now experts believe that UNICS has a better chance of winning. Kazan is the current champion and intends to defend its title. During the season, the Tatarstan Club had no changes, recessions or conflicts. Now, this is one of the most balanced teams in the league.
The Kazan team progressed quite well throughout the season, but was still in the shadow of CSKA. However, after the army team failed, the Kazan team managed to rise to first place in the standings. But at the end of the season, the reigning champion itself stumbled, suffering three defeats in a row, and the winner of the regular season was determined in the last round of matches in a head-to-head confrontation with CSKA. The Kazan team confidently defeated the red and blue and for the first time in its history won the regular season of the VTB United League.
For CSKA the situation is different. In the off-season, two undisputed leaders left the club: Alexey Shved and Nikola Milutinov. However, the capital team did a good job in the transfer market and formed a nice and efficient team. The military team began the season with nine consecutive victories and, in general, for almost the entire championship took first place in the standings.
Currently reading:
They will come back stronger. Could a loss to UNICS in game seven benefit Loko?
In February, team leader Casper Ware suffered a serious injury that required surgery. He was out for several weeks and has yet to return to action. In this sense, the team passed the second stage with seven defeats in 10 games and finished only in third place. After the end of the regular season, the CSKA management decided to dismiss coach Emil Raikovich. The Macedonian was replaced by the Greek specialist Andreas Pistiolis, who worked for almost eight seasons in the military team at Dimitris Itoudis’ headquarters.
The teams passed the first round of the playoffs easily and without resistance: CSKA dryly defeated Yenisei, and UNICS left Samara no chance. In the semifinals, the military team defeated Zenit in six games, and the Kazan team beat Lokomotiv-Kuban in the decisive seventh game of the series.
Tony Jekiri (left) and Jalen Reynolds (right)
Photo: VTB United League
On the other hand, in the final series the confrontation between coaches will draw attention, because Andreas Pistiolis and Velimir Perasovic have never faced each other as main players. But we also cannot fail to mention the next confrontation between the players: Nenad Dimitrijevic and Marcos Knight against Casper Ware and Melo Trimble. Tony Jekiri and Amat M’Bye vs. Jalen Reynolds and Louis Laberie.
In addition, there is another inextricable connection between the clubs: seven basketball players who can appear on the court in the final series managed to play for both teams. Tony Dzhekiri and Nikita Kurbanov, who now defend the colors of CSKA, were part of the Kazan team. The current champions have five players who played for the army team: Andrey Vorontsevich, Dmitry Kulagin, Evgeny Kolesnikov, Ivan Lazarev and Artyom Komolov. If we are not in the final, where should we wait for seven games? The army team and the Kazan team can easily fix this. It goes without saying that the decisive game is a lottery in which there is no favorite.
VTB United League. The end
UNICS (Kazan) – CSKA (Moscow)
The series rises to four wins according to the 2-2-1-1-1 scheme.
The first game: May 26, 16:30 Moscow time, Kazan, “Basket Hall”.
Second game: May 28, 7:30 PM Moscow time, Kazan, “Basket Hall”.
Third game: May 31, 20.00 Moscow time, Moscow, “Megasport”.
Fourth game: June 2, 2:00 p.m. Moscow time, Moscow, “Megasport”.
Game 5 (if necessary): June 5, 7:30 PM Moscow time, Kazan, “Basket Hall”.
Game 6 (if necessary): June 8, 2:00 p.m. Moscow time, Moscow, “Megasport”.
Seventh game (if necessary): June 11, 7:30 PM Moscow time, Kazan, “Basket Hall”.
