Short playoffs observation
Just to round up the topic of the Euroleague Final Four in Paris, I would say it was great to witness the effort and dignity shown by CSKA during the tournament. You know, prior to the third-place game one might’ve wondered if the value of such contests had diminished for the players who’ve been to the Final Four year after year and won it all several times. Far from it! The effort and determination in that game versus Partizan was up to the highest standards of CSKA’s tradition. They played hard, fought until the final whistle and were rewarded with another glorious victory. Overall, it was a great display of pride.
As for the ACB play-offs, let’s say we’ve been the team that struggled the most so far. We played a good Cajasol team that finished the regular season as the 5th seed. Game 1 was at home and because of all the hype and expectations sometimes it gets really difficult for us to play in front of our own crowd. Anyway, after the initial loss we bounced back with a strong performance in Game 2 on the road and evened the series. The third and decisive game was also a strong showing by Real Madrid. We played hard with the exception of 4 or 5 minutes in the fourth quarter and it was enough to advance.
By the way, I think UNICS fans will be pleased to know that their former stars Tariq Kirksay and Dusko Savanovic have had a great season for Cajasol. Savanovic really carried his team. I’d even say he played at a higher level than he did in Kazan. And Kirksay was the glue for that club with his rebounding, defense and constant hard work on the floor. Another Cajasol guy who’s had the experience of playing in Russia, Ivan Radenovic, had a very good Game 1 against us but then proceeded to be a non-factor in Games 2 and 3. Radenovic probably lacked the experience required to be a reliable contributor in the play-offs, but there’s no denial he was instrumental for his team in the regular season.
Now we’re facing Caja Laboral. Unfortunately, due to a foot injury we might miss Sergio Llull for the first two games or maybe even for the entire series.
The biggest upset in the playoffs so far happened in the Unicaja-Valencia series where the club from Malaga that didn’t even have home court advantage nevertheless managed to eliminate the Eurocup champion. It was sad to see coach Neven Spahija step down from his position after yet another great season with Valencia. Here I’d like to use the opportunity and wish him good luck with the next team he’ll be coaching because he’s an excellent coach and a great friend.
