The contradictory year for CSKA and Khimki, the performance of the Russian national team in the selection of the 2019 World Cup, the naturalization of the Ukrainian basketball player Joel Bolomboy, the next confrontation between Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, as well as the Lebron James conflict with Donald Trump. Gazeta.Ru recalls the main events of the outgoing year in basketball.
Results of the year: CSKA's controversial season, selection of Russia for the World Cup and the wind of change in the NBA
The contradictory year for CSKA and Khimki, the performance of the Russian national team in the selection of the 2019 World Cup, the naturalization of the Ukrainian basketball player Joel Bolomboy, the next confrontation between Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, as well as the Lebron James conflict with Donald Trump. Gazeta.Ru recalls the main events of the outgoing year in basketball.
CSKA hegemony in the Unified VTB League
Before the start of the WTB Unified League season, the leadership of the championship came to the conclusion that the current playoff scheme does not give a trophy of any intrigue to the rally-the Moscow CSKA is significantly ahead of the rest of the rivals in the classroom. Over the five years of the playoff systems, the army team lost only six matches in the series to three victories. Yes, and red-blue were inferior, leading in the series with a score of 2-0.
The decision to regain the system of the final of the four, which existed in the first years of the tournament, was supposed to interfere with the total dominance of CSKA.
However, the tournament of the four best teams of the Unified League, held in Moscow, ended without sensations. CSKA and Khimki reached the final again, and the St. Petersburg Zenit and Kazan UNICS (93:79) played the bronze of the championship among themselves.
The main match of the WTB United League season ended with a score of 95:84 in favor of Muscovites. In two quarters in a row, the army team managed to score 27 points, and in the second half of CSKA did not allow the opponent to get close close, despite the 21 points of the leader of Himki and the Russian national team Alexei Swede.
Derby Leningradka in the eurolieg playoffs
Russian fans of basketball managed to see the Derby of Leningradka in the series up to three victories, but already in the Euroleague.
The regular championship of CSKA was confident, taking first place in the standings. In a dispute for leadership, the team of Dimitris Itdis overtook the Istanbul Fenerbahce by nine points.
Khimki ahead of schedule guaranteed their access to the playoffs of the tournament, but the prospect of meeting with the army team was unlikely to seem attractive to basketball players near Moscow. In the last three matches of regularities, the wards of Georgios Barzokas lost CSKA (73:90), Fenerbahce (64:73) and Barcelona (82:86). This result did not allow yellow-blue to rise higher, although with Baskonia the Himki had an equal number of points-48.
In the first in the history of the Euroleague, the confrontation between Russian teams in the playoffs basketball players of both teams issued a real performance.
In the starting game, Khimki was in the score of almost all the first three quarters. At the beginning of the fourth game segment, the army team made 11-0 a jerk and put an opponent on the fouls. The lag “-8” of the Moscow Club managed to reduce to “-3”, but the yellow-blue did not have enough effort and time-98:95.
The team held the second match on the “swing” – one team or the other came forward, and the gap in the account did not exceed a unambiguous indicator. Only in the last quarter, thanks to the efforts of Cory Higgins, Will Klaiberna and Sergio Rodriguez, the army team managed to tear themselves away and bring the match to victory – 89:84.
The third meeting turned into a shootout of the Swede and Higgins. According to the results of the match, the Russian scored 27 points, and the American – 26. The victory went to Khimkim. The club near Moscow outplayed the opponent with a score of 79:73 and won the first victory in the club’s playoff in the eurolieg play.
The last game was remembered not so much by the victory of CSKA (89:88), but by a scandal associated with the judicial error. 5.7 seconds before the end of the match, Higgins abandoned two points and led the army forward. In a quick reciprocal attack, Charles Jenkins poisoned the ball into the ring and made an invoice 90:89 in his favor, but the judge did not count two points.
The arbiter of the meeting decided that before the attack of the club near Moscow, the player “Himmik” Tyler Hanicatt asked for a replacement when his teammates had already stormed the opponent’s ring. The judge stopped the game, and the blue-yellow had to again hold an attack. But she no longer brought the result to the club.
Himmik’s protest was not considered, and CSKA got into the final of four.
In the semifinals, the army team had to meet with Madrid Real Madrid. In the regular championship, Muscovites first lost to an opponent in the capital of Spain (69:82), and at home they got victory – 93:87.
In the first quarter of CSKA, he quickly took possession of the advantage and completed the first ten -minute with a margin of ten points – 30:20. However, in the second segment, the ball after the throws of the red and blue refused to fly into the ring. The Russian club managed to score only 16 points, and his opponent earned 27 points and stepped forward in the match. In the third quarter, the wards of Itudis could not establish the sight, and the Spaniards without any problems brought the meeting to victory – 92:83.
In the match with Zalgiris for the third place, which did not mean little, the Lithuanians won with a score of 79:77.
In the Euroleague season, 2018/19 CSKA manages to alternate volitional victories over strong rivals with annoying defeats from the teams far from the tops of the standings.
Against the backdrop of the lost matches with “Future” (92:93) and “Baskonia” (73:76), only the result of the game against the leading “Fenerbach” (75:79) seems logical. However, the armyians managed to win the remaining matches.
After last year's season, the performance of Himki in the Euroleague will iron the depressing. In the first seven matches, the club of the club won only one victory in a meeting with Grand Canary (87:72).
Closer to the middle of the regular championship, the Khimchanes were able to improve their position in the standings, but to get into the playoff zone, blue-yellow has to sweat seriously.
The road to the World Cup and the naturalization of Bolomboy
The qualifying stage of the 2019 World Cup began in 2017, two months after the completion of the continental championship, at which the Russian team took fourth place.
At the preliminary stage of selection by the rivals of the teams of Sergei Bazarevich, the national teams of France, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Belgium became.
In the meetings of group E against the Balkan team, the rivals exchanged victories, and in matches with Belgium, the Russians won twice.
However, games with the main competitor for first place – France – the Russian team lost. In the guest meeting held in Strasbourg, the Russians lost in overtime with a score of 74:75, and in the final round the “tricolor” decided the outcome of the match in the main time – 84:78.
The group stage of the selection of Russia also began with defeat. This time, the Bazarevich team lost to the Czechs – 78:80. The Russians were able to rehabilitate themselves for an annoying loss in matches with Bulgaria (77:73) and Finland (77:75).
Before the match against Suomi, it became known that the Ukrainian Center Joel Bomotboy received a Russian passport and was included in the team of the national championship selection matches. In the summer of 2018, CSKA signed a two -year contract with the basketball player.
His father is a Congolese, and his mother is Russian. The question of naturalizing foreigners always raises disputes among experts, players and ordinary fans. This time, without criticisms, it could not be either.
The leader of the national team of the Swede expressed his discontent.
“I don’t know at all what kind of strengthening this is. We, the players, were asked about this, but they did in their own way. It is better to ask these questions to the leadership of the federation, not us, ”said the Swede.
The head coach of the national team Bazarevich did not comment on the remark of the basketball player. He only noted that due to the lack of centr breast, the national team will assist.
“My opinion is that the national team should have players brought up here. But since we have an obvious drawback of players and it is possible to naturalize a basketball player with Russian roots, we welcome it. A player of this level should help us, ”said the mentor.
In the final match of the year, Bolomboy himself answered skeptics with his game against the Czech national team (81:61). In 18 minutes, a basketball player scored 15 points and made six gears. Victory allowed Russia to go to third place in the group.
The Russian team will hold the main matches in February. It is in the meetings against the teams of Bulgaria and Finland, which are our competitors, that the fate of the third ticket to the World Cup will be decided.
Behind the ocean without change
It would seem that nothing unusual – Golden Stete Warriorz again met in the final with Cleveland Cavaliers and again became the champion of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
However, the fourth in a row confrontation between clubs in the final could not take place.
“CEVS” was feveral most of the season and only once gave a serious winning series in the regular season.As a result, the Lebron James team took fourth place in the east, missing the Toronto Raptorz, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia Sixers forward.
“War” for the first time since 2015 did not lead the standings of not only the entire league, but also the Western Conference, losing first place “Houston Rockets”.
And it was in the confrontation with the club from Texas Golden STATE that he met in the final of the conference. The team of Steve Kerra had to make a lot of effort to tear out victory in a seemingly hopeless series. After account 3-2 in favor of Houston, the final without Warriors seemed no longer a fairy tale, but Stephen Curry and the company were able to first defeat his opponent on his floor, and then send him to the knockout in the seventh meeting.
The “Cleveland” was also walking along the similar scenario on the playoffs, but the team from Ohio almost completed its journey in the first round in the series against “Indiana” (4-3). In the final of the East, the “CEVS” was difficult to pass “Boston” (4-3). It is noteworthy that in the first six matches the owners of the site invariably won. In the final meeting that took place in Boston, the guests won (87:79) and reached the final.
Despite the expense in the Golden Steat series-Cleveland (4-0), the Lebron club had a chance to win. It is enough to recall the first game when the Cavaliers had the advantage of the ball in the last seconds of the match. But then James Jay Art Smith found something on the teammate. After a lubricated penalty area with a score 107: 107, Cleveland took the selection in the attack. Smith turned out to be the ball, but for some reason the defender decided that the victory was already in his pocket, and simply brought the ball to the central line. At that moment, Lebron almost beg him to give him a program. As a result, the match ended with the victory of the “warriors” with a score of 124: 114, and after three matches, the team from Auckland celebrated the victory in the final.
New order
After the third, over the past four years of defeat from Golden STATE in the NBA final, no one had a doubt that James, whose contract ended in the summer of 2018, would leave Cleveland.
Among the main candidates for the star were “Houston”, “Boston”, “Los Angeles Lakers” and “San Antonio Opers”. The Rockets were considered the main contender, but LeBron decided to become a player of a young team from California.
Now the Lakers, which ceased to get into the playoffs with Kobi Bryant, have good chances to get into the first eight of the conference, and Cleveland is at the bottom.
Another high -profile crossing was the exchange of forward “spurs” Kavay Leonard in Toronto Raptorz. Danny Green went there. San Antonio acquired from this trade defender Demar Derosan, the central Jacob Peltl and the protected peak of the first round.
Judging by the standings, the Canadian team received more benefit from this exchange. The changes in the composition did not harm her – Toronto leads in the East. Yes, and Leonard himself is pleased with the move. The forward gains an average of 26.3 points and collects 8.4 selection.The Spurs are currently out of the playoff zone.
Perhaps the main discovery of this season is the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets, led by center Nikola Jokic, are at the top of the Western standings, even though the club missed out on a playoff chance last year against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the final game of the regular season.
It is worth noting that Jokic is the team leader in points (18.1), rebounds (10.2), assists (7.4) and steals (1.0).
The reigning NBA champion showed himself from an unexpected side. And it's not about ten defeats after 31 matches. Alertness is caused by the atmosphere in the team. While Curry was injured and did not take part in the matches, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green sorted out the relationship between themselves.
With six seconds left in the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at 106:106, Green rebounded defensively. Durant asked to give him the ball, but Draymond ignored him. Green launched the attack on his own, but failed to complete it with a throw. Before the start of overtime, they had a skirmish on the bench, and then in the locker room. At the height of the conflict, Green told Durant that the club had won victories without him. The match, by the way, ended with the victory of the Clippers.
NBA vs. Trump
The relationship between Donald Trump and NBA basketball players did not work out from the very beginning of the reign of the head of the American state. After his election to the presidency of the United States, the Golden State, who became NBA champions in 2017, abandoned the traditional visit to the White House.
Trump responded by saying that he had no intention of inviting a team from Oakland.
The situation repeated itself the following year.
In the current off-season, the head of the American state became a participant in the conflict with LeBron.
In an interview with CNN, the basketball player expressed the opinion that Trump uses sports to divide American society. In response, the 45th President of the United States caustically stated that James's mental abilities caused him doubts.
“LeBron was just interviewed by the dumbest man on TV, Don Lemon. He made James look smart, which isn't easy. I love Michael Jordan,” Trump tweeted.
The opinion of the President of the United States was not supported not only by the NBA players, including Jordan himself, but also by the leadership of the league. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he admires James' intellect, as well as his concern for the future generation.
LeBron later said that he was not interested in Trump's opinion, and most of all he was surprised that the President of the United States had so much time to sit on Twitter.
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