Spartak St. Petersburg meets Nizhny Novgorod in the first round of the VTB United League playoffs.
Who:
Spartak, 2012/13 Russian Cup finalist, 2011/12 Eurocup Final Four participant
vs
Nizhny Novgorod, 2010/11 Russian Cup finalist
Where and When:
Game 1. Nizhny Novgorod, Profsoyuzov Sports Palace. May 2, 2013, 13:00 (13:00 MSK)
Game 2. St. Petersburg, SK Yubileyniy. May 4, 2013, 13:00 (13:00 MSK)
Game 3. St. Petersburg, SK Yubileyniy. May 5, 2013, 17:00 (17:00 MSK) (if necessary)
TV:
Rossiya 2, VTB-League.com
Regular Season:
Spartak: 4th place in Group A (12-6)
Nizhny Novgorod: 5th place in Group B (10-8)
Face to Face:
Though Nizhny Novgorod only began playing in the top Russian division in 2010, the team has already faced Spartak 12 times, including eight games in the 2010/11 season. Spartak defeated Nizhny Novgorod that season in the Eurocup (finishing 1st in the group, while Nizhny were last) and blew them out in the Russian Cup final in Krasnoyarsk, 80-53. Nizhny got its revenge in the PBL, dispatching Spartak in the semifinals of the 5th-8th place tournament.
Spartak leads the all-time series 8-4. The teams played one close game in the PBL this December as Joshua Carter’s 3-pointer at the buzzer gave St. Petersburg the win, 68-67. The second time they met, Spartak had a much easier time, cruising to an 86-68 victory in February.
However, they’ve never met in the VTB United League. Both teams made their debut in the competition last season and both qualified for the postseason. Spartak, 2nd in Group B, advanced directly to the quarterfinals, losing to Lokomotiv-Kuban. Nizhny Novgorod, 4th in Group A, fell to Lietuvos Rytas in the first round. This season, one of the two teams is guaranteed to advance in the playoffs for the first time.
Intrigue:
Before the start of the season, Spartak made known its ambitions to perform well in all competitions. The first half of the season met management’s expectations. St. Petersburg was in the mix for 1st place in its VTB United League group and advanced steadily through the Eurocup. After the New Year, however, the team began to struggle. As a result, Spartak enters the playoffs as a 4-seed, also having lost unexpectedly in the Eurocup quarterfinals to Budivelnik (Ukraine). Slovenian coach Jurij Zdovc was let go in early April for the team’s slump. He’s been replaced by former youth team coach, Yevgeniy Kisurin, who’s been charged with leading the team past Nizhny Novgorod in the first round of the VTB United League playoffs.
Nizhny Novgorod’s season developed in reverse fashion. The team’s rise, in fact, began after the blowout loss to Spartak in February, as Zoran Lukic’s club knocked off CSKA and VEF in the VTB United League, as well as Khimki and UNICS in the PBL. Though many would have pegged Spartak as the favorite in this match-up at the beginning of the season, there seems to be little difference between the two teams at the moment. Fans and analysts can expect a fierce battle between the two Russian clubs.
The Question:
How will Spartak play under interim head coach Yevgeniy Kisurin? The coaching duel, in fact, is one more reason for optimism from Nizhny Novgorod fans. The charismatic Zoran Lukic has been at Nizhny Novgorod since 2008 and comes in with an advantage over his inexperienced colleague. That may prove decisive.
Spartak players all insist that the new coach has changed the approach to practices and say that the atmosphere on the team has improved thanks to more open, enjoyable training sessions. But will that be enough to win? 44-year-old Novosibirsk native Yevgeniy Kisurin, who’s direct about his desire to have the ‘interim’ tag removed next season, will be judged on the basis of this series.
The Duel:
Joshua Carter vs Dijon Thompson. After a loss to Krasnye Krylia in the recent Russian Cup final, Kisurin commented that most of his team’s offense is dependent on Carter. According to him, Spartak needs to learn to play with more creativity. Nonetheless, the American forward, who leads the team in minutes played and is second in points scored (10.7 per game), still promises to be one of the key figures in this series.
He’ll be matched by fellow American and former Spartak player, Dijon Thompson. Though he missed the start of the season due to a knee injury, he quickly became the team leader on his return in December. Thompson leads Nizhny Novgorod in points (15.1) and rebounds (6.6) per game.
X-Factor:
Loukas Mavrokefalidis (Spartak) and Artem Yakovenko (Nizhny Novgorod). The Greek international anchors his team, leading the club in points (14.9) and rebounds (6.2) per game. He’ll be faced down low by a Russian and former Spartak player. Yakovenko struggled in St. Petersburg (playing less than seven minutes per game in the VTB United League), and at the end of last season returned to Nizhny, his club from 2009-2012. He immediately returned to a leading role on the Volga and once Primoz Brezec went down a season-ending injury, the 24-year-old center became simply irreplaceable to Zoran Lukic.
Still, both Mavrokefalidis and Yakovenko often disappear for stretches in games. How well these two big men play in the upcoming series will have a big impact on the outcome.
Interesting Fact:
Spartak and Nizhny Novgorod share 2nd place in the VTB United League for three-point attempts (22.1 per game, 398 total). Nizhny Novgorod converts at a slightly higher rate: 7.8 per game vs St. Petersburg’s 7.5 average.
Quotes:
Spartak interim coach Yevgeniy Kisurin:
- The first game in Nizhny Novgorod will go a long way in deciding matters. We’ve got a difficult test ahead. Zoran Lukic’s team plays very well at home. Besides that, Nizhny has had more time to prepare. They’ll have surprises for us, so it’s important we come into the games in fighting form.
Nizhny Novgorod head coach Zoran Lukic:
- I’ve already said that we’re trying not to wear the guys down psychologically at the end of the season. They understand as it is that the most important stage of our work together is now at hand. It’s easy to see that in each player during practices and through their effort. Nizhny Novgorod has a difficult playoff series ahead. Our opponent recently changed head coaches and it’s difficult to predict how that will affect Spartak’s future results. It’s clear that the club from St. Petersburg wanted a change. Based on their performance in the Russian Cup, it hasn’t had a result yet. They did defeat Lokomotiv-Kuban in the PBL, but you have to realize that Krasnodar was emotionally worn out after capturing the Eurocup. We’ll see how it all works out in the end. At the least, I rate our chances for success in this series at 50-50.
Prediction:
These are two even opponents, so I’m not likely to be able to determine a favorite, - said Seoul Olympic champion Sergei Tarakanov. – Each team has its pluses and minuses. Spartak was the nominal favorite at the beginning of the season, but then the team played inconsistently. They won, but also suffered surprising losses. The team was overwhelmed by Zdovc’s thick playbook. Now Spartak is run by young coach Yevgeniy Kisurin, who’s introduced new ideas to the team. It’s difficult to say what they’ll look like in the first round of the playoffs. Nizhny Novgorod has been a very competitive team this season. We all remember their win over Khimki Moscow Region. I’m especially happy that 80% of the contributions in that game came from Russian players. If they play like they did then, they’re capable of beating any team. But, let me repeat, Spartak and Nizhny Novgorod are roughly equal teams and it will be very interesting to see what they look like in the playoffs. I can be sure of one thing – these games won’t be boring.
Team Stats:
|
Spartak
|
Nizhny Novgorod
| |
| 71.8 | Points | 73.3 |
| 18.4/35.5 (52.0%) | 2-pointers | 18.7/37.1 (50.5%) |
| 7.5/22.1 (33.9%) | 3-pointers | 7.8/22.1 (35.4%) |
| 12.4/16.7 (74.1%) | Free throws | 12.4/16.7 (74.1%) |
| 30.2 | Rebounds | 35.6 |
| 15.4 | Assists | 15.3 |
| 12.1 | Turnovers | 14.5 |
| 8.6 | Steals | 6.0 |
| 2.4 | Blocks | 2.9 |
| 23.5 | Fouls | 24.6 |
Player Stats:
|
Spartak
| Nizhny Novgorod | |
| Mavrokefalidis (17.0) | Points | Dijon Thompson (15.1) |
| Mavrokefalidis (7.2) | Rebounds | Dijon Thompson (6.6) |
| Zack Wright (3.4) | Assists | Obi Trotter (4.2) |
| Zack Wright (1.7) | Steals | Dijon Thompson (1.6) |
| Joshua Carter (0.6) | Blocks | Semen Antonov (0.7)
|
source: www.vtb-league.com
Another news
8.09.2017
Nizhny Novgorod landed Sean Denison
BC Nizhny Novgorod signed a one-year deal with Canadian bigman Sean Denison (211 cm, 111 kg, 32 y.o.). Last season he spent in Romanian CSM Oradea, participating in the national championship and Basketball Champions League. From 2011 till 2013 he played in Russian clubs Spartak-Primorye and Ataman.
Nizhny Novgorod terminated the contract with American forward Erik McCree who’d joined the team this august. The decision was made by mutual agreement. At the moment Nizhny is in search of a new player for the vacant place.
10.08.2017
BC Nizhny Novgorod signed Erik McCree
BC NN signed a two-year contract with American forward Erik McCree (23 y.o., 203 cm, 102 kg). From 2013 to 2017 he was playing for Louisiana Tech in NCAA. Last season he showed his best statistics averaging 17,7 points, 8,9 rebounds, 1,3 assists in 33 games.
9.08.2017
Sterling Gibbs joins BC Nizhny Novgorod
BC NN signed a two-year deal with American point guard Sterling Gibbs (188cm, 84kg, 24 y.o). In his college years he played for Seton Hall Pirates and Connecticut Huskies in NCAA. In 2016-2017 spent his first season overseas as he joined Hungarian team Kormend. He helped the team to semifinals in Hungarian Cup and Hungarian League averaging 14,4 points, 2,1 rebounds, 3,3 assists in 27 games.
