Third, so necessary

Lokomotiv Krasnodar vs. CSKA: 66-74 (+8)

Lokomotiv: Collins (18 + 6 rb + 4 as + 3 to + 4 pf), Ivlev (4), Janning (6 + 5 rb + 4 pf), Hvostov (4), Vougioukas (6 + 3 rb), Zubkov (10 + 5 rb), Shukhovtcov (2), Rochestie (8 + 4 pf), Broekhoff (8)…

CSKA: De Colo (13), Teodosic (16 + 3 rb + 4 as + 4 to), Augustine (8 + 5 rb), Fridzon (6), Jackson (10 + 6 rb + 6 as + 4 pf), Vorontsevich (4 rb), Higgins (4 + 4 as), Khryapa (5 rb), Kurbanov (8 + 4 rb), Hines (9 + 4 rb)…

Congratulations to the team on a 3-0 series win. I have to give credit to Loko. That’s an excellent team and strong opponent. Recapping the series, I’d say the first game was the most difficult. We’d only returned from the EuroLeague Final Four and clearly weren’t ready emotionally. Often teams that are the underdogs play looser and try to steal a win in one of the first two games. They hit tough shots. Today, Lokomotiv was under pressure in an elimination game and didn’t shoot as well for that reason. From game to game, we played smarter, made quicker decisions and took away our opponent’s points of emphasis. We ran better, rebounded better, and handled a physical battle. We played almost perfect for three quarters. Then, like I told the team in a timeout, we thought the time would play for us. Nonetheless, I’m satisfied, especially with the defense. In Game 3, we only gave up 66 points, and 71 in Game 2. Now we’ll await our opponent in the finals and take advantage of the opportunity to rest. I also want to thank the fans. There were nearly 7,500 and they created a wonderful atmosphere.