This game turned out to be the 3000th in the history of the VTB United League – and we dare to assume that it brought a lot of emotions to all basketball fans regardless of their favourite club. And fans of both teams will certainly remember today’s emotional seesaw for a very long time.
It started with Loko scoring 5 points in a row: Kirill Yelatontsev was good at the free throws line, and Anton Kvitkovskikh continued to prove that he deserves to be in the starting lineup – by adding 2+1. A bit later, Yelatontsev made the score 7:2 after a pass from Tahjere McCall, but Yauheni Beliankou’s activity in defense allowed Uralmash to get within “–2”, 9:7 – and that’s when the seesaw began.
The hosts’ tough defense did not allow Lokomotiv to make open shots (although there were some exceptions), but our guys were not afraid of contact, so at some point Loko scored more points from the free throw line (7) than from other shots combined (6). With the score at 13:12, the leader began to change in almost every attack, and by the first break there were 5 of these changes, which put Uralmash ahead, 17:18.
At the beginning of the 2nd quarter, both teams increasingly improved their defense, and no one scored for two minutes. And as soon as Aleksandr Gudumak scored, the Urals responded with two lightning-fast counterattacks: Kirill Pisklov scored a very difficult reverse layup, Anton Kardanakhishvili – a bit simpler reverse layup. As for Loko, it looked as if everyone had suddenly forgotten how to score – except for Miller. But much more often in these minutes was it, when our attacks were stopped by the forest of Uralmash’s hands or ended with shots from bad positions. Meanwhile, the opponent scored regularly and ran away 27:40 by the big break.
The atmosphere of Game #2 was clearly felt at that moment. It was when Lokomotiv similarly let Uralmash go, and when something started to work out, it was already too late.
As the first minutes of the 3rd quarter showed, Loko learned some lessons. After Kvitkovskikh’s steal, Antonius Cleveland scored on a fast break. Then McCall scored another 2 points. Jeremiah Martin responded from the mid-range, but Cleveland did the same. Martin immediately scored from beyond the arc, and Kvitkovskikh, although not from beyond the arc, also scored. And on the third time, Martin’s throw was covered, and Cleveland returned the score difference from double-digit to single-digit values - 37:46.
This visually infuriated Javonte Douglas, who had been playing a great game up to that point and managed to collect a double-double (10 points + 10 rebounds) by the 21st minute. The Uralmash forward said something to the referees, and after receiving a technical foul, he did not calm down – and immediately received a second one, which led to his disqualification.
In the absence of Douglas, Loko began to get way more rebounds – and steadily reduce the gap. Finally, 3-pointers began to hit the target for the Krasnodar team – Kvitkovskikh scored the first, 46:48. Here, Uralmash began to be groggy a little: in a counterattack, Octavius Ellis and Ilya Popov were unable to score from three attempts from right under the hoop. Cleveland eventually picked up the ball – and tied the score, 48:48!
But such runs take a lot of energy, and Loko immediately missed a counter-punch from Uralmash: 2+1 from Ellis, free throws from Pisklov, a 3-pointer from Martin – and now the difference in the score is double-digit again, 49:59. Dmitry Uzinsky did not allow us to get into thoughts about the upcoming match #5, responding to Martin’s three with a similar shot. Yet, before the end of the quarter, the opponent managed to score again, 52:61.
In the very first attack of the 4th quarter, Vladislav Yemchenko scored from mid-range. Martin responded by trying to hit the hoop from the perimeter – missed; Cleveland picked up the ball and scored 2+1. Martin and Anton Glazunov failed to score, and Yelatontsev performed his shot perfectly – thus, in just a minute and a half, the gap was reduced to one possession, 59:61. Lokomotiv made a successful chase at the start of the second quarter in a row!
After a turnover by Ellis, Yelatontsev reduced the difference to a minimum, scoring 1 of 2 free throws. But then Martin started to show who, in his opinion, is the boss on the Yekaterinburg parquet: he scored 2, then – after Kardanakhishvili’s steal – 3 more, 60:66! A real playoff fight had begun under the boards, Kvitkovskikh felt okay in such a rush, Uzinsky made a steal, then an offensive rebound – and Miller reduced the margin to one possession, 64:66. And Martin, no matter how good he was, couldn’t hit absolutely everything, so after his miss, Cleveland (as he had already done 10 minutes earlier) tied the score again.
Isaiah Whaley came out – and on fresh legs rushed to the hoop after a steal by Kvitkovskikh: 68:66, now it was Uralmash’s turn to catch up. Martin tied, but Miller found an open corridor in the opponent’s paint – and hammered the ball from above! In the next episode, Whaley simply took the ball from Martin’s hands, after which Cleveland was fouled on, and scored 1 free throw out of 2, “+3”! Glazunov put the captain’s 3-pointer in the target, tying the score, 71:71. But we also had a player with nerves of steel and precise hands – Kvitkovskikh found some free space on the arc and, having received the ball, was accurate, 74:71!
Martin took the ball and executed an isolation, winning back 2 points. But Cleveland also took the ball and returned the gap back. Martin scored another floater from the middle – and Lokomotiv was passing until Uzinsky got the ball right under the hoop – and he rarely misses in such cases, 78:75. Martin scored again; Cleveland decides to take a long shot, misses, but Miller takes the rebound! He is immediately fouled, getting hit in the eye – and misses both free throws. But the rebound is ours again, and now Kvitkovskikh gets a foul on himself – and scores twice from the line, 80:77 with 15 seconds left.
In order not to give the opponent a chance to tying throw, Loko starts to foul tactically. But it turns out that we have only 2 fouls in the 4th quarter before this, and after our violations, the opponent does not go to the free throw line, but to the sideline. And the third throw-in from the side turns out to be fatal for Uralmash: Cleveland dives to steal, forcing Martin to play with his foot – the ball is ours, Cleveland is fouled, and he scores both free throws, creating a difference with 4 seconds left that cannot be made up. 82:77, we are in the semi-finals!
Loko’s opponent in the semi-finals will be Zenit. At this stage, the series goes up to 4 wins. The first two games will be on May 5 and 7 in St. Petersburg. After that, on May 11 and 13, there will be two games in Krasnodar.