This will be our 4th game of the intraseason cup in a 4-team group. We lost the first 3, and now the formula for reaching the semifinals is pretty simple: we must win all three. And since this scenario involves calculating the point differential, it’s highly desirable to beat each opponent by a larger margin than we lost to them.
Simply put, Lokomotiv’s minimum goal for the upcoming game is to win. It would be much better, if we win by 7 or more to make up for the 84:91 loss in the first day of the Winline Basket Cup.
Practice shows that the Krasnodar team is capable of such a feat, especially on our home turf – on November 12, in a VTB United League game, Lokomotiv defeated Perm 90:77. Back then, the game was essentially decided after the 3rd quarter, when Krasnodar was leading by “+23”. This game is the best of Ilya Popov‘s Krasnodar career so far, with 21 points. Vsevolod Ishchenko notched his first double-double as a senior, with 14 goals and 10 rebounds.
To be fair, the two teams played again in Perm after this, and, as in all their meetings this season, the home team prevailed, 93:85. That evening, Ural center Terrell Carter was good (23 points). Later, the VTB United League named the 291-pound American their December MVP. In the league, this player is averaging 12.9 points, 6.1 rebounds (only Mikael Hopkins, who is unlikely to play on Thursday, has more in PARMA), as well as 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks, while opponents foul him an average of 5 times per game. In the intra-season cup, Carter‘s stats are no less impressive: 18 points, 5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.3 blocks, the same 5 opponent fouls, and the second-highest plus/minus on the team (+4.0, only Stanislav Ilnitsky, who plays half as less, has a slightly higher one).
Brendan Adams orchestrates PARMA’s play. He’s practically a constant presence in VTB United League games, playing perhaps more minutes than anyone else in the league (34) and averaging 16.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.3 steals. In the Winline Basket Cup, Brendan spends slightly fewer minutes on the court—32.0. His numbers in WBC are 11.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.0 steals, and 5.7 fouls.
In our previous matchup previews we have already mentioned that PARMA currently has two point guards named Adams—not related, just sharing the same last name. Like Brendan, Jalen Adams is also having an excellent season: he’s been named to the VTB United League’s Team of the Week three times, averaging 13.6 points on 41.2% long-range shooting (2.2 of 5.4 attempts per game), 3.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.6 steals (best on the team). His statistics in the intraseason tournament are comparable: 10.7 points on 40% 3-point shooting, 1.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.0 steals (also best on the team).
Shooting guard Victor Sanders is scoring double-digits in the VTB United League: 10.5 points, complemented by solid 2.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.3 steals. In the Winline Basket Cup, Sanders has 8.0 points, 1.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.7 steals.
Center Gleb Firsov leads the Perm team in blocks in both tournaments (though not always single-handedly): in the league, he has 1.0 blocks (as well as 9.8 points and 4.0 rebounds); in the WBC, he has 1.3 blocks (plus 6.0 points and 3.3 rebounds).
Our opponent’s best long-range shooter is, surprisingly, a center. Alexander Shashkov is making 46.2% of his 3-point attempts in the league (0.7 of 1.4 attempts), and a whopping 75% (1.0 of 1.3) in the intra-season cup. This helps him average 6.3 points in both tournaments. While his stats in the VTB United League are relatively modest (3.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists), in the WBC, Shashkov is putting up an impressive 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.7 blocks.
Another PARMA player whose statistics are noticeably better in the Winline Basket Cup is small forward Alexander Zakharov. In the cup, he’s averaging 10.3 points on 50% 3-pointers, 2.3 rebounds, and 1 steal. In the league, he’s averaging 6.3 points, 3.1 assists, and also has the team’s best plus/minus (+5.3).
The game starts at 8:00 PM, but we recommend arriving at least by 7:30 PM, when the pre-game show begins. Let these photos remind you how impressive the show was before the first Winline Basket Cup game in Krasnodar.
See you at the Basket Hall! Go, Loko!