Before an important game, the coaches are devising schemes and combinations. The players are preparing to put that stuff into practice. But what can we, fans and observers, do? Believe that Lokomotiv will do better than CSKA this Saturday. And reinforce our belief by picking suitable omens.
How about, for example, UNICS’s victory over Zenit on May 22? You’ve probably noticed that in the Loko vs CSKA series, which is played a day after Kazan vs St. Petersburg, everything is going exactly the same so far. UNICS won the first game in overtime; we also won against the Moscow team in overtime. Then Zenit won three games in a row; our opponent matched them step by step. And now UNICS has made it 2-3. The move is ours.
Or here’s another: in the previous two seasons, Lokomotiv lost important semifinal games on Patrick Miller‘s birthday. This time, the captain’s birthday didn’t coincide with the game. That’s a good sign, huh?
And of course, how can we ignore the historical fact that the only team in the history of the VTB United League to lose a best-of-7 series while leading 3-1 was CSKA–in the 2021/22 season final against Zenit. Back then, after 4 games, many thought the series was over, but fate decreed otherwise.
However, Lokomotiv coach Tomislav Tomović doesn’t believe that omens, historical patterns, or other factors beyond the teams’ control will influence the outcome.
And now, some interesting statistics.
In Game 4, CSKA players Melo Trimble and Ivan Ukhov missed their first free throw attempts of the semifinal series. They made 27 of 28 attempts and 9 of 11, respectively. Now, both teams have two players with 100% free throw accuracy: Moscow captain Semyon Antonov (2 of 2) and Lokomotiv forward Mike Moore (4 of 4).
After a disappointing Game 3 (0 points), Moore returned to double-digit scoring – he scored 18 points in Game 4, bringing his series average to exactly 10 per game.
Lokomotiv captain Patrick Miller (pictured above) remains the series’ most efficient player, averaging 21.5 KPI. But CSKA center Livio Jean-Charles is close, with 20.5. Third-place Trimble is significantly behind, with 16.8.
After posting a solid box plus/minus in Game 4 (+11), Lokomotiv forward Kirill Temirov moved into the positive sum for the entire semifinal series (+5). Our center, Alen Hadzibegovic, also improved his rating (from +20 to +23). Only CSKA’s Anton Astapkovich (+31), Antonius Cleveland, and Casper Ware (both +30) have total plus-minus. It’s worth noting, however, that the only CSKA player who previously had a negative rating, Nikita Kurbanov, also moved into the positive sum after Game 4 (from –2 to +3).
Lokomotiv now has a player who made 100% of his shots in the semifinal series: Ivan Samoylenko (pictured next). His current tally consists of one three-pointer on one attempt, but, as they say, a long journey begins with a single step. We believe in the best!
Around 100 people plan to gather in the Megasport stands to support Lokomotiv in a dedicated fan section (D-22), plus several dozen with regular tickets. On the evening of May 22, a bus carrying fans of the Krasnodar FC departed for Moscow. They were traveling to the soccer cup final against Spartak, but they also planned to catch a basketball game if the bus made it.
Want to support Lokomotiv in person on May 23? Let us know on our Telegram channel, and we’ll help you.
Go, Loko! We believe in the team!