Nice to feel like Nostradamus. It's nice to understand that you agree with the Olympic champion Alexander Volkov, who said the day before in a television interview: "If CSKA does not win these Clippers 20 points, I don’t understand anything in basketball." The famous Kievite was mistaken for only one, excusable point. There remains the essence, without embarrassment, expressed by the head coach of “clippers” Mike Dunlavy: “CSKA was stronger”.
Often we have to talk about the departure of an era that promised a comfortable existence on the basketball Olympus to the American gods. Just think, until recently, in conversations about rivalry with the rest of the world, diplomatic turns were used like "Europe is undoubtedly progressing, but it won’t be available soon." Now, the stars of the NBA club are blaming at the beginning of the preparatory period, and the head coach - at the differences in the rules. Lord, they make excuses!
Elton Brand and Corey Maggetty, whose fees are 10 times the amount received by the highest paid player of CSKA, sat at a press conference with people who could be called gray in the color of chic costumes if the guys were not African-American. “I would like to come back here when we are in optimal shape,” Maggetty brave. We would love that too, Corey!
In the meantime, the Red Basketball Army landed in Cologne, where it will play first with Telavivan “Maccabi” in the Tuesday semifinal, while “Phoenix” and “Philadelphia” will meet in another pair. Predicting the results of the tournament is much more difficult. If only because the meeting with the Israelis will take place in the still-settled powder smoke of the battle of the Euroleague final. CSKA and “Maccabi” in any international match are also tapping for the honor of a country or even a continent. Unlike the NBA guys, Brand admits that they play exclusively for themselves.
God forbid the army team to meet with “Phoenix”: the current “Philadelphia” is also not an opponent to the best club in Europe. It will be interesting. The fastest and most spectacular NBA club, if not the whole world, is unlikely to allow itself to remain on the “clipper” rally of 75 points. Favorite on this side of the Atlantic "zone" Arizona "truckers" will break. We need to come up with a way to hinder the reactive Steve Nash and Leandro Barboza, cut off from the ring of the jumping Sean Marion, block the field of vision for clever Boris Djo and not forget about the tenacious and apt Raja Bella. Remembering how in Moscow the protective order of CSKA was cut by the explosive Sean Livingston, one has to worry about the possibility of Moscow “kids” catching up with high-speed “solar” ones.
However, the Americans will have to chase. Nash or Iverson, Bell or Igudala will surely carefully study the habits of John-Robert Holden, Trajan Langdon, Theo Papaloukas. You will also have to get acquainted with Anton Ponkrashov’s skills, figure out how to curb Matyaz Smodis’s hot temper, slip away from David Vanterpool or cope with Thomas van den Spiegel.
CSKA is ready to make the tasks of overseas clubs insoluble. And then the journalists will have a chance to watch how the face of the two-time MVP of the regular NBA Steve Nash, which has not been tanned, will turn gray.
Nikolai TSYNKEVICH
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