The fact that Oscar Torres came in the starting lineup of CSKA, no one was surprised. And even no one guessed to ask about it at a press conference. And the truth is, what is there to understand? In the Venezuelan class, no one doubts. He demonstrates dedication so that youth will envy. In defense, "plows" - this is Ettore Messina notes with pleasure. Moreover, its presence helps the army team not stray from the usual personnel rhythm, as if replacing the injured David Vanterpool in the rotation of the players.
And yet Oscar is not David. The difference in the role leads to the fact that Nikita Kurbanov, who seems to have become one of Messina's favorites, appeared on the court only two minutes before the siren - at this stage all coaching trust rests with experienced players. And young people need to take a chance. So, as Anton Ponkrashov did. Here we are happy to note the transformation of Baryshnikov into a kind of Ivan Edeshko - a cunningly passer who does not slow down the game, boldly and (most importantly) successfully 
attacking, and even clearly defending. Five consecutive points of Anton in the fourth period, in fact, broke Partizan. Before that, the guests were in full compliance with Vuyoshevich's thesis: the score in the first half was off-game.
Then, at a press conference, Messina will make the opponent almost a traitor. Say, Dushko himself admitted in an interview with the official Euroleague website that Belgrade residents are uncomfortable under pressure (it is clear that the army coaches checked everything on the videos). And for almost half an hour, the game proved the truth of the Serbian mentor - until in the end of the third quarter of CSKA he applied another defense: tough, on receipt. These moments, multiplied by a short period of activity of John Holden (in a row - “treshka” and four free throws), took the hosts to a pleasant “twenty” heart.
Belgrade could only expect a miracle: Vuyoshevich admitted bluntly that the difference in class rivals is enormous. The search for a miracle was combined with the usual viscous game for Partizan, in which each attack lasted almost all allowed 24 seconds. Such tactics should contribute to the clumsy Predrag Drobnyak, but he, in addition to the “three rubles” at the beginning of the match, did not notice anything special - he fouled on the active Matthiaz Smodis. And the Belgrade did not have a quick game: the fastest of the rivals, Vontigo Cummings, was eaten by Holden with giblets.
The Muscovites attack, to Messina's surprise, turned out to be somehow slurred. No, it was usually slender, with rare manifestations of an individual game, which more often than not had managed to penetrate the team spirit of Torres. Here are just a percentage of hits turned out incredibly low for the winners - 38 with a little. Surprised Holden, firing in the “milk” from completely normal for him, Andersen, who beat off all the paint from the rings, and, most importantly, Smodis, who managed to become the top scorer of the match, hitting the first shot (“three”) and greasing the next seven.
It turned out not very aesthetically pleasing. But it’s very practical - CSKA got two wins in two matches of the Top 16 with a serious difference. Can I re-record the army team as favorites? “Let's wait for the results of trips to Athens and Badalona,” Messina reasoned reasonably.
Nikolai TSYNKEVICH