Olimpia completes a 24-win EuroLeague season that includes a semi-final lost on the last shot, facing CSKA Moscow for the third, platonic, place. The game will be played at 5.30 pm at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne. After the game, the team will return to Milan to prepare for the playoff semifinal which will restart on Wednesday 2 June in Venice. CSKA, coming back from 20 points down, lost with Efes on a last three-pointer by Will Clyburn that didn’t find the bottom of the net. CSKA will end its season in the VTB League final against Unics Kazan after eliminating Zenit St. Petersburg. For Olimpia it will be the 86th game of the season. The current record is 63-22.
THE HINES CONNECTION – Kyle Hines played at CSKA for seven seasons, winning the EuroLeague in 2016 and 2019, reaching the Final Four in six out of six seasons. He has also won the VTB League six times. In all, he played 218 EuroLeague games with 1,808 points scored and 949 rebounds captured.
THE RODRIGUEZ CONNECTION – Sergio Rodriguez played for CSKA for two years, winning the VTB League twice and the 2019 EuroLeague. He played 71 EuroLeague games with the Moscow powerhouse, with 852 points scored and 237 assists. Rodriguez reunites with a lot of his former teammates. His 13.8 points on average for the 2017/18 season is his career best in the EuroLeague.
THE MICOV CONNECTION – Vlado Micov played 61 EuroLeague games with CSKA Moscow, in the 2012/13 and 2013/14 seasons. In both cases, CSKA reached the Final Four. In two years, he has won the VTB twice.
THE HACKETT CONNECTION – Daniel Hackett played for two years in Milan between the 2013/14 season (not entirely) and the 2014/15 season. He won the 2014 Italian league championship. At the end of his stint in Milan, he played for two years at Olympiacos and one at Bamberg, before moving to Moscow. With Olimpia he played 42 EuroLeague games averaging 10.5 points per game during the 2014/15 season.
THE MESSINA CONNECTION – Coach Ettore Messina spent six seasons on the CSKA Moscow bench: he led the team to the Final Four six times, winning the EuroLeague in 2006 and 2008. After leaving CSKA in 2009 after four years, he returned in 2012 for two more season, during which he has always won the VTB League. In 2006 and 2008 he was named as the EuroLeague Coach of the Year. His EuroLeague record as CSKA Moscow head coach is 123-33.
PLAYER NOTES – Kevin Punter has hit 51 of his last 54 free throws attempted, he is 23-for-25 in the playoffs and in the Final Four. He is three threes away from 100 for his career. Vlado Micov has 1,218 points EuroLeague points for Olimpia, 74 points shy of Bob McAdoo’s 1,292. Sergio Rodriguez is six threes shy of 500 for his career. Zach LeDay has a streak of 22 free throws made going on, and he is 26 points shy of his 1,000 career points. Malcolm Delaney has scored 1.474 points, 26 away from 1.500. Plus, he’s four steals from reaching 100.
