It is the last game of 2020 and is also the last of the EuroLeague’s first half of the season, even if in truth Olimpia have played one game less, the one rescheduled in St. Petersburg. The level of difficulty couldn’t be any higher, because CSKA Moscow is coming to town. It is the league-leading team, unbeaten in the last 11 games, 13 counting the VTB League (the last win was grabbed in Kazan during the weekend). It is a game full of meaning due to the presence of many guys who used to be on the other side of the fence, from Coach Ettore Messina to Kyle Hines and Sergio Rodriguez on one side, Mike James and Daniel Hackett on the other. CSKA is as a matter of fact the defending champion, having won the EuroLeague title in 2019, even though that team has changed significantly. CSKA have played the last eight Final Fours and 16 of the last 17. They are the team that scores the most points, averaging 84.4 points per game, it is second for threes made per game, clearly first for free throws obtained and scored, second in rebounds. There could not be a more difficult challenge at this time.
COACH ETTORE MESSINA – “We don’t just face a great team, we face mostly a great club. CSKA for organization, mentality, and means, it’s been a model in Europe for decades. They set the standard for excellence. From strictly a basketball standpoint, they have a lot of rebounding power and in posting up, to go along obviously a terrific scorer like Mike James. We want to play them straight, we’ll be humble, but at the same time our desire is to play a great game against the top contender as of now.”
KYLE HINES – “CSKA is the team leading in the standing at this time, they are strong and powerful and know how to play, but at the same time we have lost a couple of home games that we shouldn’t have lost and now our goal is to do whatever it takes to protect our court. For me personally, it’s the opportunity to see a lot of people that I consider friends, starting with Coach Itoudis and many of my former teammates. It’s going to be a great moment for me, but more than anything I’m excited to play against the best team in the league. I know very well how they like to play, and to compete against the best is something I’m looking forward.”
THE REFEREES – Juan Carlos Garcia (Spain), Saso Petek (Slovenia), Milivoje Jovcic (Serbia).
NOTES – Gigi Datome has an open streak of 23 free throws made. Kevin Punter has scored a three in each of the last 21 EuroLeague games played. This year he has scored in double figures in nine out of 10 games and has had at least one steal in each of his last eight games. Sergio Rodriguez is three points shy of 500 scored in the EuroLeague for Olimpia. With three assists he could also overtake Vlado Micov as the first ever in assists made for Olimpia.
CSKA MOSCOW – Point guard Mike James is averaging 20.6 points per game, first overall, and is very efficient: he is shooting 56.4 percent from two, 41.0 percent from three-point territory, 81.8 percent from the line. He is also first on the team in assists, 5.7 per game, and in steals. Daniel Hackett usually starts along him and is shooting 50.0 percent from three. Darrun Hilliard averages 11.1 points per game. Will Clyburn is scoring 14.1 on average, but he got injured during the Villeurbanne game and will be out. The Latvian shooter Janis Strelnieks has only played 51 minutes so far, this season. Veteran Nikita Kurbanov starts at small forward. The two big men are in fact the two big addition made over the summer, Tornike Shengelia (9.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game) and Nikola Milutinov (8.7 points, 8.0 rebounds per game, 70.0 percent from two). The German center, Johannes Voigtmann averages only 5.4 points per game but he’s shooting 46.2 percent from three and adds 4.9 rebounds per game. The department is completed by Joel Bolomboy, an explosive forward averaging 5.0 points and 4.2 rebounds in 16 minutes spent on the court. Semen Antonov is also an excellent shooter.
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 JAMES CONNECTION – Mike James played in Milan in the 2018/19 season at the end of which he won the EuroLeague scoring championship with 595 points scored over 30 games and tied the club record for most assists in a single game with 12 against CSKA Moscow.
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.
