June 19, 2013
Road to playoffs: key facts - CSKA Moscow
CSKA MoscowAndrei Kirilenko - CSKA MoscowKey win: CSKA won 13 Euroleague games in a row from the start of the season before Galatasaray Medical Park handed CSKA its first loss, 68-64, but the Russian powerhouse bounced back right away to prove it is a rock-solid squad ready to challenge for all titles. CSKA overwhelmed Olympiacos 96-64, leaving no doubt about its power. Andrey Vorontsevich led six CSKA scorers in double figures with 15 points. CSKA tormented Olympiacos early by draining 11 of 12 first-half three-pointers to get a 54-26 lead at the break.

Key stat: CSKA is not only winning at an incredible pace, but it is doing so in fun-to-watch fashion. CSKA leads the 2011-12 Euroleague in scoring (86.2 ppg.), assists (19.9 apg.) and performance index ranking (103.5). As many as five players average more than 2 assists per game, led by Milos Teodosic (4.9 apg.). Coach Jonas Kazlauskas already proved that great offense can win titles - and is determined to do it again this season.

Key player: Andrei Kirilenko has been unstoppable until now. He leads the Euroleague in performance index ranking (24.2) and blocks (2.3 bpg.). He also leads all playoffs participants in rebounds (7 rpg.) and steals (1.82 spg.). Kirilenko feels comfortable at small forward, where he can make the most out of his size, aggressiveness and up-tempo playing style.

Key fact: CSKA is undefeated at home, where it has comfortably won all of its eight games. No team has even been close to beating CSKA in Moscow. In fact, CSKA has registered double-digit home wins against each and every opponent. Its average winning margin is 18.5 points, which simply illustrates how unstoppable the Russian champs have been at Universal Sports Hall.

Key intangible: Bouncing back after an underwhelming season is always tough, but CSKA is doing so in style. No other team is more motivated to do well this season than CSKA, which was hungry to prove itself after not being able to go past the regular season in 2010-11. CSKA's ambition never has limits, but that extra motivation has allowed the team to be focused on each and every game and set the basis for what might become one of the best seasons in club history.
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Euroleague.net
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