Who will get the gold — CSKA or UNICS? We study the intrigue of the final together with Roman Skvortsov

Is CSKA walking confidently towards their third gold in the last 3 years?

UNICS and CSKA will begin their battle on June 2. VTB United League fans are in for a remake of the 2024 final. Back then, the “army men” won 4-1. That gold was long-awaited for CSKA, as the “red and blues” had not been able to emerge as playoff winners for two years in a row. UNICS, on the contrary, was defending its title as the reigning champion in 2024. The star of that Kazan team was Macedonian point guard Nenad Dimitrijevic.

UNICS did not manage to become two-time VTB United League champions two seasons ago. The capital team under the leadership of Emil Rajkovic overpowered Kazan with their strength, aggression, depth of roster, and skill of their legionnaires.

By the way, that CSKA roster was not very different from the current one. Except for the foreign contingent: forward Amat M'Baye and guard Olivier Hanlan left.

After winning the championship in 2024, the CSKA leadership, headed by team president Andrey Vatutin, chose a clear and understandable strategy. The “army men” kept the championship core, and if they made any emphasis on the transfer campaign, it was exclusively on targeted selection.

Melo Trimble, Casper Ware, Livio Jean-Charles — all these legionnaires forged the last two golds for the “army men.” This year, CSKA is going for a third consecutive championship with the same group of foreigners. But added to them are Antonius Cleveland and Luka Mitrovic.

A member of the VTB United League Hall of Fame, famous Russian commentator and our today's expert Roman Skvortsov, in a conversation with Realnoe Vremya, noted precisely that CSKA's strength in recent years lies in the stability of the organization. The “army men” not only extend proven cup-winning legionnaires season after season but also have experienced, some of the strongest Russian basketball players in the championship on their roster.

“We continue to live in an era where CSKA is the favorite in domestic competitions at any stage against any opponent. Recently, this has nothing to do with the size of the budget — the 'army men' are no longer head and shoulders above everyone else. The main thing now is the experience and stability of the organization, as well as the excellent coaching work of Andreas Pistiolis," emphasized Roman Skvortsov.

Depth of roster, the Perasovic factor? What could prevent UNICS from winning the final?

According to our expert, it is the “army men” who appear as the favorite of the final. Why not UNICS? One factor is Kazan's crowded infirmary. Dishaun Pierre and Tyrone Brewer will definitely not help UNICS for the rest of the playoffs. Alexey Shved, apparently, has also joined this company after the seventh game against Zenit. UNICS's roster was not particularly abundant with names that could strengthen the game from the bench. And now it appears in a very truncated form.

On top of everything, the Perasovic factor could come into play during the final series. According to Roman Skvortsov's observations, the methods of work of the UNICS head coach are interesting. But at the same time, not every player who recently joined the team can get used to them. An example is forward Elijah Stewart. The American joined UNICS for reinforcement over a month ago, but by the final, he never became one of the leaders of the “white-greens.”

“In terms of stability, UNICS can already be compared to CSKA. But there is a lingering feeling that the players, oddly enough the new ones, are a bit tired of Perasovic," emphasized the commentator.

Strengths of UNICS and CSKA — unyielding defense versus varied offense

The final between UNICS and CSKA is a clash of two systems with renowned, respected head coaches — Velimir Perasovic and Andreas Pistiolis. Kazan impresses with their defense and team character, allowing them to secure come-from-behind victories. Roman Skvortsov drew attention to this in a conversation with a Realnoe Vremya correspondent.

“It's hard to be impressed by anyone individually at a stage where every substitute has to jump out of their sneakers, and the club's cleaning lady has to look in the same direction as the club president. As a team, one cannot fail to note Kazan's comeback from 1-3 in the series against Zenit after the outright thrashing that the Petersburgers gave UNICS in the fourth game. I would like that after this, Kazan does not consider their mission for the season accomplished, and that they develop a voracious appetite," Skvortsov noted.

CSKA, on the contrary, is a team with a more offensive DNA and a selection of versatile, high-quality players. The “army men” are always very flexible on offense and know how to surprise their opponent with unexpected moves and combinations.

What strengths of both clubs does our expert Roman Skvortsov highlight:

“I would highlight CSKA's highly variable offense, in which the threat systematically comes from any player in any position, plus there are two distinctly individually strong players — Trimble and Ware — who are ready at any moment to switch to 'free artist' mode and turn the tide of a difficult match. UNICS must rely on grueling defensive work: their benchmark is the seventh match of the series against Zenit, the opponent's benchmark is the first match of the CSKA — Lokomotiv-Kuban series. And also on the fact that a sweaty wave of inspiration will suddenly, first and foremost for the opponent, wash over Shved (if he plays), the elder Kulagin, Reynolds, and Bingham. If someone else joins this company, it will be great," Skvortsov said.

Who will take the final MVP award? Trimble or Reynolds?

Indeed, as much as we might discuss the clash of two different basketball systems now, much in the final will be decided by individuals. Which players will not be afraid to take responsibility for finishing attacks.

CSKA's traditional clutch player is Melo Trimble, who received the Final MVP award in the last two playoffs. In UNICS, according to Roman Skvortsov, the leader should be center Jalen Reynolds. The American, together with Marcus Bingham, organized a duo of the “best big men” in the VTB United League throughout the regular season and the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Surely Velimir Perasovic, along with all UNICS fans, hopes that this trump card will work in the final against CSKA as well. Moreover, in the regular season, Kazan beat the “army men” twice.
“I have two candidates for the Final MVP — Melo Trimble and Jalen Reynolds. If someone over the course of the final manages to outshine these gentlemen, they will take this prize absolutely deservedly," Roman Skvortsov concluded the conversation with a Realnoe Vremya correspondent with a smile.