Basketball: CSKA to fight for 5th straight Final Four
Published 31 March, 2008, 20:51
CSKA Moscow are looking forward to another Final Four appearance when they take on Olympiakos in the first round basketball series. The red and blues topped Group G in the Euroleague second stage.
CSKA Moscow have made the final for the past two years running.
The backcourt trio that makes the team go and gives it an identity has remained the same over recent years.
The bad news is that centre Aleksey Savrasenko is out until next season with a shoulder injury, but Marcus Goree has been solid and improving.
Add David Anderson, Thomas Van Den Spiegel and young Anatoly Kashirov, and you've got a serious force to bang in the paint.
The biggest move of the year was bringing Viktor Khryapa back to Moscow from his three-year stint in the NBA. And even though Khryapa hasn't fully gelled with the team, there's no doubt he will be a force.
Slovenian swingman Matjaz Smodis is back from injury and will still start over Khryapa, while Ramunas Shishkauskas has been producing consistently in his first season with the Russian champs.
In the Euroleague quarterfinals, CSKA will take on Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos.
During the regular season, the two teams shared home wins.
Olympiakos are headed by Greece coach Panagiotis Giannakis, who will be up against his own national team players Theodoros Papaloukas and Nikolaos Zisis.
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