By Chris Sheridan
NEW YORK — Another lockout stakeout has begun, and I will be keeping you up to speed on whatever developments take place as the afternoon rolls along, perhaps into the evening.
In the meantime, I can offer you some video of Andrei Kirilenko and Ty Lawson from last night’s Euroleague opener, won 87-74 by CSKA Moscow.
There is a game recap below the video, plus some insight from a loyal reader in Tel Aviv, Israel: David “Dubi” Pick.
CSKA won the opening tip and Kirilenko’s impact was immediately felt with an easy base-line layup. Lawson responded displaying incredible speed with a coast-to-coast hoop to cut Kaunas’ deficit to 11-8 midway through the quarter, but Kirilenko and Ramunas Siskauskas kept the visitors ahead, 25-16 after one.
Alexey Shved began the second period banking in a 3-pointer, but Sonny Weems and Lawson rallied their team to an 11-0 run, cutting the deficit to 28-27. However, CSKA responded with its own 12-0 spark led by Serbians Nenad Krstic and Milos Teodosic, handing CSKA a 44-31 halftime lead.
Weems started the third quarter tipping in his own miss to light up the crowd, but Krstic quickly silenced them with a tough and-one to go along with Kirilenko’s put-back slam, making things 67-52 entering the fourth quarter. Weems tried to force a comeback, but Krstic from the line and Teodosic’s no-look pass to Kirilenko for the slam sealed the deal.
Four current/former NBA players were in the mix. Nuggets’ point guard Ty Lawson continues to struggle with European basketball while Toronto Raptors small forward Sonny Weems continued to lead his squad in scoring.
After securing a record eight straight Euroleague Final Four appearances, CSKA Moscow experienced an uncharacteristically difficult season last year, failing to pass the first round. As a result, the Russian champions acquired seven new faces, including Kirilenko (who signed a three-year deal including an out clause if/when the NBA lockout ends.) However, Spartak St. Petersburg managed to spoil Kirilenko’s first appearance with an 83-81 VTB league upset, despite AK-47’s 15 points and five rebounds. Last night, Kirilenko filled up the stat sheet with an impressive 17 points, 15 rebounds along with five assists and four blocks, setting a new Euroleague index rating performance on opening night with 37.
The second-most recognized member on the Russian squad is Krstic, who split last season between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Boston Celtics. Krstic’s combination of size, mid-range shooting and savvy post moves already rewarded him with easy points as CSKA won the Alexander Gomelski and Russian Railways pre-season tournaments, as Krstic averaged nearly 16 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes of action. Last night was no different as the Serbian big man pounded his way to 11 points and six boards in 24 minutes.
On the other end of the parquet, things are looking a bit shabby. The Lithuanian champs began their Euroleague season with a deep roster and high hopes of the Lawson-Weems duo, eager to keep the basketball city of Kaunas warm all winter long.
Lawson has not been living up to expectations, and last night was no different (7 points, 0 assists). After breaking the NBA record for consecutive 3-pointers made (10) against Minnesota with ten buckets, Lawson has been struggling from deep, shooting just 1-for-7. Weems became the first NBAer to “take his talents” overseas signing a no-out deal, keeping him in Lithuania the entire season. Weems has been putting up numbers, becoming Zalgiris’ top scorer thus far, and making his Euroleague introduction with 16 points on 5-of-16 shooting from the field with six rebounds and three blocks.