Group B report: Zalgiris-CSKA 75-78

One fateful last-second shot made CSKA Moscow the Group B champion with 
a miraculous 75-78 road over Zalgiris in Kaunas, Lithuania on Thursday 
night. Victor Alexander's three-point buzzer-beater at the finish left 
the Zalgiris fans stunned, but before the night was over, they learned 
that their magic season with legend Arvydas Sabonis, the Euroleague 
regular season MVP, would continue. Because of results in Group A, 
Zalgiris squeaked into the Top 16 as the best sixth-place team overall 
with a 6-8 record and a better point differential (+0) than its 
counterparts, AEK of Group A (-34) and Idea Slask of Group C (-48). 
CSKA improved to 11-3, and won its own tie-breaker with Maccabi based 
on a 48-point higher global point differential for the season. Marcus 
Brown paced the winners with 18 points, while Alexander pumped most of 
his 16 in the fourth quarter and J.R. Holden added 10. For Zalgiris, Ed 
Cota played all 40 minutes and scored 19 points, while Ainars Bagatskis 
put up 14 and Sabonis 12. 

With -16 degrees centigrade outside and a few hundred CSKA fans inside, 
the Kaunas Sporto Hale warmed to the strains of the Lithuanian national 
anthem as sung by the Sabonis of opera singers,Virgilijus Noreika, as 
the nation's prime minister, Mr. Algirdas Brazauskas, and his wife 
joined the noisy crowd. The tension was high and the teams trade a few 
empty possessions until Cota hit a jump-hook. When Bagatskis and 
Sabonis then connected on 2 triples, the crowd roared, and when Arturas 
Javtokas added an inside basket, Zalgiris had a 10-0 lead after 3 
minures. Holden finally made 2 free throws to put CSKA on the 
scoreboard, but with Sabonis and Cota connecting again, Zalgiris 
increased the gap to an amazing 13 points, 15-2. Still Zalgiris started 
to pay the cost of intense defense, and Tanoka Beard replaced Sabonis. 
Making use of a somewhat lessened defensive grip by Zalgiris, Brown and 
Victor Alexander soon reduced the deficit to 16-8 for CSKA. Still, 
Beard and Cota restored the gap to 24-13 at the end of 10 minutes. 

CSKA reacted to start the second quarter as Dragan Tarlac came on to 
score 4 points, while Theodoros Papaloukas and Brown jumped on Zalgiris 
defensive mistakes to redue the deficit to 24-20. Zalgiris coach 
Antanas Sireika sent Sabonis and Javtokas back in, but if they were a 
successful tandem in the first period, now CSKA was awake. Brown and 
Cota exchange drives, then Sabonis was called for 2 offensive fouls, 
and CSKA coach Dusan Ivkovic sent Mirsad Turkcan on-court with a 
mission, to stop Sabas. Cota and Papaloukas traded inside baskets, then 
Holden landed a triple. Sergei Monia coverted 1 of 2 free throws, and 
for the first time there was a tie, 30-30. After Bagatskis hit from 
the downtown and Monia sank more foul shots, a Holden layup and Tarlac 
jumper got CSKA its first lead, 35-36. Giedras Gustas and Bagatskis 
took that lead back for Zalgiris at 39-36. The half ended with Gustas 
and Brown hitting triples, the latter's landing on the buzzer for CSKA, 
cutting the Zalgiris lead to 42-41. 

After the break, Zalgiris jumped ahead again 47-43, but Jankunas missed 
a layup and Bagatskis a three. Alexander made them pay with a difficult 
basket, but Beard got those points back for Zalgiris. Holden showed 
great suspension to score off the glass at the end of one possession, 
then Brown went for a three-point play that got CSKA within 51-50. With 
Sabas on the court again, Zalgiris improved its defense, but scoring 
points was still a problem. Gustas made a tough close basket to build 
up some safety margin, 57-52 , but CSKA' s Khryapa saved his team with 
4 foul shots in a row. On last possession of the third quarter, Cota
slalomed to the basket but missed a layup, so Zalgiris clung to a 57-55 
lead after 30 minutes. 

To open the final quarter, Alexander tied for CSKA at 57-57 with an 
open shot from the elbow and Kryapa scored another 2 to put the guests 
in the lead again. Great moves by Brown with a tremendous dunk over 
Sabonis increased the lead to 58-61, after which Zalgiris committed a 
turnover. Sabonis and Cota answered for Zalgiris, but Alexander kept 
the scoreboard close, 60-63. Brown scored against a tiring home 
defense, but Sabonis had enough left for a tough reverse off-the-glass 
score-tying shot, 65-65, with less than 5 min to go. Bagatskis with a 
triple and Cota with another layup soon had Zalgiris in front, 72-69, 
with 3 minutes left, but Brown showed he was capable of great deeds. He 
scored twice before Papaloukas got open for a new CSKA lead, 72-73. 
After Sabonis and Alexander traded baskets, Bagatskis tied it 75-75 
with one foul shot, and Zalgiris defended what seemed to be the last 
CSKA possession. But then Sabonis and Beard were whistled for 3 seconds 
in the lane, leaving 1.6 seconds on the clock. That was enough for 
Alexander's buzzer-beating triple75-78 that put CSKA in first place in 
Group B, and left Zalgiris and its shocked fans holding their breath 
for a Top 16 chance, which would come to them an hour later due to 
results elsewhere.  
  
 
Arunas Pakula, Kaunas