Eurocup finals. Round second, Russian28 april 2015
On Wednesday, April 29, 2015 BC Khimki at home court will face Herbalife Gran Canaria in the Eurocup finals second game. The beginning is at 19.30 msk! We need your support, dear fans! Don't miss!
OUR OPPONENT
HERBALIFE GRAN CANARIA (CANARY ISLANDS, SPAIN)
Founded in 1963
Team colors: yellow and blue
Honors: Spanish League semifinalist (2013), Spanish Cup semifinalist (2013), Spanish Supercup semifinalist (2009), Eurocup finalist (2015)
Arena: Gran Canaria Arena (capacity – 11500)
Head coach: Aito Garcia Reneses
President: Joaquín Costa Prat
Official website: cbgrancanaria.net
Watch live at NTV-PLUS Basketball, HD Sport, SPORT Plus and Eurosport 2 (from 19.00).
First game. April 24, 2015. Las Palmas (Spain)
Herbalife Gran Canaria — BC Khimki — 66-91 (19-21, 14-19, 21-19, 12-32)
Gran Canaria: Kuric (23 + 2 rebounds + 2 blocks), Baez (18 + 7 rebounds), Oliver (7 + 4 assists + 2 rebounds + 2 steals), O'Leary (5), Tavares (4 + 4 rebounds + 3 blocks), Bellas (3 + 3 assists), Pauli (3), Newley (2 + 2 rebounds), Urtasun.
BC Khimki: Vyaltsev (18 + 4 assists + 3 rebounds), Koponen (18 + 3 assists + 2 rebounds), Davis (17 + 6 rebounds), Rice (13 + 5 assists + 2 rebounds), Augustine (9 + 6 rebounds + 2 assists), Monya (9 + 6 rebounds + 2 assists + 1 block), Ilnitsky (5 + 4 rebounds), Sheleketo (2 + 2 rebounds + 2 steals).
HISTORY
Gran Canaria was founded in 1963 inside Claret School and for many years played under that denomination. Following a successful period in school competitions, a senior team was created and integrated on the Spanish Second Division. The team played in that division until 1984, when it adopted the decision of having a statute of its own, therefore becoming an independent institution. The new statute was approved on May 22, 1985 and the team became Claret Club de Baloncesto. The following years, the team moved many times between ACB League and First Division B. On the 1987/1988 season the club changed its name to CB Gran Canaria, paying homage to the place where its social mass came from. On 30 June 1992 the team became a sports public limited company (Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, SAD in Spanish) in order to fulfil with the requirements of the then-new Spanish sports legislation. After three seasons in the Spanish silver division, the team won the first Liga EBA in the 1994/1995 season and it was promoted to ACB League. From that season on, CB Gran Canaria has stayed in the top level of the Spanish basketball.
The club played its first Spanish League playoffs game in 2000 and played in the Korac Cup in 2001. Gran Canaria made its ULEB Cup debut in 2003/2004 and went through to the eighthfinals before losing to Real Madrid. The club did not return to the ULEB Cup elimination series until 2007, when it lost in the eighthfinals against FMP. Gran Canaria had a great 2009/2010 Eurocup season, but a home loss against Panellinios in a do-or-die game prevented the team from reaching the Finals. BC Khimki forward James Augustine played for the Spanish side from 2008 to 2010. In the next two years, Gran Canaria could not reach the elimination series despite a combined 11-7 record. Great results arrived in the 2012/2013 season, as Gran Canaria reached the Spanish Copa del Rey and the Spanish League semifinals for the first time in club history. Another step forwards took place in the 2013/2014 season, as the club moved to the magnificent, 11,500-seat Gran Canaria Arena. With a new home, a new coach and the same ambition as ever, Gran Canaria can reach high in the 2014/2015 Eurocup.
SEASON 2014/2015
After 29 week in the ACB League Gran Canaria ranks 8th with 15 wins and 14 losses. On the eve of the game vs. BC Khimki Gran Canaria suffered a home defeat from UCAM Murcia (80-92) with 17 pts by ex-Khimkians Thomas Kelati and 12 pts by Carlos Cabezas. Gran Canaria’s European campaign has been very successful so far. The team lost only one game during the entire tournament (in Last 32, to Banvit Bandirma, 70-80) and now has an incredible 21-1 record throughout all the Eurocup. In the Eurocup eightfinals Gran Canaria outlasted Cedevita Zagreb, in the quarterfinals it destroyed Turkish side Pinar Karsiyaka Izmir and defeated UNICS Kazan in the semifinal series. Canaria’s phenomenon is obliged to great experience of head coach Reneses.
PRE-GAME QUOTES
Rimas Kurtinaitis, BC Khimki head coach:
"We made a good first step having won on the road against such a good team and we are starting our home game with a 25-points margin. It looks like everything is clear and easy, but I don’t think it will be easy for us, because we can’t relax. Everyone must understand that the championship has not ended yet and nobody will do our job on the court, only ourselves. Psychologically and emotionally we have to return to the same level as we had in Gran Canaria. Huge psychological work has to be done to make sure that our players understand that it won’t be so easy. In general, we are preparing in our usual manner as we have our own style and we won’t change anything. I think if you have a winning variant, you shouldn’t do anything in another way. We’ll probably insert in our game a couple of new combinations, but everything will depend on the players and their energy and mood. Our coaching staff has to prepare them. Usually Gran Canaria plays with energy as it did at home. I suppose they are not in good spirits after home loss, but until now they haven’t missed anything. They have a really great coach who knows how to build the team and battle. On this point our opponent has simpler psychology, as they have nothing to lose and just have to step on the court and run faster that we will do. We’ll try to reduce their efforts and impose upon our rhythm like we did in Spain. I don’t expect an easy win, whereas a lot of specialists and experts already consider Khimki to be the Eurocup champs. I don’t think so, actually. We have to prepare for this game with great importance. Hopefully the gym will be overcrowded because our fans usually support us greatly and it won’t be an exception on Wednesday. We need their help!"
Paul Davis, BC Khimki center:
"We are just doing the same. We want to try enjoying the game and the atmosphere and we want our fans to be able to enjoy too. We don’t want to be nervous until the last second. It’s a great opportunity as we did a half of the work and now we have to finish it. It was nine months of work in the making and we have a real opportunity to win a trophy in front of our fans. We are going to play against a team that has nothing to lose, really. But it’s still basketball; it’s still five on five and no different. We need to come out with the same intensity. We just have to finish our job. I don’t think they will invent something special and change a lot either way. Maybe just on defense. We have to play the same way we did in Spain and not invent anything new or change anything. We just need to play hard, stay focused and limit our turnovers and that will help us win. I think the atmosphere is gonna be crazy. I’m excited for that, as it’s great for us as players to play in front of this kind of a crowd. It’s gonna be a special night. Personally for me it will be great to win the Eurocup because I’ve been playing professionally about nine years until now and hopefully it will be one of the best nights. You may forget a lot of things, but the one thing you won’t forget is a championship".
HERBALIFE GRAN CANARIA (CANARY ISLANDS, SPAIN)
Founded in 1963
Team colors: yellow and blue
Honors: Spanish League semifinalist (2013), Spanish Cup semifinalist (2013), Spanish Supercup semifinalist (2009), Eurocup finalist (2015)
Arena: Gran Canaria Arena (capacity – 11500)
Head coach: Aito Garcia Reneses
President: Joaquín Costa Prat
Official website: cbgrancanaria.net
Watch live at NTV-PLUS Basketball, HD Sport, SPORT Plus and Eurosport 2 (from 19.00).
First game. April 24, 2015. Las Palmas (Spain)
Herbalife Gran Canaria — BC Khimki — 66-91 (19-21, 14-19, 21-19, 12-32)
Gran Canaria: Kuric (23 + 2 rebounds + 2 blocks), Baez (18 + 7 rebounds), Oliver (7 + 4 assists + 2 rebounds + 2 steals), O'Leary (5), Tavares (4 + 4 rebounds + 3 blocks), Bellas (3 + 3 assists), Pauli (3), Newley (2 + 2 rebounds), Urtasun.
BC Khimki: Vyaltsev (18 + 4 assists + 3 rebounds), Koponen (18 + 3 assists + 2 rebounds), Davis (17 + 6 rebounds), Rice (13 + 5 assists + 2 rebounds), Augustine (9 + 6 rebounds + 2 assists), Monya (9 + 6 rebounds + 2 assists + 1 block), Ilnitsky (5 + 4 rebounds), Sheleketo (2 + 2 rebounds + 2 steals).
HISTORY
Gran Canaria was founded in 1963 inside Claret School and for many years played under that denomination. Following a successful period in school competitions, a senior team was created and integrated on the Spanish Second Division. The team played in that division until 1984, when it adopted the decision of having a statute of its own, therefore becoming an independent institution. The new statute was approved on May 22, 1985 and the team became Claret Club de Baloncesto. The following years, the team moved many times between ACB League and First Division B. On the 1987/1988 season the club changed its name to CB Gran Canaria, paying homage to the place where its social mass came from. On 30 June 1992 the team became a sports public limited company (Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, SAD in Spanish) in order to fulfil with the requirements of the then-new Spanish sports legislation. After three seasons in the Spanish silver division, the team won the first Liga EBA in the 1994/1995 season and it was promoted to ACB League. From that season on, CB Gran Canaria has stayed in the top level of the Spanish basketball.
The club played its first Spanish League playoffs game in 2000 and played in the Korac Cup in 2001. Gran Canaria made its ULEB Cup debut in 2003/2004 and went through to the eighthfinals before losing to Real Madrid. The club did not return to the ULEB Cup elimination series until 2007, when it lost in the eighthfinals against FMP. Gran Canaria had a great 2009/2010 Eurocup season, but a home loss against Panellinios in a do-or-die game prevented the team from reaching the Finals. BC Khimki forward James Augustine played for the Spanish side from 2008 to 2010. In the next two years, Gran Canaria could not reach the elimination series despite a combined 11-7 record. Great results arrived in the 2012/2013 season, as Gran Canaria reached the Spanish Copa del Rey and the Spanish League semifinals for the first time in club history. Another step forwards took place in the 2013/2014 season, as the club moved to the magnificent, 11,500-seat Gran Canaria Arena. With a new home, a new coach and the same ambition as ever, Gran Canaria can reach high in the 2014/2015 Eurocup.
SEASON 2014/2015
After 29 week in the ACB League Gran Canaria ranks 8th with 15 wins and 14 losses. On the eve of the game vs. BC Khimki Gran Canaria suffered a home defeat from UCAM Murcia (80-92) with 17 pts by ex-Khimkians Thomas Kelati and 12 pts by Carlos Cabezas. Gran Canaria’s European campaign has been very successful so far. The team lost only one game during the entire tournament (in Last 32, to Banvit Bandirma, 70-80) and now has an incredible 21-1 record throughout all the Eurocup. In the Eurocup eightfinals Gran Canaria outlasted Cedevita Zagreb, in the quarterfinals it destroyed Turkish side Pinar Karsiyaka Izmir and defeated UNICS Kazan in the semifinal series. Canaria’s phenomenon is obliged to great experience of head coach Reneses.
PRE-GAME QUOTES
Rimas Kurtinaitis, BC Khimki head coach:
"We made a good first step having won on the road against such a good team and we are starting our home game with a 25-points margin. It looks like everything is clear and easy, but I don’t think it will be easy for us, because we can’t relax. Everyone must understand that the championship has not ended yet and nobody will do our job on the court, only ourselves. Psychologically and emotionally we have to return to the same level as we had in Gran Canaria. Huge psychological work has to be done to make sure that our players understand that it won’t be so easy. In general, we are preparing in our usual manner as we have our own style and we won’t change anything. I think if you have a winning variant, you shouldn’t do anything in another way. We’ll probably insert in our game a couple of new combinations, but everything will depend on the players and their energy and mood. Our coaching staff has to prepare them. Usually Gran Canaria plays with energy as it did at home. I suppose they are not in good spirits after home loss, but until now they haven’t missed anything. They have a really great coach who knows how to build the team and battle. On this point our opponent has simpler psychology, as they have nothing to lose and just have to step on the court and run faster that we will do. We’ll try to reduce their efforts and impose upon our rhythm like we did in Spain. I don’t expect an easy win, whereas a lot of specialists and experts already consider Khimki to be the Eurocup champs. I don’t think so, actually. We have to prepare for this game with great importance. Hopefully the gym will be overcrowded because our fans usually support us greatly and it won’t be an exception on Wednesday. We need their help!"
Paul Davis, BC Khimki center:
"We are just doing the same. We want to try enjoying the game and the atmosphere and we want our fans to be able to enjoy too. We don’t want to be nervous until the last second. It’s a great opportunity as we did a half of the work and now we have to finish it. It was nine months of work in the making and we have a real opportunity to win a trophy in front of our fans. We are going to play against a team that has nothing to lose, really. But it’s still basketball; it’s still five on five and no different. We need to come out with the same intensity. We just have to finish our job. I don’t think they will invent something special and change a lot either way. Maybe just on defense. We have to play the same way we did in Spain and not invent anything new or change anything. We just need to play hard, stay focused and limit our turnovers and that will help us win. I think the atmosphere is gonna be crazy. I’m excited for that, as it’s great for us as players to play in front of this kind of a crowd. It’s gonna be a special night. Personally for me it will be great to win the Eurocup because I’ve been playing professionally about nine years until now and hopefully it will be one of the best nights. You may forget a lot of things, but the one thing you won’t forget is a championship".
