PBL. UNICS vs. BC Khimki 7 june 2011

Strong nerves, the desire to win and strong-willed character allowed the yellow-blue to score a decisive victory over UNICS Kazan in a semifinal series — 61-54 (14-12, 18-4, 16-28, 13-10). BC Khimki entered BEKO PBL final! The first game with CSKA Moscow our team will play on Saturday, June 11 in Alexander Gomelskiy Universal Sport Hall CSKA. The beginning of the meeting is at 19.00 msk.

Best scorers: Planinic (14 + 5 rebounds + 3 assists + 2 steals), Loncar (12 + 2 rebounds), Kelati (10 + 3 rebounds + 3 assists), Fridzon (9 + 5 rebounds).

Eugene Pashutin, UNICS head coach:

— I congratulate Khimki on the entrance to the final. It was a decent game and a good playoff. As for UNICS, we have spent today, probably the worst game of the season. As always, the team wins, the coach loses. I have lost today. We have shown character in the third and fourth quarters, but in the playoffs you can not lose 16 points, then catch up and start playing after the second quarter, after a conversation in the locker room. Maybe I didn't bring to some of the players, maybe someone solves his own problems. But it is our "inner kitchen".

I didn't prepare the team well enough. Now the challenge is not to lose heart, not to drop the head, but go out and play with Lokomotiv-Kuban for third place. We have to play with dignity up to the end of this year despite our tiredness and fatigue.

Rimas Kurtinaitis, BC Khimki head coach:

— I would like to thank UNICS and Eugene Pashutin for a good series. I think everyone in Russia liked it. I'm glad we won, deservedly won. Everyone saw we have fought and controlled the game today. There were small discrepancies, but I think we deservedly won, showed the character, the will power and brought the game to the end. I wish UNICS success in the fight for the third place and in the next year in the Euroleague.

Well, my guys did a great job, you know that in Khimki I am the third coach during this year. Not to say that I was lucky to even out the team. We reached the final together. And I'm glad that it happened.