2018–19 VTB United League

VTB United League
Season2018–19
Duration5 October 2018 – 28 April 2019 (Regular season)
3 May – 10 June 2019 (Playoffs)
Number of teams14
Regular season
Season MVPRussia Alexey Shved
Finals
ChampionsRussia CSKA Moscow (10th title)
  Runners-upRussia Khimki
Third placeRussia UNICS
Fourth placeRussia Zenit
Playoffs MVPRussia Nikita Kurbanov

The 2018–19 VTB United League was the 10th complete season of the VTB United League. It was also the sixth season that the league functions as the Russian domestic first tier level. It started in October 2018 with the first round of the regular season and ended in June 2019 with the last game of the finals.

CSKA Moscow is the defending champion.

Format changes

From this season, the top eight teams qualify for the playoffs. All series are played in a best-of-five format with a 2–2–1 structure.[1]

Teams

A total of 14 teams from six countries contest the league, including nine sides from Russia, one from Belarus, one from Estonia, one from Kazakhstan, one from Latvia and one from Poland.

Zielona Góra made their debut in the competition.[2] Polish teams returned to the competition four years after.

Venues and locations

class=notpageimage|
Locations of teams in the 2018–19 VTB United League
Team Home city Arena Capacity
Kazakhstan Astana Astana Arena Velotrack 9,270[3]
Russia Avtodor Saratov Saratov DS Kristall 5,500[4]
Russia CSKA Moscow Moscow USC CSKA 5,000[5]
Russia Enisey Krasnoyarsk Arena.Sever 4,000[6]
Estonia Kalev/Cramo Tallinn Saku Suurhall 5,500[7]
Russia Khimki Khimki BCMO 4,000[8]
Russia Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar Basket-Hall 7,500[9]
Russia Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod Trade Union Sport Palace 5,500[10]
Russia Parma Perm UDS Molot 7,000
Belarus Tsmoki Minsk Minsk Minsk-Arena 15,000[11]
Russia UNICS Kazan Basket-Hall 7,000[12]
Latvia VEF Rīga Riga Arēna Rīga 12,000[13]
Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg SK Yubileyniy 6,381[14]
Poland Zielona Góra Zielona Góra CRS Hall Zielona Góra 6,080


Personnel and sponsorship

Team Head coach Kit manufacturer Main front sponsor
Kazakhstan Astana North Macedonia Emil Rajković Túta -
Russia Avtodor Saratov Russia Evgeniy Pashutin DiGS-Line -
Russia CSKA Moscow Greece Dimitrios Itoudis Nike Aeroflot
Russia Enisey Russia Oleg Okulov Nike -
Estonia Kalev/Cramo Lithuania Donaldas Kairys Nike Cramo
Russia Khimki Greece Georgios Bartzokas Adidas Gazprom Investholding
Russia Lokomotiv Kuban Serbia Saša Obradović Under Armour RZD
Russia Nizhny Novgorod Serbia Zoran Lukić Nike T Plus
Russia Parma Latvia Nikolajs Mazurs Peak T Plus
Belarus Tsmoki Minsk Belarus Aliaksandr Krutsikau Adidas Green
Russia UNICS Greece Dimitrios Priftis Peak -
Latvia VEF Rīga Latvia Jānis Gailītis Adidas VEF
Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg Russia Vasily Karasev Nike Nipigas
Poland Zielona Góra Montenegro Igor Jovović Spalding Stelmet

Regular season

In the regular season, teams play against each other twice (home-and-away) in a round-robin format.

Standings

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD PCT Qualification
1 Russia CSKA Moscow 26 22 4 2404 1969 +435 .846 Advance to playoffs
2 Russia UNICS 26 21 5 2190 1945 +245 .808
3 Russia Khimki 26 20 6 2230 1973 +257 .769
4 Russia Lokomotiv Kuban 26 17 9 2171 2004 +167 .654
5 Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg 26 15 11 2300 2180 +120 .577
6 Kazakhstan Astana 26 15 11 2239 2169 +70 .577
7 Estonia Kalev/Cramo 26 14 12 2342 2275 +67 .538
8 Russia Nizhny Novgorod 26 14 12 2158 2173 −15 .538
9 Russia Enisey 26 11 15 2154 2276 −122 .423
10 Latvia VEF Rīga 26 10 16 1962 2134 −172 .385
11 Russia Avtodor Saratov 26 9 17 2379 2478 −99 .346
12 Poland Zielona Góra 26 5 21 2020 2330 −310 .192
13 Russia Parma 26 5 21 2025 2298 −273 .192
14 Belarus Tsmoki Minsk 26 4 22 1959 2329 −370 .154
Source: VTB United League

Results

Home \ Away AST AVT CSK ENI KAL KHI LOK NIZ PAR TSM UNI VEF ZEN ZGA
Astana — 100–83 61–86 93–85 105–78 67–76 83–93 83–89 79–71 101–71 79–83 90–77 93–91 84–70
Avtodor Saratov 64–88 — 110–116 106–91 112–109 92–100 95–102 85–91 93–76 95–99 95–111 83–85 95–94 112–106
CSKA Moscow 91–72 110–76 — 101–71 102–75 75–65 70–57 84–78 108–84 119–88 73–83 92–66 83–73 102–78
Enisey 93–84 88–84 66–91 — 80–88 67–99 86–93 92–88 83–78 80–68 78–99 75–67 85–87 109–81
Kalev/Cramo 102–74 102–113 80–85 109–91 — 85–96 81–76 94–84 93–82 108–83 95–107 75–85 96–80 80–77
Khimki 93–80 85–77 73–72 86–94 80–73 — 82–84 80–93 97–63 70–50 78–65 75–51 90–67 100–80
Lokomotiv Kuban 71–90 95–91 76–93 79–67 80–85 83–87 — 78–71 93–75 80–69 77–84 92–63 96–64 73–41
Nizhny Novgorod 85–78 75–98 89–95 79–64 68–82 93–97 75–88 — 100–98 77–70 91–85 93–83 85–83 101–61
Parma 80–85 93–105 69–79 92–88 75–105 70–80 87–95 80–85 — 92–83 68–66 73–78 78–107 72–92
Tsmoki Minsk 86–93 86–93 61–101 73–95 82–95 92–108 66–97 78–87 80–68 — 57–99 91–84 68–79 71–88
UNICS 95–98 76–63 71–68 95–92 76–74 73–58 79–75 89–64 76–82 88–69 — 89–74 74–72 86–66
VEF Rīga 71–93 89–78 80–107 68–70 82–74 67–96 75–71 65–67 76–80 70–66 52–82 — 77–86 83–57
Zenit Saint Petersburg 103–95 103–81 93–86 116–81 100–87 86–82 78–94 103–78 84–76 84–72 74–77 101–102 — 83–71
Zielona Góra 82–91 108–100 74–115 72–83 100–117 74–97 67–73 80–72 88–63 78–80 73–82 78–92 78–109 —
Source: VTB United League
Legend: Blue = home team win; Red = away team win.

Playoffs

All series are played in a best-of-five series, with a 2–2–1 format.

Bracket

 
QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinals
 
          
 
 
 
 
Russia CSKA Moscow3
 
 
 
Russia Nizhny Novgorod0
 
Russia CSKA Moscow3
 
 
 
Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg0
 
Russia Lokomotiv Kuban1
 
 
 
Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg3
 
Russia CSKA Moscow3
 
 
 
Russia Khimki0
 
Russia UNICS3
 
 
 
Estonia Kalev/Cramo0
 
Russia UNICS1
 
 
 
Russia Khimki3
 
Russia Khimki3
 
 
Kazakhstan Astana0
 

Quarterfinals

Team 1 Series Team 2 Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5
CSKA Moscow Russia 3–0 Russia Nizhny Novgorod 87–50 86–66 80–72 0 0
UNICS Russia 3–0 Estonia Kalev/Cramo 92–82 108–84 96–84 0 0
Khimki Russia 3–0 Kazakhstan Astana 82–59 94–64 88–81 0 0
Lokomotiv Kuban Russia 1–3 Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg 69–78 70–69 78–94 85–87 0

Semifinals

Team 1 Series Team 2 Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5
CSKA Moscow Russia 3–0 Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg 98–82 83–81 69–68 0 0
UNICS Russia 1–3 Russia Khimki 96–91 98–103 64–91 91–92 0

Finals

Team 1 Series Team 2 Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5
CSKA Moscow Russia 3–0 Russia Khimki 106–85 103–92 80–62 0 0

Final table

Pos Team Pld W L Qualification
1st place, gold medalist(s) Russia CSKA Moscow 35 31 4 2019–20 EuroLeague
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Russia Khimki 36 26 10
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Russia UNICS 33 25 8 2019–20 EuroCup
4 Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg 33 18 15 2019–20 EuroLeague wildcard
5 Russia Lokomotiv Kuban 30 18 12 2019–20 EuroCup
6 Kazakhstan Astana 29 15 14
7 Estonia Kalev/Cramo 29 14 15
8 Russia Nizhny Novgorod 29 14 15 2019–20 Champions League
9 Russia Enisey 26 11 15 2019–20 FIBA Europe Cup
10 Latvia VEF Rīga 26 10 16
11 Russia Avtodor Saratov 26 9 17
12 Poland Zielona Góra 26 5 21
13 Russia Parma 26 5 21
14 Belarus Tsmoki Minsk 26 4 22
Source: VTB United League

Awards

Season Awards

Scoring Champion[15]
Young Player of the Year[16]
Coach of the Year[17]
Sixth Man of the Year[18]
Performance of the Season[19]
Defensive Player of the Year[20]
Regular Season MVP[21]
Playoffs MVP[22]

All-Tournament First Team

All-Tournament Second Team

MVP of the Month

Month Player Team Ref.
2018
October Russia Alexey Shved Russia Khimki [23]
November France Nando de Colo Russia CSKA Moscow [24]
December United States Anthony Clemmons Kazakhstan Astana [25]
2019
January United States Jalen Reynolds Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg [26]
February United States Pierriá Henry Russia UNICS [27]
March Russia Alexey Shved (2) Russia Khimki [28]
April United States Arnett Moultrie Estonia Kalev/Cramo [29]

VTB League teams in European competitions

Team Competition Progress
CSKA Moscow EuroLeague Champions
Khimki Regular season
Lokomotiv Kuban EuroCup Quarterfinals
UNICS Semifinals
BC Zenit Saint Petersburg Top 16
Nizhny Novgorod Champions League Quarterfinals
Avtodor Saratov First qualifying round
FIBA Europe Cup Round of 16
Tsmoki-Minsk Champions League First qualifying round
FIBA Europe Cup Regular season

References

  1. ^ "2018 League Board: New Club, Championship Series Returns". VTB League. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  2. ^ "Zielona Gora Joins VTB United League In 2018-19". VTB League. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  3. ^ "VTB United League". www.vtb-league.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017. Arena Velotrack Capacity: 9270 spectators
  4. ^ "VTB United League". www.vtb-league.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017. DS Kristall Capacity: 5500
  5. ^ "VTB United League". www.vtb-league.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017. USC CSKA named after Alexander Gomelskiy Capacity: 5000 spectators
  6. ^ "VTB United League". www.vtb-league.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017. Arena.Sever Capacity: 4000 spectators
  7. ^ "VTB United League". www.vtb-league.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017. «Saku Suurhall» Capacity: 5500 spectators
  8. ^ "VTB United League". www.vtb-league.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017. Sportscomplex «BCMO» Capacity: 4000 spectators
  9. ^ "VTB United League". www.vtb-league.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017. «Basket-hall» Capacity: 7500 spectators
  10. ^ "VTB United League". www.vtb-league.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017. «Nizhniy Novgorod Trade Union Sport Palace» Capacity: 5500 spectators
  11. ^ "VTB United League". www.vtb-league.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017. «Minsk-Arena» Capacity: 15,000 spectators
  12. ^ "VTB United League". www.vtb-league.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017. Basket-Hall Capacity: 7000 spectators
  13. ^ "VTB United League". www.vtb-league.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017. «Arena Riga» Capacity: 12000 spectators
  14. ^ "VTB United League". www.vtb-league.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017. SK Yubileyniy Capacity: 6381 spectators
  15. ^ "Alexey Shved Wins 2018-19 Scoring Title". VTB United League. 5 May 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  16. ^ "Nikita Mikhailovsky Wins Young Player Of The Year". VTB United League. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  17. ^ "Emil Rajkovic Named 2018-19 Coach Of The Year". VTB United League. 10 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  18. ^ "Dorell Wright Named 2018-19 Sixth Man Of The Year". VTB United League. 19 May 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  19. ^ "Nando De Colo Honored For 2018-19 Performance Of The Season". VTB United League. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  20. ^ "Maurice Ndour Wins Defensive Player Of The Year". VTB United League. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  21. ^ "Alexey Shved Wins Regular Season MVP". VTB United League. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  22. ^ "Nikita Kurbanov Wins Playoffs MVP". VTB United League. 10 June 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  23. ^ "Alexey Shved Wins October MVP". VTB United League. 6 November 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  24. ^ "Nando De Colo Wins November MVP". VTB United League. 4 December 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  25. ^ "Anthony Clemmons Wins December MVP". VTB United League. 4 January 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  26. ^ "Jalen Reynolds Wins January MVP". VTB United League. 3 February 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  27. ^ "Pierria Henry Wins February MVP". VTB United League. 28 February 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  28. ^ "Alexey Shved Wins March MVP". VTB United League. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  29. ^ "Arnett Moultrie Wins April MVP". VTB United League. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.

External links