Translated material
Swallowed Flounder
Russia beat the team of a boxer-basketball player
Still the current European champion, the Russian men's team started at the new continental championship in Poland with a victory over Latvia, led by the former coach of Khimki near Moscow Kestutis Kemzura - 81:68.Until the last moment, it was not clear whether one of the country’s strongest basketball players, Viktor Khryapa, would be able to take part in the Old World Championship. An examination of his injured knee, carried out on the eve of the start of the tournament, showed that the capital’s army man will be able to enter the court and really benefit the team only from September 13. It’s too late, because by that time the second stage will already be in full swing, and you still need to qualify for it.
Therefore, the composition of the Russian national team at Euro 2009 looks like this: point guards and attacking defenders - Anton Ponkrashov, (CSKA), Vitaly Fridzon (Khimki, Moscow region), Sergei Bykov (Dynamo, Moscow), Alexey Zozulin (Spartak, St. Petersburg), Egor Vyaltsev (Triumph, Lyubertsy); forwards - Andrei Vorontsevich, Nikita Kurbanov (both CSKA), Kelly McCarthy, Fedor Dmitriev (both Khimki), Sergei Monya (Dynamo M); centers - Dmitry Sokolov (CSKA), Timofey Mozgov (Khimki). Compared to the “golden” team of 2007, only three remained - Monya, Ponkrashov and Bykov. The leaders of the champion team, Andrei Kirilenko, and the naturalized American, the author of the winning shot in the final with Spain, John Robert Holden, are missing the tournament for subjective reasons. Kirilenko refers to some mysterious personal circumstances. Holden, who extended his contract with CSKA for another two years, wants to rest before the busy club season and asked not to involve him in the national team.
The vacancy of a naturalist (only one such player is allowed) was filled by 34-year-old McCarthy, which once again indicates the extreme poverty of choice for Russian head coach David Blatt. For yesterday's match in Gdansk, he put Bykov, Monya, Fridzon, McCarthy, and Sokolov in the starting five. The latter brought Russia the first two points at the tournament in Poland. The most famous Latvian player for our fans is the mighty (height 205 cm), heavily tattooed Kaspars Kambala, who played for Yenisey Krasnoyarsk last season. He ended up in this club after the expiration of his doping ban. The Baltics spent their forced break from basketball actively, temporarily turning into professional boxers. Judging by the matches in the 2008/09 Super League, the colorful Kaspars did not lose the skills of his main specialization, which is why he unconditionally joined the Latvian national team.
At the end of the first quarter, the Russians' advantage reached ten. In the second period, the Latvians reduced the gap to 27:20, but McCarthy immediately responded with a three-point shot. Bykov showed himself at his best, hitting the target three times in the first half from behind the six-meter line. The lion's share of the opponents' points came from Kambala and Kristaps Janicenoks. The teams went into the big break with the score 39:36 in favor of Russia. Bykov brought 16 points with two missed free throws out of seven.
Sergei's long-range hit and McCarthy's effective interception, which went into a fast break, returned us to a double-digit advantage. In the remaining time, the Russians continued to keep the Balts at a distance of at least four points. Serious problems began in the middle of the final quarter, when centers Mozgov and Sokolov left the court under the weight of fouls. Our basketball players came out of a difficult situation with honor. McCarthy shot accurately from afar, pushed through his opponent and scored with a foul from Vorontsevich; Monya scored at the right moment. The winners' highest scorers were McCarthy (24 points) and Bykov (22).
Russia will play the next two matches against Germany (today) and France (tomorrow). To qualify for the second stage, you must take at least third place in Quartet “B”.