National Basketball Association (NBA) season — playoffs — kicked off last week . Sport recalls which Russian players participated in the elimination matches in the best basketball league in the world.
Timofey Mozgov
Few people remember, but Mozgov began to shine across the ocean not in the championship “Cleveland”, but in the “Denver” of the post-stellar period named after Carmelo Anthony. In the early 2010s, the NBA was still shying away from non-throwing three-point centers from Europe. Therefore, 216 centimeters and 120 kilograms of pure muscle mass of the Russian “big” were valued, if not at the level of the starting lineup, then the nearest reserve with 15-20 minutes of playing time. This allowed Mozgov to get into the league without even being selected in the draft, and settle in it for a long nine years.In “Denver” Timofey basically replaced a variety of conditionally starting centers from Nene to JaVale McGee, but none of them dominated enough to block the impression of the gradually gaining momentum of the Russian. He increasingly appeared in the starting lineup, and in the first playoffs in his career, he came out in 5 out of 7 matches from the first minutes. Thanks to his tenacious game against the legendary Pau Gasol, Denver dragged out the series with the Lakers to seven games, and no one expected more from the bloodless Nuggets.
 season, Timofey again had a stable regular season, but in the championship playoffs he lost the main place to the defensive center Tristan Thompson, focused on rebounds in attack. In the decisive seventh game, Mozgov did not get a minute of playing time, but a title is a title. The status of the NBA champion, as well as past success, convinced the Lakers to write Timofey a check for $ 64 million for 4 years - unthinkable money for a basketball player of his functionality, but Mozgov has not played in the playoffs since then.
Sasha Kaun<br />The first and only current Russian champion of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) built an impressive career in Europe, after which he decided to move to the NBA — to Mozgov in Cleveland. Unlike Timothy, Kaun was not part of the Cavaliers' main rotation, leaving for a few minutes at the end of games. Sasha was a talented but too archaic center who no longer had a place in the best league in the world. In the championship season, the Russian received a lot: a championship ring, a photo with the Larry O'Brien Cup, a decent check. But not game time.</p>
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Andrey Kirilenko
Unlike his compatriots, the AK-47 (the nickname given to Kirilenko by fans in North America) didn't just make the playoffs: he was one of the main stars of his team. In the NBA, Kirilenko played for three clubs, and his peak came at Utah. In terms of playing qualities, Kirilenko is an ideal defensive basketball player. The 206 cm forward, he easily defended against all five positions, maintaining effectiveness both in interference on the shot, and on interceptions and blocks. In the attack, his usefulness decreased slightly, but he gained his 10-15 points. As a bonus — stable (under 80%) free throws, decent drawing skills and even a three-point shot. For a defensive player, the set is impressive. But Kirilenko is best characterized by something else. Fans in Salt Lake City are known for their aggressiveness and quarrelsomeness. Only a truly strong personality can earn their love. So, even after the end of their careers, they meet the AK-47 with a deafening ovation.
In the playoffs, Kirilenko played 55 matches (of which 45 were for Utah). In 2007, the Jazz made it to the Western Conference Finals with the Russian, and Kirilenko played all 17 games at the start. On the way to the big final they were stopped only by «San Antonio» Tim Duncan, who eventually won the title.