Euroleague Semifinals: Spartak Moscow 87, Ekaterinburg 79

Diana Taurasi, "Russian" to another Euroleague final.

Those "in the know" in European basketball were watching this semifinal of Euroleague, as it was very likely that one of these two Russian teams would probably win it all. Spartak Moscow has been Euroleague champion for three straight years, and the rules of Euroleague have forced any two teams from the same country left in the semifinals to play each other. In the last two years, Spartak Moscow has faced Ekaterinburg, and beaten them both times. Furthermore, this year Spartak Moscow is undefeated in the powerful Russia Superleague A.

Nothing would change in this game. Spartak Moscow won 87-79, moving into the finals on Sunday against the winner of Ros Casares-Krakow. Ekaterinburg plays the loser in the 3rd place consolation game.

The game report, box score, play by play, and a small photo gallery can be found here.

What to say? After a tight first quarter, Ekaterinburg built an eight point lead late in the second, but Spartak Moscow fought back to 40-40 on the second of two free throws by Kelly Miller with 23 seconds left. A buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Cappie Pondexter put Ekaterinburg back in the lead, 43-40 going into halftime.

Both teams resumed the battle in the third quarter, neither side getting more than a couple of baskets ahead of the other. Ekaterinburg took a brief four-point lead in the fourth but Irina Osipova's tip in with 5:19 brought the score to 69-69 for Spartak Moscow. Tied again at 71-71 with 3:27 left, Spartak Moscow went on a 9-0 run that gave Spartak Moscow the lead for good.

Every player that scord in double-digits for Ekaterinburg had a WNBA pedigree. Candace Parker led Ekaterinburg with 18 points and six rebounds. Cappie Pondexter scored 16 points and four rebounds. (Both players would end up fouling out.) Deanna Nolan scored 13 and Ann Wauters added 10 points.

But for Spartak Moscow, it was Diana Taurasi who put the team on her back, hitting 8-for-13 from behind the 3-point line and scoring 37 points and 12 rebounds, also adding six assists. Sylvia Fowles added another double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Anete Jekabsone-Zogota scored 12 points.

Kelly Miller played for eight minutes. Spartak Moscow did pretty well without her.

1 points
1-for-2 free throw shooting
8 minutes played

Miller Twins Avoid Death from Subway Explosions in Moscow

An interesting article from the Rochester (Minnesota) Post-Bulletin tells how a decision made by Coco and Kelly Miller on March 29th saved the twins' lives.

On most Sundays, the Millers, 31, travel to a church by way of the Sokolnicheskaya train, or as locals call it, the Red Line. The route allows them to avoid the city's traffic-choked streets.

On the Monday of the explosion, the Millers again used the metro, but instead took the Arbatsko–Pokrovskaya train, known as the Blue Line.

Eight minutes after they boarded the Blue Line, the first explosion ripped through a train on the Red Line.

A very scary thought that the Millers could have been killed playing overseas basketball.

P. S.: Interestingly, the editor states that WNBA training camp says May 2nd for the Millers. My understanding is that training camp starts April 25th.

Russia Superleague A Quarterfinals 2/2009 - Spartak Moscow 100, Vologda 62

For Spartak Moscow, the Russian quarterfinals are over - they win the first two games decisively in the best-of-three opening round, winning 100-62 yesterday over eighth-placed Volgoda. Spartak Moscow will play Dynamo Kursk on April 15th and 18th in the semifinals.

The box score is here.

Vologda actually played the tougher Spartak Moscow team closely on their home ground in the first quarter, only down by 22-20. The problem was that they had to play three more quarters of basketball, and Spartak Moscow won each quarter by at least ten points. It could be why only 650 Vologda fans bothered to show up.

Olga Yakovleva led Vologda with 17 points and five rebounds. (Vologda was out-rebounded 46-21.) Anastasia Pimenova scored 16 points and added four assists in the losing effort.

For Spartak Moscoe, Anete Jekabsone-Zogoto led with 18 points and five rebounds in 20 minutes played. Diana Taurasi added 18 points and Sue Bird scored seven points and seven assists.

Kelly Miller played 14 minutes...and made virtually no impact.

0 points
0 shots taken
2 rebounds
3 assists
14 minutes played

Russia Superleague A Quarterfinals 1/2009 - Spartak Moscow 109, Vologda 74

You might be wondering, "hey, Michelle Snow's no longer on the Dream, so why write about Russian basketball?" The answer is that as we lose one Dream player who plays for the Russians, we pick up another Dream player who plays for the Russians, this time in the form of Kelly Miller. Kelly Miller plays for one of the two best teams in Russia. And make that "the two best teams in Europe". Spartak Moscow is in top form both in the Russia Superleague and in Euroleague, and they get their first win by a score of 109-74 in the best-of-three series.

The box score is here.

Players suchs as Irina Osipova and Sylvia Fowles worked the boards while Miller and Sue Bird worked the perimeter. Spartak Moscow led by 29-10 after the first quarter and by 60-30 at halftime.

According to a write-up about the game, "even inaccurate throws became productive attacks" at the hands of Spartak Moscow. At one point, Spartak Moscow led 90-49.

Anastasia Pimenov scored 18 points for Vologda. Olga Yakovleva led the team in rebounds with six rebound and eight points, but Vologda was out-rebounded 47-19.

Seven players scored in double figures for Spartak Moscow. Ilona Korstin had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Irina Osipova had 10 rebounds and 10 rebounds.

Kelly Miller had a good game:

11 points
5-for-10 shooting
4 rebounds
no assists
20 minutes played

So how has Kelly Miller been doing this season in the Russia Superleague?

6.5 ppg
3.2 rpg
2.4 apg
22 minutes per game

I suspect those will be her numbers in the W this year as well.

Double Your Fun: Kelly Miller Joins Twin Sis Coco on Dream

Free agent Kelly Miller signed a two-year contract with the Atlanta Dream today. She joins her identical twin sister Coco Miller on the Dream, who of course signed her two-year contract on the same day. It is the first time that the Miller twins have been on the same team since they played alongside each other in the defunct NWBL.

The proof is right here. Coco Miller sounded excited:

“I am so excited to have the opportunity to play with Kelly again,” said Coco Miller. “With the new roster additions and talented returning players, it's going to be a very exciting year for the Dream!”

How do you tell the difference between the two? The one who's crying is Kelly Miller. (Old WNBA joke.) Comparing the Millers from last year:

Coco Miller: 34 games played, 5 started, 3.9 ppg/1.5 rpg/1.0 apg
Kelly Miller: 34 games played, 25 games started, 4.4 ppg/2.2 rpg/2.0 apg

Forgive me, but the Millers aren't the solution to Atlanta's point guard problem. Coco's 2009 PER was 10.37; Kelly's was 8.04. Coco Miller's best year was 2003 and she's been a sub-average player since 2007. Kelly's been an average player for most of her career but 2008 and 2009 were years to forget. This was pretty much a desperation sign, after Katie Smith signed with the Washington Mystics. The Miller will move product if nothing else.

Of course, I could be wrong and if I'm shown wrong, I'll be quite happy. Welcome to the Dream, Kelly! Let's hope that the sum of the Millers is greater than the whole of its parts.

UPDATE: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution chimes in.