2017 Eurocup Playoff Preview: Who gets in to Euroleague?

Valencia vs. Khimki Moscow: The MVP vs. The Wall

Game Times: Feb. 28: 2:45PM; Mar. 3: 11:30AM; Mar. 8: 2:45PM

The final matchup is the marquee battle of the quarterfinals. This matchup pits the Eurocup MVP favorite, Alexey Shved, against the competition’s most successful club to this point, Valencia. Khimki has rode Shved – who is averaging 22.5 points on 58.4 percent shooting, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game – to a 10-4 overall record, only losing to Bayern Munich in the Top 16. Meanwhile, Valencia lost their second regular season game to Hapoel Jerusalem – and hasn’t lost since, sweeping the last 12 Eurocup contests.

The big question in this matchup is obviously if Valencia can handle Shved’s scoring. He’s the best individual scorer in the competition, and he has been on a tear since the Top 16 started, with three 25+ point efforts and three games with seven or more assists. He can be streaky in his shooting, and be a little bit turnover prone as well. But he brings that complete package as a scorer, with the ability to knock down shots at the rim, from midrange, and from three at a 41 percent clip. The kryptonite, however, could be Valencia’s Antoine Diot, a French National Team member and one of the better defenders in the competition. A big point guard with excellent length and good fundamentals, Diot has been a stopper against guys like Jerrells and Boatright this year, so the hope is he can make Shved work. Khimki does have other potent options, though, like the hyper-athletic Markel Brown and a strong shooter in Jacob Pullen, so there are options if Shved struggles.

The problem is that Khimki will need all hands on deck if Shved can’t score efficiently. Valencia is a lot like Kuban, in that the backbone of the team is in defense and their versatile post players. Valencia can throw multiple giants at you that present matchup problems: From the bulk of former Sun Slava Kravtsov, to the corner shooting of Timberwolves draft-and-stash Bojan Dubljevic, to the passing of Luke Sikma, son of Sonics legend Jack Sikma. These three are so versatile, and so imposing, that they may cancel out Khimki’s guard play. It’ll be on Rockets draft-and-stash Marko Todorovic and Nobel Boungou-Colo to keep them from killing Khimki’s defense inside, and from ending possessions with blocks and rebounds defensively.

Next: NBA Draft Big Board: Late February edition

Prediction: Valencia in three. Shved probably gives the Russians one game, but the home court and size advantages heavily favor Valencia.