The Eastern Europe’s VTB basketball league’s Final Four will take place in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius next month, the league has said.
The 11,000-seater Siemens Arena of Lithuanian club Lietuvos Rytas will host the event on the weekend on May 2 and 3, the league said in a statement Tuesday.
Lietuvos Rytas will face CSKA Moscow in the first semifinal, followed by an all-Russian tie with UNICS Kazan against Lokomotiv-Kuban in the second game.
"Frankly speaking, we are happy and pleased to host the VTB United League Final Four," Lietuvos Rytas chief executive Martynas Purlys said on the league’s website.
“The list of clubs taking part speaks for itself – two Euroleague clubs in CSKA and UNICS, and the powerful Lokomotiv-Kuban.”
Lietuvos Rytas knocked out reigning champion BC Khimki in the playoffs to reach the Final Four, and Purlys said his team could upset the odds again.
“We, Lietuvos Rytas, are also capable of a lot. We’ll try to pull off another shock in front of our fans in this league championship.”
This year’s edition of the VTB league is likely to be the last, as the league’s management are finalizing plans to merge with Russia’s PBL to create a regional competition in the model of ice hockey’s KHL.
