Astana to meet Caspiy in Kazakhstan National League Finals

Astana will face Caspiy from Aktau in the Kazakhstan National League Finals, with the championship series set to begin on 23 May.

The best-of-five matchup opens in Astana, where the first two games will be played on 23 and 24 May at the Academy Hall. The capital club earned home-court advantage after finishing the regular season at the top of the standings.

Astana reached the Finals after a tense semi-final series against Barsy Atyrau, while Caspiy advanced by knocking out Almaty Legion.

The teams have met eight times this season, with Astana winning six of those games. Still, Caspiy are one of the strongest sides in the league. After a slow start, the Aktau team found its rhythm and finished the regular season in second place. Former Kazakhstan national team head coach Evgeny Ovsyannikov took over earlier in the season, and ex-Astana player Vadim Dots also joined the roster.

Caspiy have a strong core of Kazakhstan national team players. Their key contributors include Jaquar Moorman, who averages 13.75 points per game, Vladimir Ivanov with 11 rebounds, and Eric McGill with 7.33 assists. As a team, Caspiy average 68.63 points per game.

Astana come into the Finals after an emotional and difficult period. On 16 April, head coach Ramūnas Cvirka tragically passed away. Dainius Šalenga is currently serving as acting head coach.

E.J. Day continues to lead Astana, averaging 18 points, 6.14 assists and 3.29 steals per game. Robert Pan leads the team in rebounding with 7.25 boards per game. The capital side average 81.5 points per game.

After the first two games in Astana, the series moves to Aktau for Game 3 on 27 May. If required, Game 4 will also be played in Aktau on 28 May, with a possible Game 5 scheduled for 31 May.

It is a Finals matchup with plenty of intrigue: the reigning Kazakhstan champions against the Kazakhstan Cup holders. Can Astana get revenge for their Cup defeat? The answer begins on 23 and 24 May at 17:00.