National team head coach says championship chances are 50-50 despite "Sabah" leading

"This final series features the most interesting games of the last three seasons."

This was stated to Idman.biz by Tahir Bakshiyev, the head coach of the Azerbaijan national men's basketball team.

The experienced specialist commented on the final series of the Azerbaijan Basketball League. He said that "Neftchi" and "Sabah" are fighting worthily: "Neftchi" was able to equalize the score after falling behind 0:2. "Sabah" plays in European Cups, and is also the national champion of the last two years. They have good coaches and basketball players. "Neftchi" showed a great game this year. They have formed their best squad in recent years. They also have chances for the championship. They were not even defeated by a large point difference in the games they lost."

According to Bakshiyev, fatigue is also a factor in the recent games: "Neftchi" has played more games than its opponent and reached the final with difficulty. Nevertheless, they played well. I would especially mention Kamran Mammadov and Amil Hamzayev in the team. It is commendable that Amil gathers the team for one goal and shows himself as a good captain. "Sabah" also has good players. For example, I would single out Shirzad Shirzadov from the locals. One of "Sabah"'s biggest problems right now is that Ender Poladkhanli is not playing due to injury. If you had asked me about the championship before the final games, I would have said that "Sabah" would win with a 70 percent probability. But today, despite "Sabah" being ahead 3:2, the chances are 50-50. I wish both teams success. I think we will see a very interesting final match."

It should be noted that the 6th match between "Sabah" and "Neftchi" will be held on May 14. The team that wins 4 games will become the champion.

Aytaj Sahed
Idman.biz