European Champions' Cup 1969-1970

European Champions' Cup Final: Ignis Varese - CSKA Moscow 79-74

Ignis Varese (coach: Aza Nikolic): Dodo Rusconi 8, Aldo Ossola 4, Manuel Raga 19, Rich Jones 8, Dino Meneghin 20; Ottorino Flaborea 14, Paolo Vittori 6, Lino Paschini, Claudio Malagoli, Toto Bulgheroni dnp, Giorgio Consonni dnp. Ft 13/16, fouls 23.
CSKA Moskva (coach: Armenak Alachachian): Sergei Belov 21, Vadim Kapranov 2, Aleksandr Sidyakin 18, Alzhan Zharmukhamedov 14, Vladimir Andreev 12; Valerij Miloserdov 2, Anatolij Blik 1, Yurij Selikhov 2, Vladimir Ilyuk 2, Nikolaj Kovyrkin, Mikhail Medvedev

European Champions' Cup Final

Ignis Varese, which learn the lesson in the final in Sarajevo this year after their meeting with CSKA in the qualifiers, were able to put together a defence that would prove their worth despite the fact that their star player, Jones, was put on a bench by Spanish coach Aznar before the break. Despite some defensive adjustments, forced by Meneghin's minutes of rest, Italy's tactics were based on the following: the outsiders, especially Belov, were defended individually all over the pitch; when the Soviets reached a normal attacking position, the pivots remained the same and the three outsiders began the work of floating, sometimes as if they were in a 3-2 zone they did not follow their peers, and other times they did. As CSKA also attacked in 3-2, this meant in practice an individual defence. Alachachian did not see this approach from Nikoli and did not change his attacking scheme. While Ignis, when it came to attacking, did so with discipline but without rigidity, with a Raga that, despite being marked, made real mischief in the first half (15 points). Two seconds before the break, Jones and Medvedev were disqualified twice, after the Russian player punched the American power forward's stomach and responded with another attack.
CSKA came out in a different light after the restart, with a brilliant Sidjakin and Belov's quality flashes making the difference (52-50, minute 7). However, Ignis' defensive intensity took control of the game again, despite the notable absence of Jones, who had perfectly controlled the giant Andreev in the first half. Having weathered the constant Soviet onslaughts during this period, the Italians managed to secure the final victory by 79-74. Varese's team thus began to forge its legend in European basketball in the 1970s, appearing in all the finals and winning five of these ten editions.

Courtesy of BasketFinals

Ignis Varese - CSKA Moscow 79-74

Ignis Varese (coach: Aza Nikolic): Dodo Rusconi 8, Aldo Ossola 4, Manuel Raga 19, Rich Jones 8,Dino Meneghin (204-C-1950) 20; Ottorino Flaborea 14, Paolo Vittori 6, Lino Paschini, Claudio Malagoli, Toto Bulgheroni dnp, Giorgio Consonni dnp. Ft 13/16, fouls 23.
CSKA Moskva (coach: Armenak Alachachian): Sergei Belov 21, Vadim Kapranov 2, Aleksandr Sidyakin 18, Alzhan Zharmukhamedov 14, Vladimir Andreev 12; Valerij Miloserdov 2, Anatolij Blik 1, Yurij Selikhov 2, Vladimir Ilyuk 2, Nikolaj Kovyrkin, Mikhail Medvedev