Andrei Kirilenko named playoffs Game 2 bwin MVP

He jump-started CSKA Moscow's stellar season with the first bwin MVP weekly award way back in October. And on Friday, forward Andrei Kirilenko celebrated what might be his team's last Turkish Airlines Euroleague home game this season with another bwin MVP performance for Game 2 of the playoffs. Kirilenko's splendid efforts all over the court led CSKA to a 79-60 victory over visiting Gescrap BB of Spain and a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five series. CSKA's do-it-all small forward starred this time with a season-high 20 points on 4-for-6 two-point and 9-for-12 free throw shooting. He added 12 rebounds, 2 blocks and 9 fouls drawn for a performance index rating of 31, the best among all players in Game 2 of the playoffs.

Following Kirilenko among the best performers in Game 2 was Mike Batiste of Panathinaikos, whose 29 index rating—based on 16 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists — wasn't enough to avoid a home loss to Maccabi. Batiste also took over the Euroleague's all-time lead in two-point baskets, with 849, from Vujcic. Kirilenko's teammate Milos Teodosic was third with a 27 index rating on a near triple-double of 18 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds.

Kirilenko becomes just the third player to win the weekly bwin MVP honor three times in one season, and the first to do it exclusively. Two former Maccabi Electra players - Maceo Baston in 2005-06 and Nikola Vujcic in 2006-07 - won or shared the weekly MVP honor three times each.