"The season was quite intense."

Shahriyar Asgarov, head coach of the Guba basketball club, shared these words in a statement to Offsideplus.az. The expert evaluated his team's performance in the current season of the Azerbaijan Basketball League:

"Overall, compared to last season, teams have started demonstrating higher-quality gameplay. The top two spots in Group A were clear from the start — Sabah and Absheron Lions. Among the other clubs, Ganja and Neftchi appeared superior. While NTD and Sheki, who finished at the bottom, struggled to secure wins throughout the season, they proved to be stronger than some teams in Group B. This was evident during the play-in stage.

As for my team, Guba, we faced several setbacks. Our forward left the team mid-season, forcing us to compete with fewer legionnaires. Losing to Nakhchivan by just a single point in the final game of the regular season was a major blow; otherwise, we would have faced them in the play-ins. In the game against Sheki, we stood almost no chance. They played with seven legionnaires, while we had only four.

Regarding the playoffs, I believe the teams performed worthily. However, I expected a better performance from Ordu — I at least wanted to see them reach the semifinals. I believe they will perform better next season."

Asgarov emphasized that Sabah is the favorite in the finals: "I believe the deserving teams reached this stage. That said, I think Neftchi also had a chance. If the team hadn't faced injury problems against Absheron Lions, they could have pushed the series to a third game. That matchup was more intense than the other semifinal. It’s a bit of a shame Neftchi didn’t make the finals, as they have a very good squad.

On the other hand, the finals will feature two deserving teams. I see Sabah as the superior side. However, Absheron Lions can certainly make an impact, especially with Fraser. In short, while Sabah looks like the favorite, Erhan Toker’s team also has something to say. I hope we get to see a full five-game series in the finals."

It should be noted that in the first game of the Azerbaijan Basketball League final series, Sabah will host Absheron Lions this evening. The match, starting at 19:00 Baku time, will take place at the Baku Sports Palace. The first team to reach three victories will be crowned the champion of the 2025/26 season.