When you watch NBA players like Kyrie Irving, Mike Conley, or the recently-retired Tony Parker, you may have seen them go to the floater as part of their finishing packages in the paint. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you may be wondering, “What is a floater in basketball?” Offensive variety is an essential weapon, so let’s dig in and know more about this unorthodox move.
What is a Floater in Basketball?
A floater is a type of layup taken when someone veers near the rim and often in the paint. The offensive player attempting a floater gently releases the ball over the defender as if floating the ball on top. The goal of the floater is to avoid the outstretched arms of the defender before he gets to the offensive player. To put it simply, a floater looks like an overhand layup so that the player can get off a shot over taller defenders.
You may have seen the Irving, Conley, and Parker shoot floaters again and again. These guys have the best floaters in NBA history. (Floaters are also called the teardrop or a runner. Technically, a runner and a floater are slightly different, but in general basketball terms, they are interchangeable.)
They have mastered the shot impeccably, and they can go to it anytime they need to. However, do not be fooled. A floater is one of the toughest shots to perfect in basketball because it requires perfect timing and soft touch.
Why should you take the time to master the floater? It is an ideal weapon to use, especially if you’re a guard. The floater just allows enough separation between you and the defender so that you can get your shot off. Since a floater is shot with a high arc and a soft touch, it allows a higher room for error when it tends to bounce around the basket.
That is why quick, smaller guards should always have this layup as part of their bag of tricks. Once you get the hang of it, you can easily score over defenders without getting your shot blocked. Even if you’re not a guard, you are still strongly encouraged to develop the floater as part of your offensive arsenal.
How to Shoot a Floater: 5 Keys
Here are 5 things that you need to do if you want to know how to shoot a floater:
1. Do not shoot the floater too far in. Some players venture very near the basket that the advantage a floater gives is easily negated by the taller defenders. An effective floater is shot way before the defender knows what’s happening. As soon as you enter the paint, make sure you are enough, perhaps 10-12 feet from the basket, before launching a floater.
2. Do not put your head down when penetrating the paint. You can jump off of one foot or two feet. It is essential that you get off a floater after a jump step to add more momentum to the shot.
3. In shooting a floater, you must put your elbow directly below or in line with the ball. This allows the ball to have a straight path to the basket. Some players miss a floater because their elbows veer sideways.
4. When doing the jumping motion before the shot, be sure that you’re doing it vertically. If your knee hits a defender or your movement pushes you forward, hitting a defender, you might get called for an offensive foul.
5. Shoot the floater straight up, not a normal gooseneck follow-through. This allows for a minimal spin, helping the ball bounce softly in the basket as soon as it hits it.
How to Improve Floater Shot in Basketball
When talking about improvement, it’s only natural to think that practice is always involved. After, practice makes perfect. One of the simplest basketball floater drills is called the Baby Pro Hop Finisher.
This drill is done in two variations and teaches you how to shoot a floater with either hand and at different angles. As soon as you are advanced enough, you can also practice shooting floaters farther out. Here is how it’s done:
From about 5 feet to the basket, line three sets of cones in the lane. (If you do not have cones, use your creativity and improvise.)
The drill used a horizontal jump step or pro hop over the first set of cones and then shoot the floater. If you don’t have a rebounder, you get the ball yourself, pro hop over the second set of cones, and so on. When finished, do it the other way around.
In the first variation, you dribble with the outside hand and shoot the floater with the other. For example, if you’re starting on the right side of the basket, dribble with your right hand, do the hop step over the cones, and shoot the floater left-handed. When going back, you dribble with the left hand, do the hop step, and shoot the floater right-handed. This way, you can practice shooting floaters with either hand, making you pretty much unstoppable.
When you’re good enough, you can go far back 10 to 12 feet so you can extend your range. You can also mix it up by shooting off-the-glass floaters, especially when shooting it up from the angles.
7 Best Floaters in the NBA
If you want to watch how the pros do it, check out the players with the 5 best floaters in NBA history:
1. Tony Parker
Parker was consistently among the NBA’s best paint scorers in his heyday, and he’s doing it at a listed height of 6-foot1! The Frenchman has a variety of finishes up his sleeve, but one of those is– you guessed it– the floater. In fact, Parker was probably the one who made the floater mainstream, so learn from the master himself.
2. Mike Conley
The best thing about Conley’s floater game is ambidexterity. In fact, Conley, who shoots left-handed, prefers to shoot floaters with his off-hand. He occasionally uses his strong hand in his paint forays, but in any case, the guy is definitely a floater god.
3. Chris Paul
CP3’s midrange game is smooth as butter and is one of the best at shooting floaters. His primary weapon is that step to the right midrange fallaway, but make no mistake about it, the perennial All-Star has a mean floater.
4. Derrick Rose
What’s so scary about Derrick Rose is that he is so athletic he probably did not need floaters anyways. But here is, among the best floater shooters ever, even in his Minnesota, Detroit, and New York days. If anything, his athleticism is the reason why his floater game is so unstoppable.
5. Kyrie Irving
Irving arguably has the best handles in NBA history and a jaw-dropping layup package, unlike anything we have ever seen. Again, like many in this list, he gets a fair share of his points by shooting floaters. His ball control is too good that if he decides to shoot a floater, it’s basically an automatic two points.
6. Steph Curry
Steph Curry is widely considered the best shooter to ever step on a basketball court. His range is practically 94 feet! That insane long-range game is something like a setup to Curry’s underrated floater game. His touch pretty much makes him unguardable.
7. Kobe Bryant
Kobe is known more for fadeaways and his difficult shot-making, but his floater game was nothing less than elite. His athleticism is definitely an advantage, and he is also adept at using his offhand. What do you expect? The guy has scored over 30,000 points in his long career!
Wrapping Things Up: What is a Floater in Basketball?
In basketball, your offensive arsenal should be pretty vast for you to be successful. Jump shots, layups, floaters– the whole nine yards. A floater is a high-arching basketball shooting technique often taken in the paint to avoid taller defenders. This shot is a critical weapon for smaller players since it is difficult to block.
Given this fact, players need to develop the floater. To do so, it must be practiced time and time again using basketball floater drills. A simple one that you can begin with is the Baby Pro Hop Finisher. This drill will help improve a floater using the right and left hands, and also the distance in which you can pull it off.
Among the keys to shooting a floater are the stance and shooting motion. This shot needs to be taken in a vertical stance and most effective after a hop step or a jump stop. The shooting motion is also straight up so that the ball comes up soft into the basket, resulting in a higher chance of going in.
It may take several practices and drills before you start feeling a little comfortable shooting a floater. But remember, hard work always pays off. Some of the best scorers in the past and present– Tony Parker, Kyrie Irving, Kobe Bryant, and Steph Curry– include the floater in their bag of tricks. So the next time you hear the question, “What is a floater in basketball?” you could answer it straight up: It is a weapon that every serious player should have.
We also answer other frequently answered questions on basketball here.
More interesting basketball FAQ articles here:
> What is a Slasher in Basketball?
> What is a Bank Shot in Basketball?
> What Are Open Looks In Basketball?
How to Do a Floater in NBA 2K21
The floater is one of the greatest moves ever created particularly for small guards who have trouble finishing in the paint with the frontcourt players towering over them. It is a crucial move to learn and it is one of the hardest moves to block because of its quick release and high arcing shot. This guide will simply teach you how to do a floater in NBA 2K21.
What is a Floater?
A floater is a basketball move where the offensive player uses a high arcing shot to ‘float’ the ball into the basket. It is usually used where you are far enough to make a layup and close enough to get your jump shot blocked by taller defenders. It is used mainly to get the ball past these tall defenders and float it over them with a high-arcing quick-release shot.
Some of the players have their own move set where they would use runners and teardrops but they are all the same. The goal is just to get the high arcing shot over the taller defender and the only difference is how the player sets up or lines up the high arcing shot.
Notable players with great floaters
Chris Paul
Stephen Curry
James Harden
Luka Doncic
Damian Lillard
How to Do a Floater
The most simple way to do a floater is to use the right analog stick and aim it away from the basket. You have to be just far enough that the player will not attempt a layup and close enough to not go for a step back or fade away.
It is easier to do when your player has enough momentum and you just have to time it while near the free-throw line. The floater also depends on the settings you use and how the right analog stick is programmed to function.
If it is based on the camera angle or if it is absolute. The difference is just that the first one is based on the camera angle where you aim the right analog stick away from the basket based on the angle. The second one is based on the player and his position from the basket.
Some might favor using the absolute setting because of how the camera can adjust especially on a fast break. If you are already used to the camera angle setting from the 2K series, there are no significant advantages between both control settings.
Each of these floaters are different for each player. As you may already know from choosing your own move sets for your player, these floaters, runners, and teardrops are all animated or executed differently. Some are a bit slower while some require a fast release. It is best to memorize and master a specific floater so you can easily time the release on each shot.
While it differs from every player when you play an NBA game, this one is only applicable to your own player as you have control over your move sets.
Benefits of Using a Floater
The quick-release makes it insanely hard to time for the block but it is also hard to time the excellent release. It takes a lot of skill to even get a great release every time but it will be effective to use for small guards.
The best way to utilize the floater is by using the pick and roll to good use. As a guard handling the ball, you would call for a good pick and make sure to keep an eye on both defenders. Make sure you leave no space for the defender to sneak in when using the pick so that your defender has only two options.
His options are to sag and defend the drive or switch and let the big try to contest the shot. In most occasions, you will want to penetrate to the basket after a pick and when they switch, it will be easy to go past the bigger defender.
You will have the option to pass to your rolling or popping teammate if they try to defend your drive. If the defender tries to guard both of you after passing by the first defender who switched, you can use an uncontested floater to finish the play.
The Tear Dropper badge will provide a good boost specifically to help floaters and runners score more often and it is almost a must-have for point guards who are also looking to be a threat to score when driving to the basket instead of just being able to kick the ball out.
Conclusion
The quick-release can be hard to master as it can be different for all the guards and it can be heavily dependent on how you are positioned to the basket and if there is a defender right in front of you. You should also try turning off the shot meter to perfect the timing better if you are playing different players all the time and not specifically your MyPlayer.
90,000 Harden's Tears of Blood. What is remembered by the second round of the NBA playoffs
Eastern Conference
“Toronto” - “Philadelphia” - 4: 3
Ambiades
Probably, this series and should be due was to end just like that. When Kawhi Leonard, under the tightest guardianship of two opponents at once, broke into the corner of the court, made a throw with a deflection at the last second, and the ball, hitting the front bow, contrary to all the laws of physics, bounced not back, but forward, slightly jumped on the ring, and still failed add to cart…
So "Toronto" snatched victory from "Philadelphia" in the seventh match - 92:90. And made it to the conference finals.
As Lenard sank into the arms of his teammates, 66ers center Joel Embiid, a burly, bearded, 213-centimeter Cameroonian, the epitome of brutal power, strength, and natural talent, sobbed like a boy. Marc Gasol hugged the guy. Didn't let go for a long time. And he said something in his ear. Probably about the fact that Joel's time will come. That he has a great future. In general, the obvious things. Which, however, could hardly calm Embiid, who was burning with the desire to win here and now. While Ben Simmons was failing the series, while JJ Redick could not find his throw in any way, and only Jimmy Butler plowed in defense, Joel went out sick on the floor and gave himself up to the fight by 120 percent. You can love (and dislike) him for his greasy jokes, inappropriate sarcasm on social networks, “poking fun” at the losers, and simply excessive narcissism. But how not to respect him for what he tried to do? How did you plow on the parquet, despite the illness, and sincerely experienced such a defeat?
However, this season is over for him. And Marc Gasol, like Kawhi and their Toronto teammates, will continue to fight for the title.
Milwaukee 4-1 BOSTON
IRVING FAILURE
And then Milwaukee is waiting for them.
The second semi-final of the East turned out to be not so intriguing. The Celtics, of course, were determined. Paul Pierce prophesied success for them. Kyrie Irving flaunted "championship team spirit"... But it didn't work against the Bucks. Having hooked the first match, “Boston” eventually “flew” 1:4. And the main claims in such an outcome - do not believe it, to Irving!
The same Kyrie whose 2016 game-winning shot won the Cleveland title (after LeBron's epic block shot on Andre Iguodal at the end of Game 7 against Golden State). The one who left the Cavs in 2017 to get rid of the shadow of the King. Who himself wanted to become a leader in a contender club, to be the first star and prove that he is capable of winning a ring even without James. And Boston seemed like a good option for realizing Irving's ambitions.
While injuries kept Kairi out of the playoffs last year, the star guard was now in good health. And what did Boston fans see? saw 9points in the second match, the average rating of usefulness is almost “minus 20”, disastrous endings and misses in key episodes... Of course, Milwaukee was already considered the favorite - whatever one may say, but the champions of the regular season! Of course, the Bucks have Giannis Antetokounmpo, arguably this season's MVP. But in any case, a true leader must play differently. Like Kawaii for example.
And definitely not like Irving.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
DENVER - PORTLAND - 3:4
FOUR OVERTIMES IN ONE MATCH
One simple fact - Denver and Portland had the second game in history with four (!) overtimes in the NBA playoffs. The first happened in 1953 - then Boston and Syracuse were also "cut". Nikola Jokic ran 65 minutes. He scored a triple-double (one of four in this series - the Serb became the 7th basketball player who gave such a result in one single series!), scoring 33 points, 18 rebounds, 14 assists ... It seemed like some kind of madness! True, it was Jokic who was not enough to extend the match into the fifth overtime - he missed his last free kick, which brought success to the Blazers. With a score of 140:137.
Portland ended up winning the series as well. Lasted all seven matches. And for the first time since 2000, he reached the final of the conference.
"Denver" sorry. Pity Jokic. But they gave out a superseason. The Nuggets almost became the best in the West during the regular season! Nicola became the discovery of the year, turning into a real superstar! But the former club of Timofey Mozgov will still not fight with Golden State for the main League final. And the guys from Portland. Damian Lillard and CJ McColum certainly deserve it.
Golden Steit - “Houston” - 4: 2
Blood tears of harden
- When you go behind the king, never miss, - in a quote from the series “Vespreyshka” commented on the defeat of “Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey.
And, of course, he congratulated the rivals.
Everyone was looking forward to this series even before the start of the season! True, they waited in the finals of the West, but who knew that Houston would fail the beginning of the regular season and would not be able to break into the top 2 of the conference? In any case, for some reason, it was believed that it was the Rockets who had the best chance of stopping the Warriors. Moreover, Golden State lost DeMarcus Cousins due to a hip injury.
And all the talk about the atmosphere in the team - that Kevin Durant might leave, Klay Thompson might leave, Stephen Curry might... No, Curry didn't send the rumors anywhere, but other stars' dissatisfaction with the state of things on the court and their desire to change teams in the summer seemed obvious. Durant wants more money. Clay - a more significant role ... All this gave hope to the fans of "Houston" that the series would be released not just stubborn. But it will also end in their favor - thanks to the phenomenal game of James Harden.
In fact, we will remember this duel due to three things - Durant's leg injury (due to which he missed the sixth match and it is not clear when he will be able to return), Curry's failure in the fifth meeting and ... Beard's bloody tears. Literally, bloody. Having received an eye in a skirmish with an opponent in the second match, James continued to play, despite a broken eyelid and inflammation of the cornea. “I didn’t see much, I almost threw blindly,” Harden says. Looked creepy, but cool!
In that match he scored 29points.
All. The series will never be remembered again. The Warriors won the fight, but confidently - 4:2. Oh no... There was another episode.
On the eve of the sixth meeting (in Houston), Chris Paul disrupted Curry's training. Stephen asked for a shooting range, but the Rockets playmaker, learning about it, demanded the same amount of time as the opposing leader. And, of course, by the right of the player of the home team, he had priority. As a result, Curry canceled the training. And in the match he knocked out 33 points, all in the second half (!), thanks to which he brought victory to the "Warriors". And then he shouted to Chris Paul: “Try to throw me off the parquet one more time!”.
FACT
CURRY VS CURRY
For the first time in NBA history, two brothers will face each other in the Conference Finals. So, Stephen Curry from Golden State will meet with Seth Curry from Portland.
source: "Soviet Sport"
CSKA and all-all-all. How basketball brought Anna Sedokova to tears | Other types | Sports
European basketball is one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The previous Euroleague season was not completed due to the coronavirus. At the beginning of the current one, there were so many transfers due to infections of players and technical staff that there were fears for his fate.
Zenit is fine, but Khimki brought Sedokova to tears
They still exist - it simply cannot be otherwise in 2020. Nevertheless, the tournament has gained momentum and is approaching the equator of the regular season.
Representatives of the three Russian clubs playing in the Euroleague have different moods. St. Petersburg "Zenith", which had so many transfers at the start that it seemed that the team would eventually be removed from the draw altogether, gradually gained momentum and is now confidently moving into the playoff zone. Zenit are in fifth place, but have two games in hand compared to the leaders, so they can go even higher.
Khimki's situation, if not catastrophic, is very close to it. The team of the most productive Russian basketball player Alexey Shved takes the last, 18th place, having two wins and 13 (!) defeats. From what is happening, the pop diva Anna Sedokova , the wife of the basketball player of BC Khimki Janis Timma , is already crying. And this despite the fact that before the start the club was evaluated by experts at the level of the top 5 of the tournament.
Yes, the team had problems with both the injured and the sick, because of which it could not get a full-fledged squad for a long time. But almost everyone has encountered something similar to one degree or another this season. For example, in CSKA, which will be discussed below, injuries still remain a big problem.
But now Khimki's main problem is lack of confidence. The players are under pressure from a long series of failures. The Moscow Region club has driven itself into a situation where the season can be saved only with the help of a feat. To still get into the playoffs, in the remaining 19 games of the regular season, you need to win 15 victories. The task is very difficult, but, we repeat, Khimki's squad is such that it is theoretically quite possible.
New stars and bad start
CSKA, as always, stands apart. When it comes to what the Muscovites have, the answer sounds the same: "They are preparing to win the Euroleague." CSKA, by the way, the current winners of the tournament - in 2019In 2009, they won the trophy for the fourth time in recent history, and this year, as already mentioned, the tournament was stopped without a winner announced.
The not-too-confident game of the army team in the 2019/20 season made the management think about strengthening. The roster was replenished by such European basketball stars as Nikola Milutinov and Tornike Shengelia . With Mike James in , CSKA has hosted three of the six best basketball players on the European continent at the moment.
BC Asvel player Antoine Dio and PBC CSKA player Tornike Shengelia (right) in the match of the 16th round of the regular championship of the men's basketball Euroleague of the 2020/2021 season between BC Asvel (Villeurbanne, France) and PBC CSKA (Moscow, Russia). Photo: RIA Novosti / Tatyana Makeeva
Therefore, everyone was waiting for the Muscovites to start tearing and throwing from the start of the season. In reality, everything went completely wrong - the army team lost both in the Euroleague and in the VTB United League.
And how they lost - in the match with Parma Perm, CSKA managed to lose, leading 20 points 6 minutes before the end of the meeting. Red-blue gave a solid advantage in the Euroleague meetings.
At some point, it seemed that the situation was out of control - the leader of CSKA James had a fight with the head coach of Dimitris Itoudis , and there were rumors that this conflict could only be resolved by leaving one of them.
Time to win
While the journalists were wondering who the CSKA bosses would get rid of - Itoudis or James - the team, as they say, pushed off the bottom and began to win victory after victory, doing it more and more confidently.
The army team still has a lot of problems, and first of all they are associated with injuries. Center Joel Bolomboy is out of service for a long time , Daniel Hackett is not in , Janis Strelnieks can not recover .
Every cloud has a silver lining - Itoudis now uses Russians more. In addition to the eternal hard worker Nikita Kurbanov , who is one of the backbone of the team and one of the best defensive players in Europe, Semyon Antonov enter the court , Ivan Ukhov, as well as very young Andrey Lopatin and Alexander Khomenko . Of course, I would like the guys to look brighter, but they made their contribution to the series of victories.
And the series is really impressive. The army team came to the French club ASVEL (Villeurbanne) having 10 victories in a row. During this breakthrough, CSKA soared from the bottom of the table to the very top, displacing Barcelona that had gone into the lead.
BC Asvel player Gershon Yabusele, PBC CSKA players Darran Hilliard and Nikita Kurbanov (left to right) in the match of the 16th round of the regular championship of the men's basketball Euroleague of the 2020/2021 season between BC Asvel (Villeurbanne, France) and PBC CSKA (Moscow) , Russia). Photo: RIA Novosti / Tatyana Makeeva
A tough game from the NBA champion
The French club still lacks stars from the sky, but it has colossal ambitions. And how could it be otherwise if its president is four-time NBA champion Tony Parker .
Parker was one of the most attentive spectators of the meeting with CSKA. There were almost no spectators, except for officials, since in most countries attendance at Euroleague matches is still prohibited due to the coronavirus. The exceptions are Moscow and St. Petersburg, where fans, albeit with strict restrictions, can watch live basketball.
And in France, the match ASVEL - CSKA was held in chamber silence, interrupted by the loud voice of a disgruntled Itoudis. The game for the guests was not easy. As soon as the army team took a break, the rivals suddenly stopped missing. They flew into the basket any throws, and the advantage of the Russian team was melting before our eyes.
The team of NBA star Parker offered CSKA a tough contact game, and the judges sometimes turned a blind eye to how the hosts crossed the line.
Itoudis, who expressed dissatisfaction in the silence of the hall, finally grabbed a technical foul. But he had reason to worry - in the third quarter he injured his knee and James dropped out for a while. True, a few minutes later he was able to return to the site, but Clyburn was injured almost immediately, and he had to finish the match ahead of schedule with an ankle injury.
In the first place - in the New Year
Still, the French failed to break CSKA either literally or figuratively. Every time ASVEL got close, the army team made a new breakthrough, forcing the French to start all over again. James sent 31 points to the opponent's basket, Milutinovic made a "double-double", which he has recently become a habit - 17 points and 14 rebounds.
The confident game of the leaders once again led CSKA to victory, 11th in a row — 87:78. True, increased injuries can become a serious problem.
“The team deserved to win. We fought well, and I congratulate the players on the spirit shown, on the belief in the system, - quotes the official website of BC CSKA the words of the mentor of the team Itoudis.
Even if you’re not a guard, you are still strongly encouraged to develop the floater as part of your offensive arsenal.
(If you do not have cones, use your creativity and improvise.) 
He occasionally uses his strong hand in his paint forays, but in any case, the guy is definitely a floater god.
If anything, his athleticism is the reason why his floater game is so unstoppable. 
A simple one that you can begin with is the Baby Pro Hop Finisher. This drill will help improve a floater using the right and left hands, and also the distance in which you can pull it off.
It is best to memorize and master a specific floater so you can easily time the release on each shot.
When Kawhi Leonard, under the tightest guardianship of two opponents at once, broke into the corner of the court, made a throw with a deflection at the last second, and the ball, hitting the front bow, contrary to all the laws of physics, bounced not back, but forward, slightly jumped on the ring, and still failed add to cart… 
You can love (and dislike) him for his greasy jokes, inappropriate sarcasm on social networks, “poking fun” at the losers, and simply excessive narcissism. But how not to respect him for what he tried to do? How did you plow on the parquet, despite the illness, and sincerely experienced such a defeat? 
The one who left the Cavs in 2017 to get rid of the shadow of the King. Who himself wanted to become a leader in a contender club, to be the first star and prove that he is capable of winning a ring even without James. And Boston seemed like a good option for realizing Irving's ambitions. 
The first happened in 1953 - then Boston and Syracuse were also "cut". Nikola Jokic ran 65 minutes. He scored a triple-double (one of four in this series - the Serb became the 7th basketball player who gave such a result in one single series!), scoring 33 points, 18 rebounds, 14 assists ... It seemed like some kind of madness! True, it was Jokic who was not enough to extend the match into the fifth overtime - he missed his last free kick, which brought success to the Blazers. With a score of 140:137. 
Damian Lillard and CJ McColum certainly deserve it. 
Durant wants more money. Clay - a more significant role ... All this gave hope to the fans of "Houston" that the series would be released not just stubborn. But it will also end in their favor - thanks to the phenomenal game of James Harden. 
Stephen asked for a shooting range, but the Rockets playmaker, learning about it, demanded the same amount of time as the opposing leader. And, of course, by the right of the player of the home team, he had priority. As a result, Curry canceled the training. And in the match he knocked out 33 points, all in the second half (!), thanks to which he brought victory to the "Warriors". And then he shouted to Chris Paul: “Try to throw me off the parquet one more time!”. 
At the beginning of the current one, there were so many transfers due to infections of players and technical staff that there were fears for his fate. 
From what is happening, the pop diva Anna Sedokova , the wife of the basketball player of BC Khimki Janis Timma , is already crying. And this despite the fact that before the start the club was evaluated by experts at the level of the top 5 of the tournament. 
Photo: RIA Novosti / Tatyana Makeeva 
Center Joel Bolomboy is out of service for a long time , Daniel Hackett is not in , Janis Strelnieks can not recover . 
Photo: RIA Novosti / Tatyana Makeeva 
