The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four arrived to the German capital for the first time in 2009. It didn't disappoint anyone, on or off the court, elevating the Final Four standards to new heights. Here's what happened when the best weekend in world basketball landed in Berlin for the first time!
The games: Down to the wire!
CSKA Moscow, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, Olympiacos Piraeus and FC Barcelona all made it to the Final Four. Panathinaikos and Olympiacos went against each other in one of the semifinals, bringing one of the greatest rivalries in sport to the biggest city in Germany. Their 2009 semifinal thriller remains the last showdown between the Greek powerhouses at a Final Four. The game went down to the final shot, missed by Ioannis Bourousis, allowing Panathinaikos to edge Olympiacos 82-84 behind 20 points from Nikola Pekovic. CSKA outlasted Barca 78-82 in the other semifinal. Ramunas Siskauskas was the hero after scoring 18 of his career-high 29 points in the fourth quarter – including all the points in a 0-11 run that gave CSKA its first lead. The championship game was just as dramatic. Panathinaikos beat CSKA 73-71 but only after Siskauskas's potential game-winning shot attempt went in and out at the buzzer. CSKA rallied from a 23-point deficit but came up short. Vassilis Spanoulis of Panathinaikos had 13 points and was chosen as the 2009 Final Four MVP. The margins of victory in the semifinals and championship game added up to 8 points, making it the most competitive Final Four in do-or-die games until then. Top-class basketball quality, close games and outstanding players stepping up were what the 2009 Final Four was all about.
