There are three things that are special about May 21, 2013 for Isaiah Canaan. One is that he will play in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game for the first time. Another is that it will likely be his final game of the season, since Canaan is not registered to play in the Greek League. And the third is that he is celebrating his 32nd birthday.

To help him celebrate his birthday, the Olympiacos Piraeus family surprised Canaan with a birthday cake at lunch. Check out the video!

Olympiacos surprises Canaan with a birthday cake

Before the final, Olympiacos surprises Canaan with a birthday cake

It's Championship Sunday at the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. Everyone has thoughts on what could, should or might happen when Olympiacos Piraeus and Real Madrid take the floor at Zalgirio Arena at 19:00 CEST.

We asked a few people who know a thing or two about playing and winning at the Final Four what they think or would like to see happen tonight.

"It will be super interesting, it will be very physical", said Patrick Femerling, a 2003 champion with FC Barcelona. "I think the key matchup is Tavares against Fall underneath the basket. If Olympiacos can contain Tavares and maybe get him in foul trouble…it will be very important for them to keep him busy."

Jonas Maciulis predicts the Championship Game

Kaunas native Jonas Maciulis, who won the 2015 title with Real Madrid, has his personal favorite.

"I expect to see a good game, a good fight, and I expect and hope Real Madrid will win," said Maciulis who has a recipe for Los Blancos' success.

"Keep the veterans fresh until the end," Maciulis added. "Experience is on Real Madrid's side, in these games it means a lot, and I am expecting that experience today will gonna win."

Another former Zalgiris and Real player, Rimas Kaukenas, also picked their former side.

"I think Real Madrid will win and Tavares will be MVP," said Kaukenas. "I think they are in good momentum, have very good senior motivation and emotionally are going into the final feeling very good about themselves."

Ibrahim Kutluay predicts the Championship Game

The assistant general manager of Zalgiris, Paulius Jankunas, and 2002 EuroLeague champion Ibrahim Kutluay, both tried to sit on the fence before ultimately picking a winner.

"I think Olympiacos finally is ready to win after last year’s loss in the semi. But Madrid showed that it has so much experience," Jankunas analyzed.

"Olympiacos played well in the second half of the semifinal and Real Madrid has great experience for this type of game. I believe it will be a nice game to watch," Kutluay commented.

When pushed, Jankunas cited his friendship with Olympiacos guard Thomas Walkup as a reason to choose the Reds and Kutluay predicted a Real victory.

Paulius Jankunas predicts the Championship Game

Rimantas Kaukenas predicts the Championship Game

Former players predict tonight's winner


Championship Sunday at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four is a big day for any basketball fan. For Real Madrid, it’s an opportunity to add more trophies to the cupboard. Not just one, but two.

While Real Madrid's biggest stars are preparing to take on Olympiacos Piraeus at Zalgirio Arena for EuroLeague glory, Los Blancos’ future stars are competing for the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals championship game at Kaunas Sports Hall.

Such days don't come around very often and when they do, it is a mark of great pride for all involved. The type of hard work and dedication needed to produce an elite juniors team pays off when it feeds top-tier talent to the senior team such as former EuroLeague MVP Luka Doncic in the past and currently teenage big man Eli Ndiaye, who started in the semifinal victory on Friday.

As a show of support for the club's young guns, many Real heroes of the past are in the stands for the ANGT Finals championship game, including Emiliano Rodriguez, Cliiford Luyk, Felipe Reyes, junior teams manager Alberto Angulo and basketball director Alberto Herreros.

Real legends turn out to support their side at ANGT Final

Among those most attracted to attending the Final Four are the very players who have been on center stage at the same event in the past – and even won the EuroLeague title, some of them multiple times. Many have come back from around the world as Final Four Ambassadors to support in One Team and sustainability initiatives in Kaunas this weekend. [EuroLeague.net](http://EuroLeague.net) talked to Mike Batiste, Sofoklis Schortsanitis and Matjaz Smodis – who have lifted the trophy seven times between them – about their learning curve at the Final Four and what it takes to win it all and reach the final glory.

[· Ambassadors look back at their Final Four experiences](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/ambassadors-look-back-at-their-final-four-experiences/) 

· [Ambassadors praise super-intense season](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/final-four-ambassadors-praise-super-intense-season/)

Final Four Ambassadors: What it takes

One of the main activities EuroLeague FanZone at Unity Square in Kaunas for Final Four weekend was the Saturday night concert featuring two popular Lithuanian artists, [Beatrich](https://www.instagram.com/beatrich/) and [DJ Jovani](https://www.instagram.com/dj_jovani/).

A crowd of 3,000 gathered before the main stage of the FanZone ready to dance the night away when Beatrich hit the stage wearing a full-on Zalgiris Kaunas uniform to roaring approval from the audience.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">And a final message for all the fans who came to the show🙌 <a href="https://t.co/UVpb3FoNxj">pic.twitter.com/UVpb3FoNxj</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1660000480620052481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

During one hour, Beatrich delivered a set of her infectious pop tunes as the night fell on Unity Square, and the crowd was into it!

After Beatrich's set it was the turn for popular DJ Jovani, who unleashed a blistering one-hour session on a FanZone crowd that could not have enough of him. In the end, the crowd was left chanting for more music, but unfortunately, DJ Jovani had to put an end to the session.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thanks everyone for making this a night to remember🙏<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> <a href="https://t.co/S5By5HNtGF">pic.twitter.com/S5By5HNtGF</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1660019999077957632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The two shows sent the crowd into the Kaunas night with a smile and ready to extend the party elsewhere on the eve of the EuroLeague Championship Game at the Zalgirio Arena.

Beatrich and DJ Jovani draw a crowd of 3,000 at the FanZone

A new champion is waiting in Kaunas

#### The stage is set for the crowning of a new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion on Sunday in basketball-mad Kaunas, Lithuania. Another sellout crowd will be on hand at Zalgirio Arena and at watch parties near and far to witness whether Olympiacos Piraeus will lift its fourth EuroLeague trophy or Real Madrid its 11th. On the eve of the action, the two head coaches – Georgios Bartzokas of Olympiacos and Chus Mateo of Real – showed the elevated respect these two clubs have for each other on and off the court as they sat together in Kaunas to talk about the [EuroLeague Championship Game](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/olympiacos-piraeus-real-madrid/E2022/330/).

Olympiacos Piraeus v Real Madrid (2023-05-21T17:00:00.000Z)

Moustapha Fall, Tarik Black have plans for Walter Tavares

Rest assured, Olympiacos fans, the Reds have a plan to stop Real Madrid's force in the paint, Walter Tavares, in Sunday's Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game. Tarik Black just isn’t ready to share it. 

"I can’t let you know all the secrets, right? I can’t just give you the whole scouting report, especially with a very important game tomorrow," Black told Euroleague Basketball from Zalgirio Arena, one day before the title decider. 

The Reds are 2-0 against Real Madrid this season and have had moderate success against the All-EuroLeague center. Tavares averaged 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2.5 turnovers and 1 block for a PIR of 12.5 in those two games, compared to 11.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks for a PIR of 18.1 against the rest of the league. 

"He's probably the best center in the EuroLeague. He has a big impact for his team and he's been dominating the EuroLeague for years now, so obviously he's a very, very good player," Olympiacos center Moustapha Fall added during Saturday's media availability when quizzed about the Real star. "There is no secret to stop a good player. You just need to try to make everything as complicated as possible and live with the results."

Moustapha Fall, Olympiacos: 'Tavares has been dominating the EuroLeague'

Black said he believes that the versatility and cohesiveness of the Reds' centers can be a problem for other teams, including Real. 

"We just all look different, like Mousa \[Fall\] is a 7-footer, I’m not quite 7 feet but I’m a bit stockier, Joel \[Bolomboy\] isn’t as stocky or as tall, but he's more athletic than both of us two," Black stated. "At the end of the day, it’s all the defensive presence, it's the presence in the paint, and our ability, obviously on the offensive end, to keep the fluidity of the offense going, setting great screens, and on defense, being able to switch, being able to protect the rim. Those things are all fluid as we all rotate out and so actually the things that we are alike make it easier for us to substitute in and keep the ball rolling."

Tarik Black, Olympiacos: 'We’re a very cohesive group'

With Fall the likely starter and Black and Bolomboy expected to spell him off the bench, Olympiacos will have enough men to battle Tavares for all 40 minutes. And how much they manage to contain him could be the story of the championship game.

Real Madrid's [Dzanan Musa](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/dzanan-musa/006540/) is getting ready for his first Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game with Los Blancos chasing their 11th continental crown.

For Musa, Sunday night's clash in Kaunas is somewhat symbolic, but also a story of what could have been because when Musa was 15 years old, he was offered a long-term deal with Olympiacos.

"I was already about to sign a contract with Olympiacos", Musa confirmed. "Basically paper was in front of me so I was almost signing for Olympiacos. It was basically already a signed contract."

However, the job was never completed and he went to Cedevita Zagreb in Croatia instead. 

"I was looking forward to playing with Spanoulis," Musa said ahead of the championship game. "I was looking up to him when I was a young player, trying to copy all of his shots, step-back, step-side. It was a dream. But I ended up with Cedevita and it is something I am proud of, too. I am grateful for Cedevita to have brought me into the EuroLeague spotlight. So you can always take good from things."

And then, not even a year later after not signing with the club from Piraeus, he made his EuroLeague debut against them.

"It started with the first professional game against Olympiacos, now in the first \[championship game\] against Olympiacos", Musa smiled. "I see it as a funny story."

Dzanan Musa, Real Madrid: 'I was almost signing for Olympiacos'

Musa was 16 years old when he made his EuroLeague debut with Cedevita on October 15, 2015. He scored 4 points in 5 minutes that night as a starter against Olympiacos, where he immediately guarded his idol Spanoulis.

Now, nearly eight years later, and still at just 23 years of age, he is hoping to make an impact on the most anticipated night of the season.

"We have to go as strong as we can because we know how strong they have been throughout the season," Musa said of Sunday.

"They have one of the best, if not the best, fans in Europe. They have a lot of support for all of that. But we will try to win the championship, which is very important for us. We are one step away. 40 minutes is a long game, but we will try to stay focused all 40 to win the game."

The time Dzanan Musa nearly joined Olympiacos

Real Madrid prodigy [Eli Ndiaye](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/eli-ndiaye/009213/) has been one of the biggest surprises in the latter stages of the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season. Ndiaye, who is just 18, took part in 14 regular-season games, averaging 0.7 points and 1.0 rebounds in less than 5 minutes on the court. After working hard for an opportunity, Ndiaye has been able to show what he can do at the business end of the campaign.

Real struggled with frontcourt injuries and absences during its playoff series against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, with Gabriel Deck, Guerschon Yabusele, Petr Cornelie and Vincent Poirier all unavailable for selection heading into Game 5. Coach Chus Mateo opted to start Ndiaye at the 4, alongside center Walter Tavares, and he delivered, recording 4 points, 4 rebounds and 1 block in 12 minutes on the floor. It was a career-defining game in which Los Blancos rallied late to down Partizan and make it to the Final Four.

"Little by little \[things have improved\]. It has been a very long season and it has been difficult because I didn't see a lot of playing time, but I was always ready to play and ready to help the team at any moment," Ndiaye said from Zalgirio Arena one day before the championship game. "Now, I have the chance to help the team and here I am, trying to give my best."

That start against Partizan was not just a one-off, though. In the semifinal matchup against FC Barcelona, Real's biggest game of the season to that point, Coach Mateo decided to start Ndiaye once again. He did a little bit of everything, getting 2 points, 2 rebounds and 1 block, as well as playing great defense against Barca superstar Nikola Mirotic. When the final buzzer sounded, Real had beaten the Blaugrana 66-78 to reach its second championship game in a row and its first under Coach Mateo, at least in a head coach capacity.

Eli Ndiaye of Real Madrid played a key role in Game 5 of the playoffs series against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, and in the semifinal against FC Barcelona.

Ndiaye steps up late in the EuroLeague season

"I want to speak about the way Eli Ndiaye started the game tonight," Real guard Fabien Causeur stated after the semifinal win. "He was spectacular against Mirotic. I want to point it out because when you play a game like this for the first time, confidence is very important. He played tough against him."

"We have injured players and things that happened, but here I am, ready to help the team in any way that I can," Ndiaye commented.

Ndiaye may be an unknown name for most EuroLeague fans, but he has already shown hints of the great player he could become. Born in Guddiawaye, Senegal, Ndiaye joined Real as a 13-year-old back in 2017. He made his Spanish League and EuroLeague debuts last season – he was not even an adult at that point – and he quickly established himself as one of the biggest stars in ANGT history.

In particular, Ndiaye stood out in the 2020-21 ANGT Finals in Valencia, averaging 20.8 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.4 steals and a PIR of 31.6 in four games, which helped Real lift the title and saw him earn tournament MVP honors. Last season, Ndiaye helped Los Blancos defend their ANGT crown, averaging 14.8 points and 11.8 rebounds in four games in Belgrade, Serbia.

Right now, Luka Doncic is the only player to have been chosen as the ANGT MVP and also become a EuroLeague champion. NDiaye and Alberto Abalde, the 2013 AGNT MVP, can join this list. Don't be surprised if he gets to start in the 2023 EuroLeague Championship Game and, if he does, the 18-year-old would become the youngest player to do so in the 21st century.

"Oh, wow! I hope I can be in that list," Ndiaye noted. "But right now, at this moment, I am focused on helping the team. I hope this will come, but right now I just want to help the team as much as I can, in anything that I might be needed for."