Even though Olympiacos Piraeus center Moustapha Fall did not pick up basketball until late in his teenage years, he has developed into a European force.

Moustapha Fall, Olympiacos: 'It was a perfect timing for me'

Like most of the Olympiacos roster, Fall will compete at his first Final Four as the Reds return to the main stage for the first time since 2017. However, perhaps more than most, Fall is determined to enjoy every minute there. 

"I am lucky enough to be part of the team that just qualified for the Final Four,", Fall said. "I am 30 years old, I know the time it took to get here. So I am going to enjoy this one."

Fall has been in basketball heaven the past couple of years, during which he first made his long-awaited EuroLeague debut and then won a silver medal with France at the 2021 Summer Olympics, before being an instrumental part in Olympiacos reaching the Final Four.

"It is really exciting. This does not happen to everybody," he commented.

"I think the fact that I came to the EuroLeague at this age is more easier, because I have more maturity." 

But don't expect the down-to-Earth center to get carried away, despite all the excitement. Because it took a lot of patience to get to this point.

His basketball journey started at age 17 when a friend took him along to a practice at a local club in Fall's hometown of Paris. About 2.02 meters at the time, the coach told him he should stay. A little over a year later, he was playing for Poitiers Basket's youth teams and he made his pro debut in the top level of the French Basketball couple of months after turning 20. 

"My second year in Poitiers, I remember I started playing in the preseason with the pros", Fall said. "And I was feeling pretty comfortable, way better than a year before. So, I was practicing a lot with them and I started to feel confident."

He bounced between the French second division, where he also played for AS Monaco – the team he helped beat in the best-of-five EuroLeague Playoffs series earlier this month - and the top flight where he also played for Antibes and Chalon. 

Fall grew into a 2.18-meter frame, using his frame to become one of the top rebounders and shot-blockers in France. At the age of 25, he decided to seek opportunities abroad. It turned into a journey longer than he expected.

Final Four Interview: Moustapha Fall, Olympiacos Piraeus

He started at Turkish side Sakarya, where Fall had a pretty good season, but was injured late. The next season he joined Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar and made his 7DAYS EuroCup debut, but was sidelined part of the year with a hernia. Finally, a great campaign at Turk Telekom Ankara during the COVID-19 shortened 2019-20 season allowed him to take another step up and finally be able to join a EuroLeague team, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne.

"I had to come back to France to prove myself again and show I belong to EuroLeague," Fall explained. 

He proved it quickly, posting 9.8 points on 70.1% shooting, with 5.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 blocks. It earned him a spot on the French national team at the Olympic Games and a gig with Olympiacos. The long journey finally paid dividends. And it is that journey that Fall said he thinks helped him take in stride everything that playing at a EuroLeague level threw at him.

"I think the fact that I came to the EuroLeague at this age is more easier, because I have more maturity. I don't have too many problems in my mind, thinking about some problems young guys can think of every time. So I am mature enough to understand the situation," Fall said. 

"And I think I came to a good team. Last year they were not so good, did not make the playoffs. I grew up at the same time with the team. Now, there are good expectations. We are going to the Final Four. There is a lot of motivation. I think it was perfect timing for me."

So perfect that he already signed a three-year contract extension in February, which will keep him in Piraeus until 2025.

"My family feels good here, so that is important", Fall explained. "Before I was by myself, so I did not care to move alone. I just found a good team. I never played for a such big team. Now you have a big team that is really satisfied with what you do. We are winning, it is a nice city, you have a nice contract. I feel comfortable here, I like it, there was no reason to wait."

Fall has recorded 8.4 points on 70.2% shooting, 5.1 rebounds and 1.0 block per game this season. Just like in his debut campaign, Fall did not waste much, if any, time for adjusting. Over two seasons, he has come off the bench in just three of his 66 career appearances in the competition, averaging just below 23 minutes per game so far.

Fall said his year at ASVEL helped a great deal: "It gave me experience. It was my first year in the EuroLeague, I needed to adjust to understand how it works. And to just show and prove myself and feel comfortable to play against big names. In EuroLeague, you have the big names, guys here 10 years, guys who made the Final Four six or seven times. You need to see if you can compete with those guys. And when you see you can, you feel more comfortable."

"I know nothing is guaranteed. You can have an injury, you need some luck, too. You just need one coach to trust you to reach this level."

He came such a long way that even Monaco coach Sasa Obradovic ahead of the deciding Game 5 of their playoff series stressed his team's need to solve the problem of Moustapha Fall. 

"It always feels good when you see the respect of other coaches, especially Obradovic," Fall said. "I played for him when I was in Russia so I know him really well. He knows my ability, he knows what I can do obviously. That's really a good feeling to have some big coaches like him say you are a problem for him. That means a lot to me."

Fall scored 4 points in that playoff series decider, but found a way to impact the game with 4 assists and now he heads with Olympiacos to Belgrade to compete for the EuroLeague crown. 

"I still want to win the EuroLeague, so I don't consider it an accomplishment yet," he said. 

However, don't mistake his ambition to do more with awareness of where he is and what he is done. The big man takes nothing for granted.

"I know nothing is guaranteed. You can have an injury, you need some luck, too. You just need one coach to trust you to reach this level... For me to be playing with one of the top four teams in Europe, it is a big thing knowing where I am from and the journey I had. That is a big accomplishment for me."

In Belgrade, there is one thing he expects.

"Crazy atmosphere, we know we are going to have a lot of fans", Fall said. "We got nothing to lose. Obviously, we want to win but with what people were thinking at the beginning of the season, we already overachieved. We don't need to put extra pressure. We just have to go and play as good as we can. We showed we compete with anybody all season long."

Olympiacos faces Anadolu Efes Istanbul in the first semifinals, before FC Barcelona and Real Madrid square off in the second semi.

"Efes is the reigning champion, Barcelona and Real Madrid might have the biggest budgets. We need to compete with big teams, but we have our chance. We will compete and we will see."

Moustapha Fall - Olympiacos Piraeus - EB21-PO1

The 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Belgrade will be like none before, with new levels of innovation serving the fans thanks to Turkish Airlines. 

Turkish Airlines introduces a new level of innovation to the Final Four

Turkish Airlines is collaborating with Hawk-Eye Innovations, which also runs the competition's instant-replay system, to calculate the flight time of players at the Final Four during the most impressive plays. When players rise for show-stopping dunks or a thunder-stealing blocks, fans will be able to learn just how long each was in the air.

Already, during the playoffs, fans have been able to enjoy flight time highlight clips on EuroLeague social media. Now, thanks to Turkish Airlines, those calculations will be made and shared during the game, and fans will be able to enjoy them live during the broadcasts.

Virtual Reality made its Final Four debut last season in Cologne, Germany, where for the first time in European basketball history, VR tickets were sold and fans could follow the action as though they were sitting at courtside. In Belgrade, there will be two 180-degree cameras on each of the backstops and another 360-degree camera from which fans can take control of their view with an Oculus Headset, Andorid or iOS app, or through the dedicated Final Four website.

Flightime for Hunter!

After the success of last season's first Final Four VR broadcast, this year Turkish Airlines is enabling the technology from YBVR to bring fans to Stark Arena directly from their homes. To access the YBVR experience, fans need to purchase the Euroleague TV Final Four pass.

What's more, in collaboration with VRM and Turkish Airlines, Euroleague Basketball is launching its metaverse; a virtual world where fans will have the opportunity to participate in Final Four activities from anywhere in the world.

Simply log in to [Euroleagueland.net](http://Euroleagueland.net) with any mobile device or personal computer to create your own avatar and hang out with other fans, play engaging games and earn coins that unlock special features and experiences that money can't buy. These are only for the truest of EuroLeague fans!

Fans participating in Turkish Airlines' Miles and Smiles program can link their metaverse account and collect miles through achievements in the metaverse.

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague FanZone will land at Belgrade's Savski Square to offer visitors to the Final Four, to be held from May 19 to 21 in the Serbian capital, the same fun activities they have been accustomed to as well as new and exciting components. 

Belgrade's Savski Square to host the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague FanZone!

[Savski Square](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Savski+Trg,+Beograd,+Serbia/@44.8083711,20.4548436,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x475a7aaa2b6588f1:0x6392abb6ad880ff!8m2!3d44.8083711!4d20.4570323?shorturl=1) will have all the basketball action that fans have come to love at the FanZone. There will be a full-size basketball court and another 3x3-sized court where fans can shoot around when they are not being used for tournament play. The main court will have a jumbo screen where the Final Four games will be shown live. And there will be a DJ booth with local talent blasting beats to keep the visitors in good spirits all day long.

Several Euroleague Basketball partners will host can't-miss pavilions at the FanZone, too.

• Turkish Airlines will be centrally located with a game to measure your flight time – or hang time.

• 7DAYS will have baskets where you can challenge your friends to a shootout, take a picture of the EuroLeague trophy, or record a video with some EuroLeague stars.

• BKT will challenge fans to prove their skills and EuroLeague knowledge with a series of tests.

• Adidas promises a special guest from overseas in its area, where you can attempt to make the craziest basketball shots.

The FanZone will be open all day from Thursday, May 19, through Saturday, May 21. Friday will be the busiest day, with a One Team Session schedule featuring Final Four Ambassadors and Euroleague Basketball Legends, plus the annual slam dunk contest with top players from the ANGT.

Savski Square, along the trendy Belgrade waterfront, was reopened in early 2021 and is the largest such square in the country. It can be easily identified by the 23-meter-tall statue of Stefan Nemanja, the founder of the Serbian state.

Real Madrid: Did you know...?

...Real Madrid has the chance to win its 11th EuroLeague title? It leads the all-time standings with 10 titles, but only three of them have come in the last 35 years. Real has won the competition in 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1974, 1978, 1980, 1995, 2015 and 2018.

...Real is making its 11th Final Four appearance since the format was adopted in 1988? Real previously reached the Final Four in 1993, 1995, 1996, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

...Real looks for its 19th EuroLeague Championship Game appearance? It leads the all-time list with 18 championship games. Maccabi Tel Aviv has been to 14 EuroLeague and one SuproLeague title game. CSKA Moscow has reached the EuroLeague Championship Game 14 times.

...Real has the chance to lift its 17th continental trophy? In addition to its 10 EuroLeague titles, *Los Blancos* have won four Saporta Cups, 1 Korac Cup and 1 ULEB Cup – now known as the 7DAYS EuroCup.

...Rudy Fernandez belongs to a select group of players to have won both the EuroLeague and the EuroCup? Fernandez won the EuroCup with DKV Joventut Badalona in 2008 and EuroLeague crowns with Real in 2015 and 2018. The list includes two other Spanish players: Felipe Reyes and Ricky Rubio, and also features stars Nando De Colo, Nick Calathes and Romain Sato.

...Fernandez and Sergio Llull belong to a group of 23 players who have won the EuroLeague, EuroBasket and Basketball World Cup titles? Llull and Fernandez are two of the four players on the list not hailing from the former Soviet Union or former Yugoslavia; Felipe Reyes and Juan Carlos Navarro are the others. The list includes all-time greats such as Arvydas Sabonis, Drazen Petrovic and Toni Kukoc.

...Fernandez headlines the shortlist of players to have won a Basketball World Cup, EuroBasket, EuroLeague and EuroCup? He is joined only by Dejan Tomasevic and Reyes.

...Coach Pablo Laso has previous Final Four experience as a player? He played at the 1995-96 EuroLeague Final Four with his current team, Real Madrid, coached by Zeljko Obradovic. He is entering his seventh Final Four as a head coach.

...Llull is at his eighth Final Four? He was previously there with Real in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Victor Khryapa leads the list with 12 Final Four appearances. Only one other Spanish player has made it to eight Final Fours: Juan Carlos Navarro.

...Fernandez is at his seventh Final Four? He already played the Final Four with Real in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

...Llull is one of two EuroLeague MVPs present at the Final Four? Llull earned that honor in 2017. Vasilije Micic was the 2020-21 EuroLeague MVP.

...Llull is the fifth-best scorer in EuroLeague history? He has amassed 3,489 points in 343 EuroLeague career games. Llull ranks seventh in assists (1,251), too.

...Thomas Heurtel ranks fourth all-time in assists (1,340)? Nick Calathes leads the standings with 1,689 assists, followed by Vassilis Spanoulis (1,607) and Sergio Rodriguez (1,561).

...Fernandez ranks seventh all-time in steals? He has collected 327 in 303 games. Dimitris Diamantidis leads the standings with 434 steals.

...Fernandez is one of only four players with more than 2,000 points, 800 rebounds and 700 assists in EuroLeague history? Krunoslav Simon, Dimitris Diamantidis and Nick Calathes are the others.

...Walter Tavares ranks third all-time in blocks? He has 280 blocked shots in 160 games. Bryant Dunston is first with 307 blocks, followed by Kyle Hines (286).

...Fabien Causeur is the only French player to play in the Final Four with two different foreign teams? Causeur appeared in the Final Four with Laboral Kutxa Vitoria Gasteiz in 2016 and with Real in 2018 and 2019.

...Fernandez, Llull and Coach Laso won the EuroLeague title with Real in 2015 and are still with the team? Real has seven of its players who won the 2018 EuroLeague title, too.

...Adam Hanga and Tavares are two of the three former EuroLeague Best Defenders at the 2022 Final Four? Hanga won the trophy in 2017 and Tavares did it in 2019 and 2021. Bryant Dunston of Efes (2014, 2015) has also won the award in the past.

...Hanga can become the first Hungarian player to win the EuroLeague? Kornel David came closest when he reached the championship game with Tau Ceramica in 2005.

...Hanga is the first player to make it to the Final Four with three different Spanish teams? Hanga played the 2016 Final Four with Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and returned with FC Barcelona in 2021.

...Llull ranks sixth on the Final Four's career scoring list? Llull has 167 points and could climb a few spots in Belgrade. Nikos Galis leads the list with 231 points followed by J.R. Holden (194), Nando De Colo (179) and Trajan Langdon (172).

...Llull has a good chance to climb into first place on the Final Four's career assists list? He already ranks third with 53 assists. Theo Papaloukas leads the all-time charts with 59 assists at Final Four action.

...Fernandez is tied for third place in steals in Final Four history? He has collected 18, just like Dimitris Diamantidis. Holden ranks first (24), followed by Victor Khryapa (22).

...Fernandez and Llull can win their third EuroLeague title? The last Spanish players to win three EuroLeague titles were Rafael Rullan, Juan Antonio Corbalan and Luis Maria Prada with Real in 1974, 1978 and 1980.

...Tavares, the only player from Cape Verde to have won the EuroLeague, ranks second in the EuroLeague in blocks at 1.7 per night this season? Georgios Papagiannis of Panathinaikos OPAP Athens is first with 1.72 per game, so Tavares could take over first place at the Final Four!

...Tavares ranks seventh in the EuroLeague in two-point shooting percentage this season (69.5%, 146 of 210) and is also ranked second all-time (578 of 833, 69.4%)?

...Jeffery Taylor is the only Swedish player to have won the EuroLeague?

...Alberto Abalde can join an exclusive list of Adidas Next Generation Tournament MVPs who also won the EuroLeague title? Abalde was the ANGT MVP in 2013 with Joventut Badalona. Luka Doncic is the only player to get both; he was the ANGT MVP in 2015 and won the EuroLeague in 2018 with Real.

...Gabriel Deck can join an impressive list of Argentines that won the EuroLeague title? The list features Hugo Sconochini (Virtus 1998, 2001), Facu Campazzo (Real 2015, 2018), Manu Ginobili (Virtus 2001), Pepe Sanchez (Panathinaikos 2002) and Andres Nocioni (Real 2015). Nicolas Laprovittola of FC Barcelona can also join this list in 2022.

Real Madrid: Did you know that...?

FC Barcelona v Real Madrid (2022-05-19T19:00:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona: Did you know...?

...FC Barcelona will compete at its 16th Final Four? Only CSKA Moscow (19) has more appearances in the Final Four era, which began in 1988.

...Barca is looking for its third EuroLeague title? It previously lifted the trophy in 2003 and 2010. It lost in the championship game in 1984, 1990, 1991, 1996, 1997 and 2021.

...Sarunas Jasikevicius has a chance to become the fourth person to win the EuroLeague as a player and coach? Jasikevicius won four EuroLeague titles as a player. Armenak Alachachan, Lolo Sainz and Svetislav Pesic are the only three members of this exclusive club.

...Coach Jasikevicius is still the only player to win the EuroLeague with three different teams? Jasikevicius lifted the trophy with Barca in 2003, Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2004 and 2005 and Panathinaikos Athens in 2009.

...Sertac Sanli can join a exclusive list of players to win consecutive EuroLeague titles with different teams? He won the EuroLeague with Anadolu Efes Istanbul in 2021 and has a chance to go all the way with Barca. Dejan Bodiroga (Panathinaikos 2002, Barca 2003), Jasikevicius (Barca 2003, Maccabi Tel Aviv 2004) and Ramunas Siskauskas (Panathinaikos Athens 2007, CSKA Moscow 2008) are to date the only players to do so.

...Nikola Mirotic leads the 2021-22 EuroLeague in PIR average (19.4)?

...Mirotic is just the second player in EuroLeague history to post 65-45-85 shooting percentages, making 65.6% of his shots inside the arc, 45.5% from downtown and 87.5% of free throws. Yotam Halperin of Olympiacos Piraeus also did so (67.6% 2FG, 51.9% 3FG, 95.7% FT), but he attempted only 64 field goals compared to Mirotic's 343.

...Mirotic has been chosen as MVP of the month a EuroLeague record seven times? He won the award in December 2011, October 2013, December 2019, February 2020, March 2021, October 2021 and December 2021. No one else has won the award more than three times. Barcelona players Nick Calathes (November 2017, March 2018) and Brandon Davies (April 2017) have also won the award in the past.

...Rolands Smits can become the first Latvian player to win the EuroLeague in the Final Four era? ASK Riga won three EuroLeague titles from 1958 to 1960, but no Latvian player has lifted the trophy since the restoration of Latvian Independence in 1991.

...Nick Calathes is one of 19 players to win the EuroLeague and the 7DAYS EuroCup titles? He won the EuroLeague with Panathinaikos in 2011 and the EuroCup with Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar in 2013. Milos Teodosic (CSKA Moscow 2016, Virtus Segafredo Bologna 2022) and Daniel Hackett (CSKA 2019, Virtus 2022) were the latest players to join this club just last week.

...Calathes can join an elite group of Greek players to win the EuroLeague with a foreign team? That list includes Nestoras Kommatos (Maccabi 2005), Theo Papaloukas (CSKA 2006, 2008), Nikos Zisis (CSKA 2008), Ioannis Bourousis (Real 2015) and Kostas Sloukas (Fenerbahce 2017).

...Calathes leads the EuroLeague’s all-time assists charts with 1,689? He is also the only player in competition history with more than 1,000 rebounds (1,006) and 1,000 assists.

...Cory Higgins heads to his sixth consecutive Final Four? No other player has been to all of the last six Final Fours.

...Higgins can win his third EuroLeague title? He previously lifted the trophy with CSKA in 2016 and 2019. No player ever has won the EuroLeague with both CSKA and Barcelona.

...Alex Abrines is the only Barcelona player who has been in the team's last three Final Four appearances? Abrines is at his fourth Final Four with Barcelona.

...Rokas Jokubaitis can become the fourth player to win the EuroLeague Rising Star Trophy and the EuroLeague title in the same season? Ricky Rubio (2009-10, Barca), Kostas Papanikolaou (2012-13, Olympiacos) and Luka Doncic (2017-18, Real) have done so in the past.

...Jokubaitis, Mirotic and Abrines are three of the five Rising Star trophy winners present at the 2022 Final Four? Mirotic won it in 2011 and 2012, and Abrines in 2016. Rudy Fernandez of Real Madrid (2007) and Papanikolaou (2013) also won the award.

...Nicolas Laprovittola ranks second in free-throw shooting (91.5%) this season? Kyle Kuric is fourth (91.2%).

...Dante Exum can become the fourth Australian player to win the EuroLeague? David Andersen (Virtus 2001; CSKA 2006, 2008), Aleks Maric (Panathinaikos 2011) and Joe Ingles (Maccabi 2014) belong to this list.

...Laprovittola can join a list of Argentines that won the EuroLeague title? The list features Hugo Sconochini (Virtus 1998, 2001), Facu Campazzo (Real 2015, 2018), Manu Ginobili (Virtus 2001), Pepe Sanchez (Panathinaikos 2002) and Andres Nocioni (Real 2015). Gabriel Deck of Real Madrid can also join this list in 2022.

FC Barcelona: Did you know that...?

Anadolu Efes Istanbul: Did you know...?

...Anadolu Efes Istanbul has advanced to the Final Four for the fifth time? Efes previously reached the EuroLeague Final Four in 2000, 2019 and 2021, as well as the SuproLeague Final Four in 2001.

...Efes has a chance to win a second consecutive Turkish Airlines EuroLeague title? Maccabi Tel Aviv (2004, 2005) and Olympiacos Piraeus (2012, 2013) are the only teams to do this since the turn of the millennium.

...Efes became the first Turkish team in any sport to win a European competition? It did so when it raised the Korac Cup in 1996. Efes won its first EuroLeague crown 25 years later.

...Efes returns to the Final Four with 11 players and the coach who played in the 2021 EuroLeague Championship Game? Sertac Sanli is the only player who is not with the team – but he will be at the Final Four with FC Barcelona. Elijah Bryant, Filip Petrusev and Egemen Guven were not with the team last season.

...Bryant Dunston and Vasilije Micic head to their fourth Final Fours? Dunston played at his first Final Four with Olympiacos in 2015 and Micic at the 2018 Final Four with Zalgiris. They both went to the 2019 and 2021 Final Fours with Efes.

...Ergin Ataman has won four different continental titles! He won the Saporta Cup with Montepaschi Siena in 2002, the EuroChallenge with Besiktas Istanbul in 2012, the 7DAYS EuroCup with Galatasaray Istanbul in 2015 and the EuroLeague with Efes in 2021. Only two other coaches have won four different European competitions: Dusan Ivkovic (EuroLeague, EuroCup, Saporta, Korac) and Aito Garcia Reneses (EuroCup, Saporta, Korac, EuroChallenge).

...Coach Ataman is one of four coaches to win European competitions with four different teams? He won titles with Siena, Besiktas, Galatasaray and Efes. Zeljko Obradovic has won European titles with six different teams: Partizan Belgrade, Joventut Badalona, Benetton Treviso, Real Madrid, Panathinaikos Athens, and Fenerbahce. Ivkovic (Partizan, AEK Athens, Olympiacos Piraeus, Dynamo Moscow) and Bozidar Maljkovic (Split, Limoges, Panathinaikos, Unicaja Malaga) have won with four teams apiece.

...Shane Larkin owns the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game scoring record in the Final Four era? Larkin scored 29 points in the 2019 championship game for Efes in a losing effort against CSKA.

...Larkin ranks sixth all-time in points scored at a single Final Four? He had 59 points in the 2019 Final Four, which were the most by any player in 26 years. Nikos Galis had 69 points in the 1990 Final Four and also scored 67 in 1988 and 61 in 1989, all with Aris. Bob McAdoo, who had 64 points in the 1988 Final Four with Milan, and Alexander Volkov, who got 61 with Panathinaikos in 1994, are also ahead of him.

...Larkin can set a record for the highest cumulative PIR in a EuroLeague season? He has a combined PIR of 698. Luka Doncic finished the 2017-18 season with 711.

...Larkin ranks second in PIR this season with 18.9 per game? Nikola Mirotic of FC Barcelona leads the league with a PIR average of 19.4.

...Larkin ranks third in free-throw shooting (91.4%)?

...Vasilije Micic is this season’s top scorer with 18.2 points per night? He was both the regular season (18.1 ppg.) and playoff (18.5 ppg.) leader in scoring.

...Micic is one of five players to earn EuroLeague MVP and Final Four MVP honors in the same season? Micic got both awards last season. Dimitris Diamantidis (2010-11), Vassilis Spanoulis (2012-13), Nando De Colo (2015-16) and Luka Doncic (2017-18) have also done so.

...Micic can become the second player to win the EuroLeague as that season's competition’s top scorer? Only De Colo (CSKA, 2015-16) has done so in the past.

...Krunoslav Simon is one of only four players with more than 2,000 points, 800 rebounds and 700 assists in EuroLeague history? Rudy Fernandez, Dimitris Diamantidis and Nick Calathes are the others.

...Rodrigue Beaubois is one of 10 players to win both the EuroLeague and the NBA titles? He won the NBA crown with Dallas in 2011 and helped Efes lift the EuroLeague trophy in 2021.

...Elijah Bryant, who won the NBA title with Milwaukee in 2022, will join that list if Efes goes all the way?

...Bryant Dunston is one of the three EuroLeague Best Defender Trophy winners present at the 2021 Final Four? Dunston won it in 2014 and 2015. Real Madrid players Walter Tavares (2019, 2021) and Adam Hanga (2017) have also won the award in the past.

...Dunston is the EuroLeague's all-time leader in blocked shots with 307 and counting! He is also 10th all-time in rebounds with 1,265.

...Dunston ranks third this season in two-point shooting (71.1%)?

Anadolu Efes Istanbul: Did you know that...?

Olympiacos Piraeus v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2022-05-19T16:00:00.000Z)

Shane Larkin - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - EB21-RS34

Olympiacos Piareus: Did you know...?

...Olympiacos is at its 11th Final Four? Its six most-recent appearances have come over the last 13 years - 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2017. Olympiacos has the chance to win its fourth EuroLeague title.

...Olympiacos is one of the four teams that have successfully defended the EuroLeague crown in the Final Four era? Olympiacos won back-to-back EuroLeague titles in 2012 and 2013. Olimpia Milano (1987, 1988), KK Split (1989, 1990, 1991) and Maccabi Tel Aviv (2004, 2005) have also defended the title in the Final Four era. Anadolu Efes Istanbul can join the list if it lifts the trophy in Belgrade.

...Olympiacos is looking for its sixth consecutive semifinal win? The last semifinal game it lost was against Panathinaikos Athens in 2009. Since then, it has won five straight semifinals (2010, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2017). Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv has the longest winning streak in the semifinals with six (2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011 and 2014) and counting.

...Olympiacos is 8-2 in the semifinals? Only Maccabi (10-2) has a better record in the semifinals.

...three current Olympiacos players have won back-to-back EuroLeague titles together? Kostas Sloukas, Georgios Printezis and Kostas Papanikolaou won the competition in 2012 and 2013.

...Papanikolaou, Printezis and Sloukas played in the 2017 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game? Sloukas helped Fenerbahce win the title against Olympiacos. Sloukas and Printezis were with Olympiacos at the 2015 EuroLeague Championship Game, too.

...Papanikolaou is one of five Rising Star Trophy winners at this Final Four? He is joined by newly crowned Rising Star Rokas Jokubaitis, Alex Abrines and Nikola Mirotic of FC Barcelona and Rudy Fernandez of Real Madrid.

...Sloukas has the chance to win his fourth EuroLeague title? Sloukas won titles with Olympiacos in 2012 and 2013 and lifted the trophy again with Fenerbahce in 2017.

...Sloukas is 6-1 in the EuroLeague Semifinals? Sloukas won in six consecutive semifinal appearances (Olympiacos 2012, 2013, 2015; Fenerbahce 2016, 2017, 2018) before losing against Anadolu Efes with Fenerbahce in 2019.

...Sloukas can join a list of four-time winners with different teams? Dino Meneghin (five titles with Varese, two with Milan), leads the table. Fausto Bargna (two with Cantu, two with Milan), Kyle Hines (two with Olympiacos, two with CSKA) and Sarunas Jasikevicius (one with Barcelona, two with Maccabi, one with Panathinaikos) belong to this list.

...if he makes it to the championship game, Sloukas will tie Matjaz Smodis for the most finals appearances this century? Smodis played in seven EuroLeague finals: two with Virtus Bologna (2001, 2002) one with Fortitudo Bologna (2004) and four with CSKA (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009).

...Sloukas is fifth all-time in assists with 1,297? Two of the players ahead of him in the standings are in the 2022 Final Four: Nick Calathes of FC Barcelona(1st, 1,689) and Thomas Heurtel of Real Madrid (4th, 1,340).

...Printezis ranks second in EuroLeague game played? He has taken part in 373 EuroLeague games. Only Paulius Jankunas (392) is ahead of him.

...Printezis ranks fourth all-time in scoring with 3,597 points and counting! He is second all-time in two-point shots made (1,193).

...Printezis ranks sixth all-time in rebounds with1,452? He is fourth in defensive boards (1,065).

...Coach Georgios Bartzokas is at his third Final Four? He won the EuroLeague title with Olympiacos Piraeus in 2013 and took Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar to the 2016 Final Four.

...Bartzokas is one of two Greek coaches to win the EuroLeague. He led Olympiacos to the 2013 crown. Dimitris Itoudis (CSKA 2015, 2018) is the other.

...Sasha Vezenkov ranks sixth in PIR this season (17.8)? He is ninth in rebounds (5.8 rpg.).

...Sloukas ranks fifth in assists this season? He has dished 4.9 per night.

…Moustapha Fall ranks fouth in blocks at 1.0 per night? He is sixth in two-point shooting percentage (70.2%), too.

...Livio Jean-Charles can join an exclusive list of Adidas Next Generation Tournament MVPs who also won the EuroLeague title? Jean-Charles was the ANGT MVP in 2010 with INSEP. Luka Doncic is the only player to get both; he was the ANGT MVP in 2015 and won the EuroLeague in 2018 with Real Madrid. Alberto Abalde, the 2013 ANGT MVP, is also in this year’s Final Four with Real.

...other than Sloukas, Papanikolaou and Printezis, no other Olympiacos player has previous Final Four experience?

...Olympiacos ranks second in PIR average this season (93.2)? Its semifinals opponent Anadolu Efes Istanbul (94.8) is the only team ahead of the Reds.

...Olympiacos ranks first overall in two-point shooting percentage. At 58.1%, it is the competition’s ninth-highest percentage ever and the best since Fenerbahce Istanbul buried 58.3% of its two-pointers in the 2018-19 campaign.

Olympiacos Piraeus: Did you know that...?

Kostas Papanikolaou - Olympiacos Piraeus - EB21-RS33

Kostas Sloukas - Olympiacos Piraeus - EB21-RS24

The math worked this season, sending the quartet of teams that proved most efficient until now all the way to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Belgrade. Here's what to watch out for when they match up in the semis.

Stats Review: Sizing up the semis

### Final Four Reset

FC Barcelona and Olympiacos Piraeus both earned hard-fought wins in the decisive fifth games of their respective quarterfinal series to join Real Madrid and Anadolu Efes Istanbul in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. 

Those four teams had the league's highest efficiency differentials, making this season an instance where the numbers matched reality. However, if history is any indicator, what happens from here is more complicated. Just two of the last five teams to raise the trophy have held the league's highest efficiency differential. 

### Semifinal B: Efes vs. Olympiacos

The reigning champions have looked the part after a sluggish start to the season and defended better than expected in their quarterfinal victory of AX Armani Exchange Milan. While they split their regular season series with Olympiacos, they averaged 1.10 points per possession in those matchups thanks in large part to a stellar shooting effort from Rodrigue Beaubois in their Round 10 victory. 

Olympiacos is looking to make its first championship game appearance since a stretch where they went 2-2 in finals across six seasons starting back in 2011. As usual, the Reds were dominant at home this season, but fought through considerable adversity to beat Monaco who handed them one of their bigger home losses in recent memory in the quarterfinals. The rise of Sasha Vezenkov has been a bright spot among many in a bounce-back year for the historic franchise, but it was Kostas Sloukas and Tyler Dorsey who delivered in their win over Efes in Round 26.

Led by Round 9 MVP Vasilije Micić, Efes try to build on an impressive triumph at Berlin versus Olympiacos, who look to address a run of four straight away losses.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Olympiacos Piraeus - Round 10 - Highlights

### What to watch: Ball Screens

Olympiacos and Efes ranked first and second in the EuroLeague by creating 48% and 45% of their half-court possessions, respectively, out of pick-and-rolls this season. They also ranked in the top four in efficiency in both ball-screen and overall efficiency. In regular season matchups with Olympiacos, Efes aggressively looked to Vasilije Micic and Shane Larkin to attack individual matchups on the perimeter, so guard play figures to be at a premium in this matchup. Which team's shooters deliver and which big men step up when guarding the two-man game will also factor heavily into how this season's two most prolific pick-and-roll offenses fare.

### Semifinal A: Barcelona vs. Real

Barca has beaten Real five straight times this season after dropping their first matchup in the preseason Supercup nearly nine months ago. Barca will need to extend that streak to six to earn a chance to redeem their finals loss a year ago. In their two EuroLeague wins, Barcelona pivoted from playing through the post to a more pick-and-roll-centric attack. Nikola Mirotic and Nicolas Laprovittola were the heroes in those wins. Laprovittola was also critical to Barcelona's Game 5 win over FC Bayern Munich in what was a grueling quarterfinal series for this year's top seed.

Real, in contrast, made quick work of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, winning all three of their quarterfinal games by double-digits with Sergio Llull catching fire. They have hung their hat on the defensive end all season but will need someone to step up on the offensive end to reverse their fortunes against Barcelona. Llull struggled against Barcelona in the regular season, making his recent resurgence a point of interest in the Final Four. Walter Tavares's foul situation is also something to monitor as he was a bright spot in Real's pair of losses to Barca amid foul trouble.

The first Euroleague El Clásico of 21-22 sees pace-setters Barça tipping-off against second-placed Madrid with the fierce-rivals colliding via identical records and with top-spot up for grabs.

FC Barcelona v Real Madrid - Round 14 - Highlights

### What to Watch: Catch-and-Shoot Jumpers

No teams made catch and shoot jump shots more consistently than Barca and Real, who ranked first and second in the EuroLeague, shooting eFG%s of 58% and 59%, respectively.  Real only attempted 9.5 catch-and-shoot jumpers per game within their set offense in their two EuroLeague losses to Barca – well below their 18.1 per-game season standard. How steadily they can create clean looks on the perimeter figures to be their x-factor in this game.

Here are some of the milestones of the season that took Anadolu Efes Istanbul to the Final Four stage in Belgrade.

Road to Belgrade, Anadolu Efes Istanbul

\- Efes's title defense started on the wrong foot, with four straight losses. Its first winning streak waited until Round 9, when [it pounded host ALBA Berlin 63-90](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2021-22/alba-berlin-anadolu-efes-istanbul/E2021/75/) in what proved to be the first of four consecutive victories.

\- Efes showed its resilience in Round 17 when rallying from 6 points behind inside the final 2 minutes [to defeat visiting Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade 84-83](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2021-22/anadolu-efes-istanbul-crvena-zvezda-mts-belgrade/E2021/145/). Vasilije Micic scored his team's final 10 points, including the game-winning free throws with 0.9 seconds left, to lift Efes to its third consecutive victory and a 9-8 record.

Champions Anadolu Efes hope to wave goodbye to an unforgettable year with a win when they welcome a resolute Crvena team that can boast one of the best defences in the competition.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade - Round 17 - Highlights

\- Making sure it remained top dog at home, [Efes overpowered Fenerbahce Beko 84-79](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2021-22/anadolu-efes-istanbul-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/E2021/245/) in Round 28 to conclude a regular-season sweep of the Istanbul derby. Micic had 24 points to lead the charge in that one.

\- By mid-March, Efes was rolling in peak form as it reeled off four wins in five games to clinch a playoff berth, headlined by [a 93-90 home victory over Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2021-22/anadolu-efes-istanbul-real-madrid/E2021/272/) that saw Micic shine once again with 29 points.

\- Efes took charge of its playoff series in Game 1 with [a defensive masterpiece in holding AX Armani Exchange Milan to just 48 points](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2021-22/ax-armani-exchange-milan-anadolu-efes-istanbul/E2021/309/). When the series moved to Istanbul, the defending champs won both games to get to their third straight Final Four.

In a first playoff series meeting between the teams, reigning-champs Efes resume their title-defence versus a formidable Milan outfit, who've overcome the visitors in their previous four encounters.

AX Armani Exchange Milan v Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Playoffs Game 1 - Highlights

Rodrigue Beaubois - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - EB21-RS28