FC Barcelona recorded just its third-ever sweep in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs on Wednesday night, as it defeated Zalgiris Kaunas 66-77 at Zalgirio Arena to win the series 3-0. Although Zalgiris put up a good fight, particularly in Games 2 and 3, Barca's overwhelming level of talent rose to the occasion time and time again.
Now, as one fairy-tale story comes to an end, another is set to begin. Zalgiris harbored dreams of playing in the Final Four on its home floor in a couple of weeks' time, but instead it will be a Kaunas-born hero – Barca head coach Saras Jasikevicius – who will look to write a storybook ending by lifting the EuroLeague trophy at Zalgirio Arena.
Since Jasikevicius arrived at Barca in the summer of 2020, having taken Zalgiris to its second-ever Final Four appearance two years earlier, the Blaugrana have gone on to reach European basketball's showpiece event in three successive years: 2021, 2022 and now 2023. Barca has a runners-up medal and a third-place finish to show for its efforts so far with Coach Saras at the helm, but a EuroLeague title would cap off an impressive three-year spell under his guidance.
