Returning to your hometown and playing for your favorite team is a dream of many professional players around the globe. Especially if your feelings about that connection to that team are as strong as Danilo Andjusic's are.

The Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade sharpshooter was always a die-hard fan of the club whose black-and-white jersey he is wearing this season. Born and raised in the Serbian capital, Andjusic grew up as a Partizan supporter, a love that only grew stronger as he grew older. 

Andjusic has changed a dozen clubs during his professional career and never played with the same club for more than two seasons. With Partizan, however, this is his third stint.

"As soon as I got the call from Zeljko [Obradovic], I didn't have a second thought."

The 32-year-old first joined his beloved club in 2011, when he made his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut and spent a season and a half there, then came back again for the first part of the 2015-16 campaign. Last summer, after more than six year away, he returned for another stint, and he admits this return might have been in the cards.

"I always had a feeling that I want to come back one day," Andjusic says, adding that maybe he did not think it would be this soon. However…

"To be honest, at the end of \[last\] season, I started thinking about it a little bit. And as soon as I got the call from Zeljko \[Obradovic\], I didn't have a second thought. After we spoke, it was an easy decision. 

"The best coach in European basketball history doesn't call you every time. So it was that, an opportunity to come back to my club that I love and to play in the EuroLeague."

Andjusic grew up in Belgrade's Uciteljsko naselje neighborhood, in a family full of Crvena Zvezda fans. His mother even played basketball for Zvezda. His grandfather Simo was the only Partizan fan in the family.

Andjusic began playing basketball at eight years old. As he started getting more serious about, Andjusic says he had two basketball idols: Milos Vujanic and Allen Iverson. The former was a EuroLeague star with Partizan. Danilo liked watching him play so much that his father started taking him to the games.

Danilo Andjusic, Partizan: 'Ready to give everything for that badge'

But Andjusic as a basketball player did not grow up with Partizan. He took a longer route to playING for his favorite club, first joining Partizan in 2011, at the age of 20. There, he met and became friends with his childhood idol, Vujanic.

"I got to know Milos when he was my assistant coach with Partizan during my first stint, and at that time we became close. It was a special thing for me to hang out with my idol, an amazing feeling," he said.

Even before he came to Partizan, Andjusic had an opportunity to play against his other idol, Iverson, as a 19-year old for Hemofarm Vrsac in the 2010-11 EuroCup season opener against Iverson's Besiktas Istanbul.

As such, basketball made some of his dreams come true very early in his professional career.

"I also have other dreams and goals that I would like to achieve before I end my career, but a lot of things until now I achieved," he says. "And I also believe when you set the goals, and when you chase them and believe in yourself, I think everything is possible."

One of those goals has certainly been to leave a mark with Partizan, and this season has been very different for Andjusic from any other season he previously spent with the club.

"I know it's sounds like a cliché, but with Partizan, you really feel that people live for the games."

Returning to the EuroLeague after eight years, Partizan turned a 4-9 regular-season start into a 20-14 record and a place in the playoffs.

And while Partizan's deciding Game 5 against Real Madrid in the Spanish capital awaits, the season is more meaningful for Andjusic not just because of the team's success, but for the very reason of him going through all of it as a family man.

"I think when you have a family you are more calm," Andjusic says. "You don't chase anything, you are not nervous as much. So yeah, I really like that feeling, especially now, when I'm in Belgrade."

Andjusic does not hide his joy knowing that his sons can watch him play in a Partizan jersey. And even though the older one is just four and the younger one not yet two, the Belgrade-born veteran guard hopes that over time they will develop the same love for the club.

"I will try to pass that feeling to them. My older son actually started doing athletics in Partizan. I'm trying to build that feeling about the club, and fans, and about everything to him.

"I should start doing the same with the younger one, too!" he adds, laughing.

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The bond that Partizan fans have with the team has been on full display the entire season. The atmosphere inside Stark Arena has been lauded by visiting coaches and players alike. Attending a Partizan home game in the EuroLeague now appears on the bucket lists of many fans around the continent.

"So many people live for Partizan, and live to see us winning and to see us winning titles," Andjusic says. "I know it's sounds like a cliché, but with Partizan you really feel that people live for the games.

"And if you want to play for this club, I think you have to connect with that and you have to feel that, and show that you are ready to give everything for that badge."

Virtus, Pajola together until 2026

Virtus Segafredo Bologna placed a solid bet for the future on a home-grown talent on Wednesday when it officially announced a contract extension with guard [Alessandro Pajola](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/alessandro-pajola/006739/) until June of 2026. Pajola (1.94 meters, 23 years old) made his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut this season with Virtus, averaging 3.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 29 appearances in less than 17 minutes on court. Pajola grew up in the youth system of Virtus since 2015 and has been working his way up to the pro team. He appeared in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament in 2015-16 with Virtus and then he went on to participate in three editions of the 7DAYS EuroCup from 2019 to 2022. He was one of the members of the Virtus team that lifted the EuroCup trophy in 2021-22. He has played a total of 51 games in the EuroCup, accumulating 213 points, 150 assists, 96 rebounds and 63 steals.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">&quot;Figuriamoci se non lascia il segno...&quot; ✍️<br>𝐏𝐀𝐉𝐎 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AmoreInfinito?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AmoreInfinito</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pajo2026?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pajo2026</a> <a href="https://t.co/OT9kONf99D">pic.twitter.com/OT9kONf99D</a></p>&mdash; Virtus Segafredo Bologna (@VirtusSegafredo) <a href="https://twitter.com/VirtusSegafredo/status/1656245195657080834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

In the summer of 2019, Wade Baldwin signed with Olympiacos Piraeus, Lorenzo Brown joined Crvena Zvezda and Jordan Loyd made Valencia Basket his home.

Although that was the start of their Turkish Airlines EuroLeague journey, the relationship among the three had already been created and tested.

[MORE...](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/trademarks/1500848/the-crossed-paths-to-game-5-of-lorenzo-brown-jordan-loyd-and-wade-baldwin/)

The crossed paths to Game 5 of Lorenzo Brown, Jordan Loyd and Wade Baldwin

A superb Kostas Sloukas is now gunning for his fourth EuroLeague title

Olympiacos Piraeus will be aiming for its fourth Turkish Airlines EuroLeague title at this season's May 19-21 Final Four in Kaunas, and so will the club's livewire point guard, [Kostas Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/), after he stole the show in a captivating playoff series against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.

The 33-year-old, who lifted the trophy during his first spell with Olympiacos in 2012 and 2013 before doing it again with Fenerbahce in 2017, put his former club to the sword as the Greek side clinched the series 3-2.

Sloukas delivered the first killer blow in the series when he sank a buzzer-beater from downtown in [a 71-72 road win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul-olympiacos-piraeus/E2022/315/) at Fenerbahce to give Olympiacos a 2-1 lead, having finished that game with 25 points on 9-for-12 shooting from the floor.

In Game 5 on Tuesday, which [Olympiacos won 84-72](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/olympiacos-piraeus-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/E2022/323/), he paced his team again with 22 points, including 7 during a 15-0 run late in the second quarter that wiped out a 29-31 deficit and turned the tide for good.

Sloukas, who showed remarkable speed and agility at this stage of his career, blew away Nick Calathes in their personal battle of point guards and fellow Greek compatriots, on his way to reaching the rare milestone of 1,500 assists. He was the driving force behind his team's success although he came off the bench, with Thomas Walkup and Isiah Canaan being the backcourt starters.

That strategy by head coach Georgios Bartzokas paid off as Walkup and Canaan provided airtight defense and, once Sloukas checked in, the offensive firepower came to the fore. On Thursday, he shot 7-for-11 from the floor and dished out 6 assists, ripping through Fenerbahce's defense whenever the visitors showed any signs of clawing their way back into the contest.

Kostas Sloukas (22 points) Highlights vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, 05/09/2023

As ever, Sloukas was gracious in victory and dedicated it to his loved ones.

"We fought all year for this opportunity to fight against this team in our gym, in front of our incredible fans," he said in a post-game interview. "I think we played a really good game. It was very tough. I have to say congratulations to Fener, that they played excellent, they read the game excellently, they put us in trouble. But finally, we took what we deserve to be in the Final Four. I try to do my best. I said many times that I want to be aggressive in the game. I will dedicate it to my wife and my family, my daughter, because you know the last two months I suffered a little bit with injuries. I needed them to support me, also the team supported me, and today, we celebrate, everybody."

Sloukas, who also has three Greek and Turkish league titles apiece in his illustrious trophy cabinet, will seek to emulate the accomplishment of former teammate Kyle Hines if he wins his fourth EuroLeague title. Hines, currently playing for Emporio Armani Milan, won back-to-back titles with Olympiacos in 2012 and 2013 before he clinched a couple more with CSKA Moscow in 2016 and 2019.

If his playoff performances against Fenerbahce are anything to go by, Sloukas has every chance of joining the club of four-time EuroLeague winners. Olympiacos, who were knocked out by eventual champion Anadolu Efes Istanbul in last season's semifinal, is a more mature unit this time, having clinched the regular season's top spot to earn home-court advantage against eighth-seeded Fenerbahce in the playoffs, an edge that paid off handsomely in Game 5.

The feat was hailed by Coach Bartzokas, who gave due credit to everyone who played a part.

"It's a second Final Four in a row after building our team, which is something really notable," he told the post-game press conference. "So, first I have to congratulate our owners, the Angelopoulos brothers, as they created this amazing environment for us to work in. The front office of the team, my coaching staff, the fitness coaches, the physios, the players right after the owners; I don't mean to flatter the owners because without them Olympiacos would not be at this level. Last but not least, the fans. They created an amazing atmosphere the whole season. We now have a few days to prepare ourselves for the Final Four – mentally, physically and tactically."

Olympiacos Piraeus v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2023-05-09T18:30:00.000Z)

When Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul wiped out an early 13-4 deficit against Olympiacos Piraeus to take a 29-31 lead in Game 5 of their enthralling playoff series at Peace and Friendship Stadium, an upset seemed to be on the cards.

Record EuroLeague run propelled Olympiacos into Final Four

When Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul wiped out an early 13-4 deficit against Olympiacos Piraeus to take a 29-31 lead in Game 5 of their enthralling playoff series at Peace and Friendship Stadium, an upset seemed to be on the cards.

As it turned out, it was the visiting team’s only lead of the night.

With the game hanging in the balance, Olympiacos moved up two gears in the next few minutes and engineered a 15-0 run, the longest in Game 5 playoff history, effectively forcing Fenerbahce into submission.

Kostas Sloukas, who had clinched a vital Game 3 win, 71-72, with a buzzer-beating shot from downtown to give Olympiacos a 2-1 lead in the series, emerged as Fenerbahce’s nemesis again. First, he completed a three-point play to put Olympiacos back in the driving seat, drawing a foul on a spin move as he scored a layup, before converting the and-one free throw.

Then, he hit yet another audacious three-pointer and fed Tarik Black for a monstruous slam dunk. Soon after, Shaquielle McKissic also connected from long range as the whirlwind of a run swept through Fenerbahce and blew away its defense, making a comeback mission impossible for the visitors.

Sloukas also sank a pair of free throws to complete the run before Tyler Dorsey finally stopped the rot for Fenerbahce.

The hosts led 44-33 at halftime and, despite its valiant effort to turn the tide in the second half, a misfiring Fenerbahce simply could not make up the lost ground. The visiting team’s head coach, Dimitris Itoudis, acknowledged it was the turning point in the match, with the entire series decided by fine margins.

“The momentum changed when we led 29-31 and in the next 4:34 minutes Olympiacos went on a 15-2 run to close out the first half,” Itoudis said during his press conference. “It’s a big margin for such a tight series because we had managed to keep Olympiacos out of their ball movement and push them into individual, off-the-dribble situations. They hit some amazing shots today. We are going to grow as a team and as individuals, we are going to come back next year stronger, smarter and more decisive.”

Game Videos

Game News

One player who cannot be faulted for not showing up for Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in Game 5 despite his team's 84-72 loss at Olympiacos Piraeus is Marko Guduric. 

The former Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion was all that kept Fenerbahce from suffering a true blowout as he lit the nets to the tune of 8 three-pointers made in 12 attempts on Tuesday.

 Marko Guduric ties playoff record with 8 triples made 

One player who cannot be faulted for not showing up for Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in Game 5, despite his team's [84-72](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/olympiacos-piraeus-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/E2022/323/#boxscore) loss at Olympiacos Piraeus, is [Marko Guduric](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/marko-guduric/004004/).

The former Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion was all that kept Fenerbahce from suffering a true blowout as he lit the nets to the tune of 8 three-pointers made in 12 attempts on Tuesday.

Those matched the highest three-point total in any playoff game ever, tying Alexey Shved, who hit the same amount for Khimki Moscow Region in a 2018 Game 4 series-ending loss to CSKA Moscow.

What's more, Guduric's 8 strikes from behind the arc were the only ones of the night for Fenerbahce – and double the amount of the entire Olympiacos team.

The rest of his teammates went 0-for-15 when shooting from deep, for a team accuracy rate of 29.6%. As it happens, Olympiacos was worse, making just 4 of 19, or 21.1%. But with a steaming 25-for-41 inside (61.0%) and 22-for-26 at the foul line (84.6%), the Reds didn't need many threes.

Needless to say, it was also a career high in three-pointers for Guduric, who finished with 27 points, just one off his career high. It was an impressive show that could not prevent a 12-point Olympiacos win that sent the Reds back to the Final Four for the second straight season, however.

Marko Guduric scored 8 three-pointers in Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul's 84-72 road loss at Olympiacos Piraeus in Game 5 of the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

Marko Guduric's 8 made triples vs. Olympiacos

Marko Guduric ties playoff record with 8 triples made

Olympiacos Piraeus team captain Kostas Papanikolaou drew on all his experience to steer his side past Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in their enthralling playoff matchup, as the Greek side clinched the best-of-five series 3-2 to reach the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Kaunas, Lithuania.

Papanikolaou rolled back the years for Olympiacos in Game 5

Olympiacos Piraeus team captain Kostas Papanikolaou drew on all his experience to steer his side past Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in their enthralling playoff matchup, as the Greek side clinched the best-of-five series 3-2 to reach the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Kaunas, Lithuania.

In Tuesday’s Game 5, the 32-year-old forward posted a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double – just his third-ever double-double in 318 EuroLeague appearances – as Olympiacos beat the Turkish visitors 84-72 at Peace and Friendship Stadium. Fenerbahce forced a Game 5 by winning Game 4 back in Istanbul, but Papanikolaou got the Reds off to a strong start in Piraeus with an effervescent first quarter. In the opening 10 minutes, Papanikolaou scored 10 points without missing a shot, galvanizing a fervent home crowd.

The skipper steered his ship masterfully, having done heaps of hard defensive work which unleashed Kostas Sloukas and Sasha Vezenkov on offense. Papanikolaou showed nerves of steel and the selflessness of a leader which catapulted Olympiacos into the business end of the competition, as the Greek giant now aims for its fourth EuroLeague title.

Kostas Papanikolaou scored 14 points in Olympiacos Piraeus's Game 5 win against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs. Of those 14 points, 10 came in the first quarter.

Kostas Papanikolaou's best plays vs. Fenerbahce

Papanikolaou, who is now 4-0 in Game 5 fixtures, having missed the solitary Game 5 defeat to Barcelona, was as humble and gracious as ever in victory, having given Fenerbahce credit for taking the series down to the wire.

“Amazing job. Very tough series against a very competitive, very great team,” he said in a flash post-game interview.

“We had to work like hell in all of these games, all five games. I think it's, if not the toughest series I've ever played, one of the toughest for sure. But we showed character, we showed commitment to our goal, and now we're here to celebrate it all together.”

Papanikolaou also gave due credit to the home team’s fans, who turned Peace and Friendship Stadium into a cauldron: “We love \[the fans\].

They're amazing. They are there for us, they support us. They don't understand it, but their voice gives us so much energy and so much passion. And when we are down, they can really bring us up. This win is for them. Everything we do and try to do is to please our fans. And I hope we gave them something today."

 Kostas Sloukas, Olympiacos: 'Today, we celebrate' 

### Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos head coach

"It's a great feeling. It's something that I cannot describe. It's priceless. You know, two Final Fours in a row for our team after the rebuilding we made, it's a big-time accomplishment. Congratulations to everybody: the fans, the organization, the owners, the players, my colleagues, to everybody. I think that we created a winning culture to the club, a winning spirit, playing every time for the win, no matter what. If we pass the ball a lot or we don't pass, trying to find a way to always play together and to win, finally accomplishing great things like this. It's something that I really appreciate. I'm feeling great, really, because after so many months of playing at the highest level and competing with such good teams, right now we are in the Final Four and we need for one day to celebrate it.

“I believe words are not needed \[to explain\] how I feel today. Everybody knows what this game meant, how important it was for both teams. I think in this tough series, getting home-court advantage back in Istanbul was crucial – we had talks with the players through practice that we are all going to be together on the same page. The accomplishment is huge for our team and I think we thoroughly deserved it. The way we played all season, or at least for eight or nine months, since early September, we were stable and consistent with our basketball. It’s a second Final Four in a row after building our team, which is something really notable. So, first I have to congratulate our owners, the Angelopoulos brothers, as they created this amazing environment for us to work in. The front office of the team, my coaching staff, the fitness coaches, the physios, the players right after the owners; I don’t mean to flatter the owners because without them Olympiacos would not be at this level. Last but not least, the fans. They created an amazing atmosphere the whole season. Reaching the Final Four aside, the best thing that we made is that we again brought all Olympiacos fans together from all over Europe. There were 12,000 of them in last year’s Final Four in Belgrade – as many as 85,000 tried to attend this game! Olympiacos fans can be proud of the fighting spirit of this team. We have a few days to prepare ourselves for the Final Four – mentally, physically and tactically. We will now wait for the outcome of the Monaco vs. Maccabi series to see who is going to be our semifinal opponent, but what we can promise is that we are going to go over there \[to the Final Four\] and fight for every possession. Congratulations to Fenerbahce, they were a very competitive opponent.”

### Dimitris Itoudis, Fenerbahce head coach

"Congratulations to Olympiacos for a well-deserved win and a well-deserved qualification to the Final Four. I wish them the best of luck, as I said each and every individual \[on their team\]. They played better than us today. They got us out of our concentration, out of our game plan. They had huge plays and they deserved to win. So congratulations for them. For us, it was a good journey so far. We had our ups and downs. We're going to learn something out of this, and we're going to become stronger. So congratulations to my team, as well, for this fight. I think it was a helluva series that the fans enjoyed both ways, and all the neutral fans that watch basketball.

“I would like to congratulate Olympiacos for their well-deserved win and their qualification for the Final Four. They were much better today. It was a very interesting series. The momentum changed when we led 29-31 and in the next 4:34 minutes Olympiacos went on a 15-2 run to close out the first half. It’s a big margin for such a tight series, because we had managed to keep Olympiacos out of their ball movement and push them into individual, off-the-dribble situations. They hit some amazing shots today, with \[Kostas\] Papanikolaou and \[Thomas\] Walkup opening the game very aggressively. Overall, they were better. We haven’t done what we did in Game 4, but we are going to grow as a team and as individuals. We are going to come back next year stronger, smarter and more decisive.”

### Kostas Sloukas, Olympiacos player

"I think it was the last game. We fought all year for this opportunity to fight against this team in our gym, in front of our incredible fans. I think we played a really good game. It was very tough. I have to say congratulations to Fener, that they played excellent, they read the game excellently, they put us in trouble. But finally, we took what we deserve to be in the Final Four. I try to do my best. I said many times that I want to be aggressive in the game. I will dedicate it to my wife and my family, my daughter, because you know the last two months I suffered a little bit with injuries. I need them to support me, also the team supported me, and today, we celebrate everybody."

### Kostas Papanikolaou, Olympiacos player

"Amazing job. Very tough series against a very competitive, very great team. We had to work like hell in all of these games, all five games. I think it's, if not the toughest series I've ever played, one of the toughest for sure. But we showed character, we showed commitment to our goal, and now we're here to celebrate it all together. We love \[the fans\]. They're amazing. They are there for us, they support us. They don't understand it, but their voice gives us so much energy and so much passion. And when we are down, they can really bring us up. This win is for them. Everything we do and try to do is to please our fans. And I hope we gave them something today."

Kostas Sloukas, Olympiacos: 'Today, we celebrate' 

Olympiacos Piraeus, the No. 1 seed entering 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs, has secured its place in the Final Four after defeating Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 3-2 in a hard-fought series. After splitting the first two games in Greece, the Reds went on the road and split games at Ulker Sports and Events Hall, too. The Reds used the support at Peace and Friendship Stadium in Game 5 to break out to early double-digit leads before halftime and maintain the upper hand on the way to an 84-72 victory and a ticket to Kaunas for the semifinals on May 19. Olympiacos will play the winner of the series between AS Monaco and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv.

Olympiacos books its place in the EuroLeague Final Four!

Olympiacos Piraeus, the No. 1 seed entering 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs, has secured its place in the Final Four after defeating Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 3-2 in a hard-fought series. After splitting the first two games in Greece, the Reds went on the road and split games at Ulker Sports and Events Hall, too. The Reds used the support at Peace and Friendship Stadium in Game 5 to break out to early double-digit leads before halftime and maintain the upper hand on the way to an [84-72](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/olympiacos-piraeus-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/E2022/323/) victory and a ticket to Kaunas for the semifinals on May 19. Olympiacos will play the winner of the series between AS Monaco and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv.

Since Georgios Bartzokas's return as head coach in January 2020, he has helped build Olympiacos from the bottom up once again. The team failed to make the playoffs in 2020-21, with the club having brought Kostas Sloukas back to Peace and Friendship Stadium heading into that campaign, but Coach Bartzokas has since guided Olympiacos to back-to-back Final Four appearances. Curiously, the last time that Olympiacos made two Final Fours in a row was when it became the back-to-back champion in 2012 and 2013.

### Journey to the Final Four

Olympiacos topped the standings with a league-best 24-10 record, going on a seven-game winning run between Rounds 19 and 25, before having a 6-2 run to close the regular season. Its series with Fenerbahce ended up going to five games, which once again led to memorable scenes inside Peace and Friendship Stadium at the final buzzer – just like what happened against Monaco one year ago.

Coach Bartzokas's squad got the EuroLeague Playoffs off to a good start with [a 79-68 win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/olympiacos-piraeus-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/E2022/307/) against Fenerbahce, thanks in large part to 5 made triples in the third quarter by Isaiah Canaan, who finished with 18 points. Sasha Vezenkov paced Olympiacos that night with 19 points. Game 2 saw Fenerbahce fall behind 24-10 after the first 10 minutes, but a second-quarter fightback led by Carsen Edwards and Johnathan Motley cut the gap to 3 points, 37-34, at the interval. Then, in the fourth quarter, Nigel Hayes-Davis stepped up to ensure that Fenerbahce came away with a crucial [78-82](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/olympiacos-piraeus-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/E2022/311/) victory, tying the series in the process. The action then switched to Istanbul and it looked almost certain that Fenerbahce was going to go 2-1 up after Marko Guduric made a mid-range jumper with 3.9 seconds remaining to set the score at 71-69. But, ex-Fenerbahce guard Sloukas broke his former side's hearts with a game-winning triple at the buzzer, [71-72](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul-olympiacos-piraeus/E2022/315/). Yet, Fenerbahce responded by winning Game 4 at home, [73-69](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul-olympiacos-piraeus/E2022/319/), to force the decider. But back in Piraeus, a Game 5-record 15-0 second-quarter run put Olympiacos in charge the rest of the way on the way to an 84-72 victory. Sloukas led the way with 22 points, while Kostas Papanikolaou had 14 and 11 rebounds to send Olympiacos to its eighth Final Four this century!

‘The final minute between Fenerbahce and Olympiacos was CRAZY ’

### Final Four experience

Luckily for Coach Bartzokas, the majority of this Olympiacos squad can lean on its experience from last season's Final Four. The Reds came up just short in the semifinals, with Anadolu Efes Istanbul's Vasilije Micic hitting a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer. Yet, that disappoint will only act as inspiration for [Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/), [Thomas Walkup](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/thomas-walkup/008855/), [Moustapha Fall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/moustapha-fall/008811/), [Shaquielle McKissic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/shaquielle-mckissic/007853/) and [Giannoulis Larentzakis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/giannoulis-larentzakis/010392/), all of whom made their first trip to the Final Four in 2022.

[Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/) and [Kostas Papanikolaou](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kostas-papanikolaou/001255/), who were both members of Olympiacos's title-winning teams in 2012 and 2013, are the veteran leaders for this team following the retirement of Georgios Printezis, and their experience will be key in Kaunas. There is also championship experience in the form of backups [Alec Peters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/alec-peters/008829/) and [Joel Bolomboy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/joel-bolomboy/009035/), who were part of CSKA Moscow's EuroLeague triumph in 2019. [Canaan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/isaiah-canaan/010612/) and [Tarik Black](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tarik-black/008991/), meanwhile, are heading to the Final Four for the first time.

### Final Four history

Olympiacos has made it to its eighth Final Four since the turn of the century, and all of those have come in the last 15 years. In that time, the Reds have become champion on two occasions: in [2012](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2011-12/cska-moscow-olympiacos-piraeus/E2011/188/) and [2013](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2012-13/olympiacos-piraeus-real-madrid/E2012/253/). Looking further back, since the Final Four format was introduced in 1988, the Reds have reached European basketball's showpiece event 11 times and won a total of three titles, having also become champion of Europe in 1997.

Since becoming the back-to-back champion in 2013, Olympiacos has twice finished as runner-up – in [2015](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2014-15/real-madrid-olympiacos-piraeus/E2014/251/) and [2017](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2016-17/fenerbahce-istanbul-olympiacos-piraeus/E2016/263/) – and once ended the season in fourth place, which is where it finished last season after [losing to Efes in the semifinals](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2021-22/olympiacos-piraeus-anadolu-efes-istanbul/E2021/328/) and [FC Barcelona in the third-place game](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2021-22/fc-barcelona-olympiacos-piraeus/E2021/329/). This year, Olympiacos is back with a vengeance as it looks to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its last EuroLeague title by becoming the champion once again.

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The crossed paths to Game 5 of Lorenzo Brown, Jordan Loyd and Wade Baldwin

A superb Kostas Sloukas is now gunning for his fourth EuroLeague title

Record EuroLeague run propelled Olympiacos into Final Four

Marko Guduric ties playoff record with 8 triples made

Papanikolaou rolled back the years for Olympiacos in Game 5

Kostas Sloukas, Olympiacos: 'Today, we celebrate'

Olympiacos books its place in the Final Four!