Bonzie Colson goes up with great timing for the perfect rejection!

Colson cleans up! Motorola Magic Moment

 Bonzie Colson goes up with great timing for the perfect rejection!

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2024-04-30T17:00:00.000Z)

When the EuroLeague Playoffs tipped off last week, sixth-seeded Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul visited AS Monaco for the first two games of their best-of-five series, determined to turn the tables on its third-seeded host.

With so little separating the two contenders on paper, it was to no surprise that both games involved big comebacks and high drama. Each game went down to the wire, the first spilling into overtime, and both were decided by clutch shots in the waning moments.

As the two teams get set to meet again for Games 3 and 4 in Istanbul, check out how things played out last week in the Principality.

Monaco-Fenerbahce battle is shaping up as a classic

Currently in his 14th Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, Olympiacos Piraeus forward Kostas Papanikolaou takes a trip down memory lane to look at the most defining moments of his career.

Kostas Papanikolaou, Olympiacos: 'I'm very proud of how things have turned out'

Now in his 14th season in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Olympiacos Piraeus captain Kostas Papanikolaou has experienced plenty of highs and lows. In the “Career Album” feature, the 33-year-old reflects on some of the key moments during his EuroLeague career.

Papanikolaou is now in his second spell with Olympiacos, having first joined the club in 2009 from fellow Greek side Aris Midea Thessaloniki before leaving for FC Barcelona in 2013 and later the NBA. However, in 2016 Papanikolaou decided to return to Peace and Friendship Stadium after a couple of years in the United States.

“Coming to such a big club like Olympiacos and getting to play my first EuroLeague game was big for me,” Papanikolaou says as he looks at a photo from his first season in the competition in 2009-10. He made his debut for the Reds in a loss to Unicaja Malaga on October 28, 2009.

“I remember my coach, Coach \[Panagiotis\] Giannakis at the time, trying to ask me to do the simple thing and not to exaggerate or something special, something extra.”

### Back-to-back EuroLeague titles

It wouldn’t take long for Papanikolaou to really build a name for himself at Olympiacos. In the 2011-22 season, the Greek forward had an important role as the Reds beat CSKA Moscow to become the EuroLeague champion for the second time in their history.

“I had a good Final Four in Istanbul in 2012, but that’s not the important part,” Papanikolaou notes. “The important part is what this photo shows. That’s the important thing, winning the trophy. It’s important for each and every one of us individually, but also for the club, for the fans, for the whole country.”

The next year, Olympiacos and Papanikolaou would once again return to the Final Four – and they would once again go on to lift the EuroLeague trophy.

“Getting back to the Final Four and winning another EuroLeague with a different coach was even tougher,” he reflects. “I remember we started the season with two big losses against Efes and Zalgiris, but we kept fighting, we kept working.

“Coach \[Georgios\] Bartzokas kept trying to find ways to make us play the right way, and we ended up finding ourselves in a second consecutive EuroLeague Final Four. Not only that, but we ended up \[being\] back-to-back champions of Europe. That was a memory, that was amazing.”

### Being proud in defeat

It hasn’t all been highs, though. In 2023, Papanikolaou appeared in the EuroLeague Championship Game for the third time in his career, but on this occasion he would taste defeat to Real Madrid after Sergio Llull’s game-winning basket in the final seconds of the game.

“This game was a tough break and I said to the guys, ‘That’s life. That’s sports,’” Papanikolaou says. “We played our best, we ended up being one point up \[with\] 9 seconds, 7 seconds – I don’t remember how many seconds were \[left\] before the final buzzer – but, on the other hand, to go through all these pictures and to get to say in my last picture, ‘There’s yet another Final Four.’ It’s very important when you look up your career. 

"I’m very proud of how things turned out for me and I feel very lucky.”

Kostas Papanikolaou | Career Album | Olympiacos

The Olympiacos captain is the latest player to take part in the “Career Album” feature

Kostas Papanikolaou on his career to date: ‘I’m very proud of things turned out’

The 2023-24 EuroLeague Playoffs feature some of the signature dunkers in the entire competition

Playoff dunkers: Mathias Lessort vs. Josh Nebo

When it comes to hammering down highlight-reel dunks, two players in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague certainly spring to mind. Through Games 1 and 2 of their best-of-five playoff series, we have already seen Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens’s Mathias Lessort and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv’s Josh Nebo erupt for big slams – and there are more to come in Games 3, 4 and potentially a Game 5, too. Whether it is Lessort’s pure emotion after unleashing his force on the rim or Nebo jumping high into the sky to convert an alley-oop, these two dunkers are definitely worth keeping an eye on as the series moves to Maccabi’s temporary home of Belgrade, Serbia, this week.

PLAYOFF DUNKERS: Mathias Lessort vs. Josh Nebo

Be sure to take a look at the best ten plays of the 2023 24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs Game 2!

Top 10 Plays | Playoffs Game 2 | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague 

FC Barcelona forward Jabari Parker spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team's Game 2 win against Olympiacos Piraeus in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.


Jabari Parker, Barcelona: 'This is what I got off the couch for!'

FC Barcelona forward Jabari Parker spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team's Game 2 win against Olympiacos Piraeus in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

FC Barcelona v Olympiacos Piraeus (2024-04-26T19:00:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona forward Alex Abrines spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team's Game 2 win against Olympiacos Piraeus in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.


Alex Abrines, Barcelona: 'We did a much better job tonight'

FC Barcelona forward Alex Abrines spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team's Game 2 win against Olympiacos Piraeus in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

FC Barcelona head coach Roger Grimau spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team's Game 2 win against Olympiacos Piraeus in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.


Roger Grimau, Barcelona: 'Really happy with our game today'

FC Barcelona head coach Roger Grimau spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team's Game 2 win against Olympiacos Piraeus in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

Olympiacos Piraeus head coach Georgios Bartzokas spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team's Game 2 loss to FC Barcelona in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos: 'They deserved to win'

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach Saras Jasikevicius spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team's Game 2 loss to AS Monaco in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

Saras Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce: 'We missed a lot of easy shots'

AS Monaco v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2024-04-26T17:00:00.000Z)

AS Monaco guard Jordan Loyd spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team's Game 2 win against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

Jordan Loyd, Monaco: 'That's why I'm here!'

 Shaquielle McKissic spins on the baseline and detonates the dunk! 

 A Shaq attack! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night 

Shaquielle McKissic spins on the baseline and detonates the dunk!

A Shaq attack! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night

AS Monaco head coach Sasa Obradovic spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team's Game 2 win against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.


Sasa Obradovic, Monaco: 'This was a game of character'

AS Monaco head coach Sasa Obradovic spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team's Game 2 win against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

AS Monaco center Donatas Motiejunas spoke to EuroLeague TV after his team's Game 2 win against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

Donatas Motiejunas, Monaco: 'It was a rollercoaster'

Barça's focus could be on better ball control and perhaps improved play inside the paint after converting just 18 of its 38 two-point attempts in the 75-77 defeat, in which the Reds were able to enjoy a Game 1 triumph despite a relatively quiet night from key offensive performers Thomas Walkup and Alec Peters.

FC Barcelona-Olympiacos Piraeus | Playoffs Game 2 | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

As so often this term, Nigel Hayes-Davis was the architect of a series-opener success for Fenerbahce, combining 19 points with 7 rebounds in nearly 40 minutes, whereas improved perimeter defense could be a priority for Monaco, who target greater accuracy in its own deep game after going just 8-for-27.

AS Monaco-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | Playoffs Game 2 | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Calathes sets up Papagiannis for a monster alley-oop!

What an alley-oop by Papagiannis! Motorola Magic Moment

 Calathes sets up Papagiannis for a monster alley-oop!

Sestina throws it down the rim after a fine assist from Papagiannis

Sestina dunks with aplomb! Motorola Magic Moment

 Sestina throws it down the rim after a fine assist from Papagiannis