The 29-year-old sits down with Euroleague.net’s Geoff Gillingham as he prepares for his third straight Final Four

Nigel Williams-Goss, Olympiacos: ‘The bigger the moment, the better I play’

Olympiacos Piraeus guard [Nigel Williams-Goss](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nigel-williams-goss/007982/) certainly has a knack of shining in the postseason – and he’s looking to become just the fourth player to win back-to-back Turkish Airlines EuroLeague titles with different clubs.

Last year, Williams-Goss increased his numbers in the postseason. He notably scored 22 points in Game 3 as Real Madrid won at Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, which proved to be the catalyst for Los Blancos getting the series back on track after falling down 2-0. Then, at the Final Four, he had 10 points in the semifinals and 9 points in the championship game as Real became the EuroLeague champion.

Williams-Goss returned to Olympiacos last summer, having started his EuroLeague career with the Reds in the 2018-19 season, and played a key role in guiding the club to the playoffs. Once in the postseason, Williams-Goss scored 8 points or more in all five games as Olympiacos joined Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul by becoming the first-ever teams to win a Game 5 on the road – and both on the same night.

It was another example of Williams-Goss rising to the occasion.

“I think that’s something that’s always been inside of me ever since I was young,” Williams-Goss tells [Euroleague.net](http://Euroleague.net)’s Geoff Gillingham. “The bigger the moment, the better I play. I’ve always thrived in those big moments. My mind kind of just leaves and I follow my instincts. I love going to the postseason, obviously the Final Four. This is what I work so hard for all year round.”

Real Madrid came into the 2023-24 EuroLeague season as defending champion and led the standings from start to finish heading for the Final Four.

Record-setting Real Madrid’s march to Berlin 

After setting a regular-season record with 27 victories, the winningest team in EuroLeague history heads to Berlin looking for the club’s 12th crown. And it knows it can lean on head coach Chus Mateo and veteran scorer Sergio Llull to lead the way. 

“We never retreat,” Mateo proudly said of his team while still on the court just after winning the championship last season in Kaunas, Lithuania. “When they problems came, we react.”  

Llull – one of four returnees from Los Blancos’s 2015 triumph – set the competition’s career record in three-pointers earlier this season and will add to his Final Four scoring mark with every basket he nets in Berlin. 

“I am really happy to get it,” Llull said the night in April when he became the all-time leader in three-pointers. “I am really proud. But the important thing is the team.”

With Mateo and Llull at the helm, Real Madrid fans have many reasons to look forward to the games in Berlin. 

After setting a regular-season record with 27 victories, the winningest team in EuroLeague history heads to Berlin looking for the club’s 12th crown. And it knows it can lean on head coach Chus Mateo and veteran scorer Sergio Llull to lead the way.

Record-setting Real Madrid’s road to Berlin

Real Madrid v Olympiacos Piraeus (2024-05-24T19:00:00.000Z)

After another unforgettable season, Mike James of AS Monaco has been chosen by fans, media, team captains and head coaches as the MVP of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. The dynamic guard was the leader of a Monaco side that set a club record for wins as they reached the playoffs for the third straight season together and came within one win of the Final Four. 

James scored in double digits in all but one of his 39 games this season, ranking second in scoring at 17.9 points per game. He improved his three-point shooting from 27.3% last season to 37.2% in the 2023-24 campaign, while also averaging a career-high 4.1 rebounds per night, ranking seventh in assists (5.1 apg.) and third in PIR (19.4). Along the way, James became the EuroLeague's all-time leading scorer, adding even more light to his MVP season. James set the record in a home game against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade when he passed Vassilis Spanoulis.

2023-24 EUROLEAGUE MVP | Mike JAMES | AS Monaco

Days before the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Berlin, Germany, Real Madrid center Vincent Poirier sat down with Javier Gancedo of EuroLeague.net to talk about his basketball origins.

Vincent Poirier, Real: 'I signed here because I want to win'

[Vincent Poirier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/vincent-poirier/004887/) is having a career-best season that is confirming his status as one of the best players in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. He has averaged 8.9 points on 67.7% two-point shooting, 5.4 rebounds and a league-best 1.5 blocks for a PIR of 13.5 in less than 19 minutes on the floor. On per 40-minute basis, Poirier ranks fourth in PIR (29.4), second in blocks (3.3), seventh in rebounds (11.7) and sixth in two-point shots made (7.8).

His outstanding blocks - often denying dunk attempts, alley-oop dunks and blue-collar mentality have turned him into a Real fan favorite. Los Blancos fans always appreciate a player who matches the club's endless ambition.

"I signed here because I want to win. I want to win titles and live this emotion, because it's an emotion that you can have only when you win, and it's addictive," Poirier said. "We are a perfect fit because I wanted that and I know they can give me that. It was a great opportunity to come here and win trophies."

Asked about Real's chance to win back-to-back EuroLeague trophies for the first time since 1968, Poirier said he embraces the opportunity of making even greater history with Los Blancos.

"That's the goal, to leave my print on basketball. And if I can do that in Madrid, in 60 years they will say, yes, the last team that won back-to-back was with Vincent Poirier, 'Chacho' Rodriguez, Yabusele and all that. I will take it as well," he said.

Poirier also answered about his relationship with Walter Tavares. Together, Poirier and Tavares have dominated the competition over the last two seasons, combining for 3.1 blocks per night.

"Obviously, he is a huge player, maybe the one that makes the difference in Europe as a center. I really enjoy playing with him, sharing the court with him and being able to compete with each other, to make the team better" Poirier said. "I think we compete at the highest level together and that benefits the team, so that's great."

After guiding Real Madrid to a dominant regular season and a 3-0 playoff sweep, Chus Mateo has been chosen as the 2023-24 Alexander Gomelskiy Coach of the Year. Mateo's name appeared on the most ballots from his fellow Turkish Airlines EuroLeague head coaches, who are the sole voters for this award.

Chus Mateo is chosen as Coach of the Year

Following a vote by fans, media, head coaches and team captains – each with the same 25% weight – here is the 2023-24 All-EuroLeague First Team!

The players named are: Facundo Campazzo, Real Madrid, Mike James, AS Monaco, Kendrick Nunn, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, Nigel Hayes-Davis, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Mathias Lessort, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens

2023-24 ALL-EUROLEAGUE FIRST TEAM

Olympiacos Piraeus guard Thomas Walkup is the recipient of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Best Defender Trophy, the first end-of-season award of his career.

 2023-24  EUROLEAGUE BEST DEFENDER | Thomas WALKUP | Olympiacos 

Olympiacos Piraeus guard Thomas Walkup is the recipient of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Best Defender Trophy, the first end-of-season award of his career.

Walkup has achieved this honor after a vote conducted among EuroLeague head coaches. With his relentless effort, aggressive and disturbing perimeter defense, and usually in charge of opposition’s most dangerous scoring threats, Walkup led Olympiacos's top-ranked scoring defense, which allowed a league-low 74.4 points per game. He picked up more steals than any other player this season – 60 and counting. That was good for a 1.6 average, the second-best mark in the league. Walkup was accountable for 21.7% of all steals Olympiacos recorded this season on the way to reaching its third consecutive Final Four.

ALBA Berlin swingman Gabriele Procida has been named as the recipient of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Rising Star Trophy. The 21-year-old is the third Italian to secure the prize, following Andrea Bargnani (2005-06) and Danilo Gallinari (2007-08), and the first ALBA player to do so.

 2023-24 EUROLEAGUE RISING STAR | Gabriele PROCIDA | ALBA Berlin 

ALBA’s Gabriele Procida secures 2023-24 EuroLeague Rising Star award

ALBA’s Gabriele Procida, 2023-24 EuroLeague Rising Star award

After his string of inspired performances catapulted a storied club back to center stage, Kendrick Nunn of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens has been chosen by Euroleague Basketball as the April/May MVP in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.


Kendrick Nunn | April/May MVP |2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague 

Kendrick Nunn | April/May MVP | 2023-24  Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

After his string of inspired performances catapulted a storied club back to center stage, Kendrick Nunn of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens has been chosen by Euroleague Basketball as the April/May MVP in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.



Kendrick Nunn | April/May MVP | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague 

The hottest player in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs carried over his level of performance into Game 5, as Kendrick Nunn inspired Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens to the Final Four and earned MVP honors along the way.

Kendrick Nunn | Playoffs Game 5 MVP | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2024-05-07T18:15:00.000Z)

In just his second Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, Markus Howard of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz etched his name into the history books by winning the 2023-24 Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy thanks to his league-best average of 19.5 points per game. Howard set the EuroLeague’s single-season scoring record with 759 total points over 38 games between the regular season, Play-In Showdown and EuroLeague Playoffs. 

Baskonia’s Markus Howard wins the 2023-24 Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy 

In just his second Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, Markus Howard of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz etched his name into the history books by winning the 2023-24 Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy thanks to his league-best average of 19.5 points per game. Howard set the EuroLeague’s single-season scoring record with 759 total points over 38 games between the regular season, Play-In Showdown and EuroLeague Playoffs.

Baskonia’s Markus Howard wins the 2023-24 Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy

Be sure to take a look at the best ten plays of the 2023 24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs Game 5! 

Top 10 Plays | Playoffs Game 5 | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague 

Be sure to take a look at the best ten plays of the 2023 24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs Game 5!

Top 10 Plays | Playoffs Game 5 | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Milutinov finds McKissic who takes it to the rim.

Shaq's two-handed slam! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night 

FC Barcelona v Olympiacos Piraeus (2024-05-08T19:00:00.000Z)

The last ticket for the Final Four is to be be taken. Olympiacos big men, Moustapha Fall and Filip Petrusev, had a strong influence on Game 4, combining for 22 points and 10 boards and Barca may turn to for its own centers, Jan Vesely and Willy Hernangomez, in an effort to bounce back and prevail.

FC Barcelona-Olympiacos Piraeus | Playoffs Game 5 | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

The last ticket for the Final Four is to be be taken. Olympiacos big men, Moustapha Fall and Filip Petrusev, had a strong influence on Game 4, combining for 22 points and 10 boards and Barca may turn to for its own centers, Jan Vesely and Willy Hernangomez, in an effort to bounce back and prevail. 

In yet another do-or-die game, Shaquielle McKissic came up with 9 consecutive points late in defensive battle to send Olympiacos to Berlin and the Final Four.

Shaquielle McKissic: 'All the odds were against us'

The head coach of Olympiacos Piraeus, Georgios Bartzokas, thanked his players for taking the Reds to a third consecutive Final Four.

Georgios Bartzokas: 'This is a group of champions'

With a Game 5 double-double, Nikola Milutinov of Olympiacos Piraeus was instrumental in getting his team to the Final Four.

Nigel Williams-Goss, Olympiacos: ‘The bigger the moment, the better I play’

Record-setting Real Madrid’s road to Berlin

2023-24 EUROLEAGUE MVP | Mike JAMES | AS Monaco

Vincent Poirier, Real: 'I signed here because I want to win'

Chus Mateo is chosen as Coach of the Year

2023-24 ALL-EUROLEAGUE FIRST TEAM

2023-24 EUROLEAGUE BEST DEFENDER | Thomas WALKUP | Olympiacos

2023-24 EUROLEAGUE RISING STAR | Gabriele PROCIDA | ALBA Berlin

ALBA’s Gabriele Procida secures 2023-24 EuroLeague Rising Star award

Kendrick Nunn | April/May MVP | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Kendrick Nunn | Playoffs Game 5 MVP | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Baskonia’s Markus Howard wins the 2023-24 Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy

Top 10 Plays | Playoffs Game 5 | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Shaq's two-handed slam! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night

FC Barcelona-Olympiacos Piraeus | Playoffs Game 5 | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Shaquielle McKissic: 'All the odds were against us'

Georgios Bartzokas: 'This is a group of champions'

Nikola Milutinov: 'We had to play above our limits'