There's something about playing in a final that can make players jittery, and especially when a place in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague is on the line. Well, in the 2023 7DAYS EuroCup Final, Gran Canaria's squad managed to avoid fewer turnovers than Turk Telekom Ankara, which was one of the key factors in the game.
Gran Canaria came away with a 71-67 victory to become EuroCup champion for the first time, with the Spanish team committing a total of 14 turnovers compared to 19 for Turk Telekom. John Shurna, the EuroCup Final MVP, and Damien Inglis had a team-high 3 turnovers apiece for Gran Canaria, yet Turk Telekom's Jerian Grant was forced into 7 turnovers, a season high and a new record in a EuroCup Final.
Perhaps worse for Grant is the timing of his seventh turnover, as Andrew Albicy picked his pocket before racing the other way and scoring a layup to make it 71-64 with 0:08 left on the clock. The turnovers battle is always key in a final, and Turk Telekom will no doubt make the trip back to Ankara ruing those 5 extra possessions that it lost.
