No other game of the season has more eyes on it than the championship game, and that includes eyes peering through camera lenses. Here's a selection of some of the images that the photographers at courtside, behind the baskets and are up in the rafters at Zalgirio Arena were about to capture in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship game won by Real Madrid, 78-79, over Olympiacos Piraeus.

Championship Game photography

Their team's thrilling capture of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague trophy with a game-winning shot in the waning seconds of the Final Four in Kaunas, Lithuania, over the weekend inspired an outpouring of Real Madrid fans into the streets of the Spanish capital on Tuesday evening.

Madrid opened its arms to the EuroLeague champions!

Their team's thrilling capture of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague trophy with a game-winning shot in the waning seconds of the Final Four in Kaunas, Lithuania, over the weekend inspired an outpouring of Real Madrid fans into the streets of the Spanish capital on Tuesday evening.

They were there to celebrate as the players paraded the EuroLeague champions trophy from the city hall to the regional government headquarters and everywhere in between.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">📸 Foto de familia en la sede de la Comunidad de Madrid.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHAMP11ONS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHAMP11ONS</a> <a href="https://t.co/Zxd5lA11bi">pic.twitter.com/Zxd5lA11bi</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1661001627585888257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">⏮️🏆 ¡Nuestro equipo ofreció esta mañana la 1️⃣1️⃣º !<br>📍 Comunidad de Madrid<br>📍 Ayuntamiento de Madrid <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHAMP11ONS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHAMP11ONS</a> <a href="https://t.co/LaHxc8mQ9o">pic.twitter.com/LaHxc8mQ9o</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1661084724637384730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



"It's very exciting for all of us to share with all the people of Madrid, including all our club's supporters, this new accomplishment that will stay forever in the memories and hearts of all basketball fans," club president Florentino Perez said.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">🙌🏆 <a href="https://twitter.com/23Llull?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@23Llull</a> 🙌🏆<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHAMP11ONS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHAMP11ONS</a> <a href="https://t.co/7UzowMqBnc">pic.twitter.com/7UzowMqBnc</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1661054392244776960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">😀🏆 ¡Nuestros <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHAMP11ONS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHAMP11ONS</a> ofrecen la Undécima a los <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Madridistas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Madridistas</a>! 😀🏆 <a href="https://t.co/gBgZsYJez1">pic.twitter.com/gBgZsYJez1</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1660990907028500486?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Looking sharp in their suits and ties for the occasion, the Real Madrid stars mixed with the fans at each stop along the way, signing autographs and taking pictures and letting them touch the trophy, symbol of the club's 11th continental club title and third in the last eight editions.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🙌 <a href="https://twitter.com/SergioRodriguez?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SergioRodriguez</a>: &quot;Muchas gracias a todos y ¡Hala Madrid!&quot;.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHAMP11ONS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHAMP11ONS</a> <a href="https://t.co/Evi8VUo06l">pic.twitter.com/Evi8VUo06l</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1660984233501020161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🤩 <a href="https://twitter.com/DzMusa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DzMusa</a> y Adam Hanga, desde el balcón de la sede de la Comunidad: ¡HALA MADRID!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHAMP11ONS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHAMP11ONS</a> <a href="https://t.co/yVYDsALZym">pic.twitter.com/yVYDsALZym</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1660981102570352640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

"We are very happy to be here again to present you with this EuroLeague title, which has come with a huge effort," team captain Sergio Llull said. "It has been a very difficult season for various reasons. We had a playoff series that was a very steep uphill climb. In fact, no team had previously recovered from 0-2 deficit, and it couldn't be other than Real Madrid to do it. Later, in the Final Four, every last player has been incredible. We made one more demonstration of what it means to wear this jersey."

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">👏 El MVP de la Final Four, <a href="https://twitter.com/waltertavares22?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@waltertavares22</a>, da las gracias a los <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Madridistas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Madridistas</a> por el apoyo recibido. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHAMP11ONS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHAMP11ONS</a> <a href="https://t.co/aqWduDtRHZ">pic.twitter.com/aqWduDtRHZ</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1660977742416867329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Walter Tavares, who also took home the Final Four MVP trophy, thanked the crowd for their support from afar.

"We felt the energy that all of you transmitted from Madrid," Tavares said. "We were there \[in Kaunas\], but we always felt you close to us at every moment. The \[game-winning shot by Sergio Llull\] signified the positive energy that you were sending, and it went in clean, so thank you to everyone."

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">🏆 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHAMP11ONS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHAMP11ONS</a> ❤ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Madridistas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Madridistas</a> <a href="https://t.co/5UIdUn9LgL">pic.twitter.com/5UIdUn9LgL</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1661024182946131970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">🤲 <a href="https://twitter.com/FCauseur1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCauseur1</a> 🤲<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHAMP11ONS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHAMP11ONS</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Madridistas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Madridistas</a> <a href="https://t.co/Qna0Ypfa9s">pic.twitter.com/Qna0Ypfa9s</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1661042805786152962?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Lotus watch brand, Official Timekeeper of the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, has gifted an exclusive watch to Real Madrid center Walter Tavares, the Final Four MVP.

 Lotus awards exclusive Final Four MVP watch 


The Lotus watch brand, Official Timekeeper of the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, has gifted an exclusive watch to Real Madrid center Walter Tavares, the Final Four MVP.

Tavares received his specially crafted watch soon after Real Madrid defeated Olympiacos Piraeus 78-79 in the thrilling, down-to-the-wire Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game on Sunday in Kaunas, Lithuania.

Lotus, which joined the Euroleague Basketball family of partners before the Final Four, enjoyed exposure as the competition's official timekeeper with a presence on all the 24-second shot clocks around the baskets at Zalgirio Arena.

Lotus watches are known for their contemporary urban and trendy styles, which are befitting of EuroLeague athletes. Just as the EuroLeague stands out on the sporting scene, so too will young consumers seeking a timepiece that marries innovative technology, quality materials and cutting edge design find Lotus unique.

Lotus awards exclusive Final Four MVP watch

Olympiacos Piraeus v Real Madrid (2023-05-21T17:00:00.000Z)

 Real Madrid's on-court celebration in photos! 

By edging Olympiacos Piraeus in the dying seconds of an epic Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, Real Madrid lifted its 11th trophy as European club champion since the dawn of continental competitions in 1958. No team other team has won more than eight. After winning the crown just once between 1981 and 2014, Real has now emerged victorious in three of the last eight editions of the Final Four.

Real Madrid's on-court celebration in photos!

Fans who are attending the Final Four in Kaunas, Lithuania, have a special opportunity this weekend to [find themselves in panoramic photos from Zalgirio Arena](https://gigapanoramic-final4.euroleague.net/) for the two semifinals and the championship game.

Fans can have fun playing and zooming in and out to see themselves and the other fans around them, cut pictures of themselves and their friends, and then tag themselves to share far and wide on Facebook and Twitter.

The first photos are already available from Friday's semifinals.

#### Championship Game: Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Real Madrid

#### Semifinal A: Olympiacos Piraeus vs. AS Monaco

#### Semifinal B: FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

Tag yourself in Zalgirio Arena panoramic photos!

The 2023 Final Four championship game had all the drama one can imagine, with Real Madrid rallying late to edge Olympiacos Piraeus [78-79](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/olympiacos-piraeus-real-madrid/E2022/330/#info) on Sunday in Kaunas. The game hero was Sergio Llull, whose only basket of the night – a high-arching mid-range jumper over Moustapha Fall with 3.1  seconds left – secured the title after Real had trailed for the previous 16 minutes. It was good for Los Blancos' record 11th trophy as the continental champion.

In addition to the drama, this game was one for the ages due to the many milestones and records that players and teams reached during the 40-minute thriller.

Llull's jumper [put him up to 198 points](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/key-stats-players/?size=25&misc=&category=Score&seasonMode=All&sortDirection=descending&aggregate=accumulated&phase=FF), the most in Final Fours since 2002, even as he lost the all-time Final Four lead in assists, overtaken by his teammate [Sergio "Chacho" Rodriguez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sergio-rodriguez/cvm/).

Rodriguez ran Real's offense masterfully, with 9 assists that tied a championship game record belonging to Ariel McDonald, Dimitris Diamantidis and Jeremy Pargo. Rodriguez [now has 70 assists](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/key-stats-players/?size=25&misc=&category=Assistances&seasonMode=All&sortDirection=descending&aggregate=accumulated&phase=FF), the all-time high, across his 16 Final Four games.

Sergio Rodriguez tied championship record with 9 assists

Final Four MVP [Walter Tavares](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/walter-tavares/005791/) pulled down 10 rebounds, giving him 25 for the weekend, a modern-era Final Four record. With his 13 points and 10 rebounds, he became the first player this century with three double-doubles in Final Four games.

On the losing end, EuroLeague MVP [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) had 29 points, tying the championship-game scoring mark that Shane Larkin set in 2019. Vezenkov's PIR of 34 also tied a championship game record, matching Anthony Parker's from 2004 and Manuel Ginobili's from 2002. Interestingly, only Parker among the four won the championship game in which his record was set or tied.  Vezenkov's 9 two-pointers made tied another championship game record.

Sasha Vezenkov tied championship game records with 29 points and 9 two-pointers

Olympiacos guard [Isaiah Canaan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/isaiah-canaan/010612/) finished 5-for-6 on three-pointers, which tied a championship game modern-era record for three-point shots made. Three players who previously hit 5 threes in the championship game were Vassilis Spanoulis in 2013, Rodriguez in 2014 and Ali Muhammed in 2016.

Then, there were the two teams. Both Real and Olympiacos played offensive-minded basketball, showcasing all their talents in the most consequential game of the season.

Tied at 45-45 at halftime, Olympiacos and Real Madrid combined for the most points in the first half of any Final Four game this century. In addition, their 15 combined first-half three-pointers – with Olympiacos making 8 and Real Madrid 7 – were the most by two teams in any half of a championship game since 2008. Their 24 triples combined each at game's end, 12 apiece, ranked second for a title game since 2002.

Title game was filled with records, milestones

Real Madrid beats Olympiacos to win its 11th EuroLeague title!


<incrowd-live-blog id="646a0bf95e518fe6cc207cc4" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

Final Four MVP Walter "Edy" Tavares only had thoughts for one man as he reflected on Real Madrid’s title triumph: his coach Chus Mateo. 

Edy Tavares on Coach Mateo: 'Without him, we wouldn’t be here'

Final Four MVP Walter "Edy" Tavares only had thoughts for one man as he reflected on Real Madrid’s title triumph: his coach Chus Mateo. 

Sitting alongside Mateo at the official postgame press conference, Tavares said: "The only thing I want to say is to congratulate this man here with me. He suffered more than us to put everything together for us to fight for this club.  

"All the credit for him because for every coach or every player, the first year is always hard. At Real Madrid it’s super-hard to be the head coach, so I think we’re here because of him. We’re here because he believed in us.  

"The people from the outside didn’t believe in us, didn’t believe in him, that he could do it. But he has so much confidence in himself, and what he can bring to the table, what he can put us through. And I think he deserves it. You guys \[the media\] should apologize to him because there was a lot of criticism, and a lot of doubt on him."

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Incredible scenes in the press conference: Real Madrid coach Chus Mateo broke into tears hearing the praise of Final Four MVP Edy Tavares for him.<br><br>&quot;You guys should apologize to him. Lots of criticism, doubt... <br><br>He deserves this more than anybody. One of the best people I met&quot; <a href="https://t.co/snhvQOTKPR">pic.twitter.com/snhvQOTKPR</a></p>&mdash; Antonis Stroggylakis (@AStroggylakis) <a href="https://twitter.com/AStroggylakis/status/1660383691498029081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Tavares even reduced Mateo to tears as he continued, arguing that his coach should receive much more recognition as he said: "I always see everybody names a lot of coaches of different teams but never him. They only mention Madrid. But Madrid has a boss. He is the boss, so we’ve got to mention Madrid and him every time.  

"All the credit for him because without him, we wouldn’t be here. He was the one who gave us belief, he believed in us from August. He deserves it more than anybody because he's one of the best people I've ever met in my life. You should give him all the credit because we’ve got so many alphas on the team and you’ve got to manage everybody, so he deserves everything."

Game News

 Sasha Vezenkov: 'It will be a tough night'

The season MVP played like one and then some in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game, but at the conclusion of the most intense and competitive season many fans can remember, even that was not enough for Sasha Vezenkov and Olympiacos Piraeus.

After being heartbroken in the semifinals in Belgrade on the game's last shot, the same thing happened in the championship game this time. The 2022-23 season EuroLeague Most Valuable Player feels even more frustrated this time.

"Last year was frustrating, this year is even more," Vezenkov said after scoring 29 points and grabbing 9 rebounds for a performance index rating of 34 in the 78-79 loss to Real Madrid on Sergio Llull's game-winner with 3.1 seconds left. "We have to face it. It will be a tough night and some tough moments.

Vezenkov's scoring tied the championship game record alongside Shane Larkin of Anadolu Efes Pilsen in 2019. His PIR of 34 also tied a championship game record, matching Manuel Ginobili's 34 from 2002 for Kinder Bologna in another losing effort and Anthony Parker's 34 for Maccabi Tel Aviv in a blowout victory in 2004 for the title.

Olympiacos lost in last year's semis on a buzzer-beater by Anadolu Efes Istanbul star Vasilije Micic. This time around, Llull made his only shot of the game before a chance to steal the title back for Olympiacos was missed at the buzzer by Kostas Sloukas.

Sasha Vezenkov scored 29 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and dished 4 assists as Olympiacos Piraeus lost 78-79 to Real Madrid in the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game.

Sasha Vezenkov's EuroLeague Championship Game highlights

"We lost a game, that's all," Vezenkov said calmly.

Olympiacos had taken a six-point lead, 78-72, with 2:13 minutes left but could not close it out.

"We lost our mind on offense in the last two or three minutes," Vezenkov said. "We made some early offenses. We made some turnovers. We lost some defenses. We needed to finish the game early in the fourth quarter and we lost it. But that's it. That's basketball.

"We worked hard and played really good basketball but in the end we didn't win the championship."

The MVP said the only choice for the team now is to move on.

"We have to have a short memory," Vezenkov concluded.