Final Four news: Anadolu Efes Istanbul

Final Four news: FC Barcelona

Final Four news: Real Madrid

Final Four news: Olympiacos Piraeus

The Top 10 photos of the week: Adrien Moerman of Anadolu Efes Istanbul sticks his tongue out as he dunks against Milan.

The Top 10 photos of the week: Vladimir Lucic of FC Bayern Munich drives past Barcelona's Rokas Jokubaitis. 

The Top 10 photos of the week: Guerschon Yabusele of Real Madrid dunks in Tel Aviv. 

The Top 10 photos of the week: Paris Lee of AS Monaco keeps the ball away from Olympiacos's Thomas Walkup.

The Top 10 photos of the week: Ognjen Jaramaz of FC Bayern Munich tries to shoot under pressure from Barcelona's Dante Exum and Brandon Davies.

The Top 10 photos of the week: Vincent Poirier helps Real Madrid complete a sweep of Maccabi with this Game 3 dunk.

The Top 10 photos of the week: Shane Larkin of Anadolu Efes Istanbul splits the defense against Milan.

The Top 10 photos of the week: Will Thomas of AS Monaco emotes after dunking against Olympiacos. 

The Top 10 photos of the week: Tyler Dorsey of Olympiacos Piraeus drives to the basket in Monaco.

The Top 10 photos of the week: Nigel Hayes-Davis of FC Barcelona defends against Bayern's Ognjen Jaramaz. 

AWARDS

ANGT Finals news

### Barcelona’s arrival completes the foursome

We can now turn the page from Final Four anticipation to the count down for the tip-off. With the arrival of FC Barcelona, all the teams have checked in! Interestingly, the first Barca man into the hotel was Coach Sarunas Jasikevicius, who looked like a general leading his troops. Last in was Euroleague Legend Juan Carlos Navarro, who now serves as the director of Barcelona’s basketball section. In between, the roster filled in and a few of them had some interesting thoughts.

The experience was an unusual one for Sertac Sanli, who lifted the crown last season as an Anadolu Efes Istanbul player and saw many old friends as he entered the hotel. "I am really excited! I didn't know how I would react after I see them," he said. “It is going to be fun! I am trying to enjoy being in the Final Four, being in Belgrade. It is going to be different for me.”

One of the few Final Four newcomers on the Barcelona squad is Nigel Hayes-Davies, who had the following to say: “Some of the guys have been here before, some of the guys have won before. For a couple of us, it’s the first one. It's an exciting time. It is an honor and privilege to be here. In basketball, you work throughout your career to win championships, and to be here and have an opportunity to do that is something that you cherish because the championships and winning is not guaranteed in our sport... So all we can focus on is playing Barcelona basketball and if we do that for 40 minutes, we'll see what happens.”

Of course, there is still much more to happen until the first game on Thursday. Wednesday will bring about the awards ceremony, where this season’s MVP will be crowned; the opening press conference; team practices at Stark Arena and more. Check back on these pages for more updates as they happen.

### Los Blancos strut into Belgrade

The award for the best-dressed arrivals goes to Real Madrid, hands down. Los Blancos checked into the Final Four wearing identical sleek black suits and ties with sharp white shirts. Although they could have passed for members of the Men in Black, the Madrid men are not concerned about protecting earth from extraterrestrial life, but rather protecting the paint from their opponents.

"Having experience in this event helps. When you are a first-timer, you have more anxiety in the before the games and experience helps you feel better on the court - hopefully better than in my first time," Real forward Gabriel Deck said. "As a team, we try to face each game in the same way, with the same intensity and character, but this is a Final Four game. It is a do-or-die game and the pressure is on but that goes the same for all four teams in Belgrade. All of them are here with the same goal: making it to the final and lifting the trophy."

"It's really exciting \[to be here\]. We are really enjoying the moment, but we are here to win, so we don't have to enjoy it too much, as the main reason we are here is to compete," Vincent Poirier added. "We feel good, we are doing great. I think we are playing the best basketball of this season. We are confident and we are ready."

### The champs roll into town

Half of the participating teams at the 2022 Final Four are checked in with the arrival of defending champion Anadolu Efes Istanbul. The team’s arrival was slightly delayed when the skies opened up and poured down as Efes was landing in Belgrade. Nonetheless, the players and staff were all smiles as they encountered all those waiting for them in the lobby of the headquarters hotel.

Despite the presence of Efes’s star-studded roster, it was an 8-year-old boy who stole the show. Filip, a Partizan NIS Belgrade fan who has quickly adopted Efes as his favorite in the EuroLeague, was decked out in a No. 44 Krunoslav Simon jersey, which he patiently waited and asked Efes players to sign and to pose for photos with him. Soon, all of the assembled media saw Filip and turned their attention to his exploits.

“It is always nice to see kids wearing your jersey because sports is all about that, to see them interested in the sport and this is the best thing about the sport,” Simon said. “I am glad he is an Efes fan. This is a big club. We might not have as many fans as some clubs that have soccer teams, but I think it is good to have all kinds of fans of our club from all over.”

Bryant Dunston, after seeing Filip and some other Efes supporters there to welcome his team, spoke about the return of fans to the Final Four: "It was weird playing the last game of last season with no fans there - winning, celebrating, jumping up and down, and then looking around and there was nobody there... Hopefully, we are going to have that same result but with the fans there."

Adrien Moerman - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Shane Larkin - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Ergin  Ataman - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Krunoslav Simon - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Chris Singleton - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022

### Olympiacos arrival signifies start of Final Four!

The arrival of Olympiacos Piraeus to the headquarters hotel in Belgrade symbolized the lighting of the torch for the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. The other three teams will join them shortly, but the Reds had the honor of opening the proceedings. Select members of the media were allowed to pepper players with questions about their arrival.

One Olympiacos player looked a bit trimmer than before. Big man Livio Jean-Charles trimmed his beard: "Yes! It was just a choice of haircut, but definitely, I shaved the beard!" he said. "I am excited, for sure. There are a lot of talented players who have never made it to the Final Four in their careers, so I am pretty glad to be here."

Kostas Papanikolaou, who is among the Reds’ most-experienced players, added: “It does not matter how many \[Final Fours\] you had before, each one coming is new, it's beautiful and you want to take the best out of it… The most important thing that I said to the guys is to enjoy it. You never know if you are going to be able to have an experience like this in your life.”

Hassan Martin and Shaquielle McKissic - Olympiacos Piraeus - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Thomas Walkup - Olympiacos Piraeus - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Kostas Papanikolaou - Olympiacos Piraeus - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Sotirios Oikonomopoulos - Olympiacos Piraeus - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Welcome to the Final Four blog! The EuroLeague staff will be on the ground covering all of the big events in Belgrade and sharing what’s going on behind the scenes all week long.

LIVE BLOG: Barcelona’s arrival completes the foursome

Hassan Martin and Shaquielle McKissic - Olympiacos Piraeus - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Thomas Walkup - Olympiacos Piraeus - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Kostas Papanikolaou - Olympiacos Piraeus - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Sotirios Oikonomopoulos - Olympiacos Piraeus - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Thomas Walkup 2- Olympiacos Piraeus - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Adrien Moerman - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Shane Larkin - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Ergin  Ataman - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Krunoslav Simon - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Shane Larkin 2- Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Chris Singleton - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Here are some interesting notes about the Final Four semifinal game between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Game Notes, Semifinal, Barcelona vs. Madrid

· The semifinals clash at the 2022 Final Four is the 31st Clasico in the EuroLeague this century. Barcelona leads Real 16-14 and has won their last four EuroLeague matches. 

· Barcelona and Real have met six times already this season. After Real bested Barcelona in the preseason Spanish SuperCup, Barcelona defeated Real five straight times: twice in the EuroLeague, twice in the Spanish League and once in the Spanish Cup final. 

· In Round 26 in Madrid, Barcelona raced to a 68-86 win behind 20 points on 5-for-5 three-point shooting from Nicolas Laprovittola.

· In Round 14, Barcelona beat Real 93-80 behind an outstanding game from Nikola Mirotic who scored a career-high 31 points, tied a club record with 14 made free throws, grabbed 10 rebounds and had a career-high PIR of 39 in earning MVP of the Round honors.

· Barcelona and Real have met in the EuroLeague Final Four Semifinals on three occasions. The first was in 1996 when Barcelona won 76-66 in Paris behind 24 points from Arturas Karnisovas. Real was victorious 67-74 in London in 2013 thanks to 17 points from Felipe Reyes. The following season, Real routed Barcelona 62-100 in Milan, where Sergio Rodriguez starred with 21 points.

· Real Madrid grabbed a club record 24 offensive rebounds against Barcelona in March 2005, a mark it has matched twice since.

· Barcelona matched its club record with 9 blocks against Real Madrid in April 2006.

· In addition to Mirotic this season, Juan Carlos Navarro also made a club record 14 free throws against Real Madrid, in March 2005.

· Barcelona's single-game record for steals is 6; Pepe Sanchez tied it against Real Madrid in January 2008.

· Real's single-game record for two-pointers made by a player is 11, which Ante Tomic set against FC Barcelona in March 2010.

· Mirotic spent five seasons with Real Madrid; he was a two-time EuroLeague Rising Star Trophy winner (2011 and 2012) and a two-time All-EuroLeague selection (2013 and 2014). He helped Real reach the championship game in both 2013 and 2014. Mirotic played under Coach Pablo Laso and was a teammate of current Real players Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Llull.

· Real forward Adam Hanga spent the last four seasons with Barcelona; he helped the team win one domestic league title and three Spanish Cups.

· Real playmaker Thomas Heurtel spent more than three seasons with Barcelona, joining the team ahead of the 2017-18 season and splitting with the team halfway through last season.

· Barcelona playmaker Nicolas Laprovittola arrived this summer from Real Madrid where he spent the last two seasons.

· Real's Gabriel Deck and Laprovittola have been teammates on the Argentine national team.

· Real Madrid center Walter Tavares and Barcelona sharpshooter Kyle Kuric were teammates at Herbalife Gran Canaria during the 2014-15 season. Together they reached the EuroCup Finals.

· Kuric set a career-high with 4 steals in an 86-76 victory for Real in November 2019.

· Barcelona point guard Nick Calathes dished 16 assists to break the EuroLeague Playoffs record playing for Panathinaikos OPAP Athens against Real in Game 1 of the 2018 playoffs.

· Barcelona forward Sergi Martinez grabbed a career-high 9 rebounds in a win against Real in October 2020.

· Real swingman Rudy Fernandez posted his career-high in index rating with 38 for Real Madrid against FC Barcelona in February 2015. It earned him the last of his seven MVP of the Round honors.

· Real guard Sergio Llull posted his career-best performance index rating of 32 in an 85-69 win against Barcelona in March 2017. He earned MVP of Round 27 honors for that performance.

· Real big man Anthony Randolph matched his career-best with 28 points playing for Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar against Barcelona in Game 4 of the 2016 EuroLeague Playoffs. Randolph accumulated a performance index rating of 28 in that game and earned MVP of the Round honors.

· Real Madrid big man Trey Thompkins set a career-high with 4 steals in an 87-75 victory over Barcelona in December 2017.

· Nicolas Laprovittola posted his career-high with 7 rebounds in Round 26 win against Real earlier this season.

· Barcelona center Brandon Davies blocked a career-high 4 shots in a home win against Real in October 2020.

· Davies posted his career-high in scoring with 27 points playing for Zalgiris Kaunas against Real in April 2019.

· Barcelona center Sertac Sanli tied his career-high with 8 rebounds playing for Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Game 1 of the playoffs against Real Madrid last season.

· Barcelona big man Nigel Hayes-Davis collected a career-high 3 steals for Zalgiris Kaunas against Real in February 2021.

Game Notes, Semifinal, Olympiacos vs. Efes

· Efes and Olympiacos are tied at 22-22 in their EuroLeague games this century. 

· They last played in Round 26 when Kostas Sloukas hit a buzzer-beating corner three-pointer to lift Olympiacos to an 87-85 overtime win. Sloukas had 23 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds in that game.

· Before the Round 26 overtime loss, Efes had won five straight games against Efes, including an 88-69 triumph in Round 10 in which Rodrigue Beaubois netted a career-high 29 points on a career-best 7 three-point shots made.

· When the two teams met in Istanbul in March 2020, Shane Larkin earned his record-tying sixth MVP of the Round honor in a single season. In a 91-79 win, Larkin scored 40 points, becoming the first player this century with two 40-point games to his name, while also tying the EuroLeague single-game mark by downing 10 of 15 attempts from long distance. He also collected 5 assists, 3 steals and 3 rebounds, accumulating a performance index rating of 44.

· These teams contested a thrilling playoff series in the 2016-17 season. Efes took a 2-1 lead, but Olympiacos bounced back to win 3-2 and advance to the Final Four. The decisive fifth game saw Vassilis Spanoulis score 22 points in an 87-78 victory.

· Olympiacos and Efes battled for a Final Four spot in the 2013 playoffs, too. Efes had a 15-point lead in do-or-die Game 5, but Olympiacos came back, won the series and went on to lift the trophy.

· The Efes single-game record for blocks is 6, which Marcus Haislip set against Olympiacos Piraeus on January 17, 2007.

· The Efes single-game record for three-pointers made is 10, which Shane Larkin tied against Olympiacos Piraeus on March 6, 2020.

· Last season in Istanbul, Shane Larkin had 21 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds for a PIR 32, which earned him MVP of the Round honors in a 76-53 win over Olympiacos.

· Efes forward Adrien Moerman and Olympiacos forward Sasha Vezenkov were teammates at FC Barcelona during the 2017-18 season.

· Efes big man Bryant Dunston played two seasons at Olympiacos, from 2013 to 2015, and in both seasons was chosen the EuroLeague Best Defender. He was a teammate of current Olympiacos players Georgios Printezis and Kostas Sloukas and played under head coach Georgios Bartzokas.

· Dunston was a teammate of Sloukas also at Aris Thessaloniki during the 2010-11 season.

· Efes forward James Anderson played under Olympiacos head coach Georgios Bartzokas at Khimki Moscow Region during the 2017-18 season.

· Olympiacos guard Tyler Dorsey and Efes's Elijah Bryant were teammates at Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv for two seasons, from 2019 to 2021.

· Efes guard Vasilije Micic dished a career-high 13 assists in an overtime loss against Olympiacos in Round 26 this season.

· Efes guard Elijah Bryant collected a career-high 3 steals in a Round 26 loss against Olympiacos.

· Olympiacos big man Livio Jean-Charles twice tied his career-high with 3 blocks playing for LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne against Efes, first in November 2019, and again in October 2020.

· Olympiacos guard Giannoulis Larentzakis delivered a career-high with 8 assists in a road loss against Efes last February.

· Olympiacos big man Hassan Martin had a career-best 3 blocks in a loss against Efes in October 2020.

· Dunston tied his career-high in offensive rebounds with 8 in Game 4 of the 2017 EuroLeague Playoffs, which Olympiacos won in Istanbul 62-74.

· Krunoslav Simon of Efes had a career-high 4 steals against Olympiacos in December of last season.

· Efes center Tibor Pleiss matched his career-best with 4 blocks playing for Valencia Basket against Olympiacos in November 2017.

Olympiacos Piraeus v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2022-05-19T16:00:00.000Z)

Euroleague Basketball partner VRM, which helped bring the EuroLeague Land metaverse to the world, has designed a unique NFT collection to pay tribute to the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion. After the crowning of this season's winner on Saturday, May 21 at Stark Arena in Belgrade, fans and memorabilia collectors will have the opportunity to acquire one-of-a-kind NFTs from the new Trophy & Rings collection.

Euroleague Basketball, VRM to celebrate champion with Trophy & Rings NFT collection

The Trophy & Rings NFT collection is the latest step in Euroleague Basketball's diversified strategy. Said strategy aims to tap the possibilities available to global sports properties in the Web3 space in a safe and enjoyable way for fans to enable them to own a piece of the content produced by the league, clubs and players they love.

"NFTs are the rage among sports fans and collectors of all kinds and we knew that partnering with VRM to release the Trophy & Rings collection would offer our fans a perfect way to celebrate the 2022 champion,” Roser Queralto, Chief Business Officer of Euroleague Basketball, said. "Having already worked with VRM on the EuroLeague Land metaverse, we knew we had a world-class partner we could trust whose values and goals line up with ours."

The Trophy & Rings collection of NFTs will be released at the end of the season, at [ChampionsNFT.euroleague.net](http://ChampionsNFT.euroleague.net). Euroleague Basketball and VRM plan to continue the development of such collectible objects in the future and retroactively so fans across the EuroLeague can create their own collections.

“We can’t be more proud of extending our partnership with the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague," VRM CEO Juan Marí-Guillot said. "It is an amazing property to work with and together we have endless potential to develop amazing digital assets and unique experiences around the competition. We’ve just created a new experiential NFTs category and much more is to come."

The 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four will take place in the Serbian capital on May 19-21. Olympiacos Piraeus and Anadolu Efes Istanbul will meet in the first semifinal followed by a duel between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in the second.

Asked about it, Laso believes having its own identity as a team is critical. "First of all, we try to be recognized as a team. That's the most important thing. For sure, players show you the way. I'll put a stupid example: I cannot have Tavares shooting threes or defending point guards. That's pretty logical and easy to understand. And that's a great part of being a coach; you have to adjust to the players who you have," Laso told us, and went on about his team's continuity. "But at the same time, you have to keep the ideas that you want and that your team is able to do since the first day that you come to Real Madrid as a player. I'm very happy that with different players over these last 10 years, we've been able to reach Final Fours, and play for championships with different players of different characteristics. That speaks very well about the club and the team. And like I always said, this is a very important part of our success; the way you find your players to give the best for the team."

Overall, Real has done a good job of remaining competitive all these years, rebuilding the team with great patience and trusting the players that already know the system. Seven players - Fabien Causeur, Anthony Randolph, Rudy Fernandez, Walter Tavares, Sergio Llull, Trey Thompkins, and Jeffery Taylor - won the EuroLeague title with Real in 2018 and are still with the team. Players come and go, but Real always has a core that has been together for many years. 

Laso believes having some players with experience and others willing to showcase their skills in the biggest scenario in continental basketball is a perfect combination. "If you remember, 6-7 years ago when we won the championship in Madrid [in 2015], the heart of the team was OK: both Sergios [Llull and Rodriguez], Rudy, Felipe [Reyes], Chapu [Andres Nocioni], Slaughter, Jaycee Carroll... Now, only two of those players are still here, Rudy and Sergi. Their experience and what they give to the team are very important to us. But we also have a bunch of new guys who are going to get their first experience at the Final Four, let's say Abalde, Yabusele, Williams-Goss. So we have different players who have to step up and they have to understand from the beginning what playing for Real Madrid means," he said.   


"You have to be ready to give everything for this team because this team wants to win."

"Being in Real Madrid cannot be a case of, 'OK, we have time to make this change and, you know, progress.' We have to keep the winning mentality from the beginning, even understanding that we have young players. They have to step up and win games; let's put it this way," he added "We are missing Alocen because of injury, but these other guys have to be ready somehow to step up. Because when you talk about the championship seven years ago, only two players are staying, Rudy and Sergi. We still love them. We still know that they are very important for us, but we still know that we have a bunch of new players stepping up."

Coach Laso has an advantage in terms of understanding his players. He was a star guard in the 1990s and helped Real make it to the Final Four in 1996. His experience as a player has proved to be just as valuable as his many appearances with Real as head coach. Having Final Four experience with both roles, with the club he currently leads, allows him to guess what's in his players' minds. Above all, Real Madrid is the winningest team in continental basketball and players need to honor that tradition by being ready to keep winning, over and over again. 

"I have been a player in Real Madrid, and a lot of times your goal is that: 'OK, I became a Real Madrid player.' And probably you don't understand that the difficult part starts when you are a Real Madrid player. It's not getting here or being on this team; the important thing is what you're going to do to help this team. Because this team has structure, goals, call it however you want, but you have to be ready to give everything for this team because this team wants to win," he told us. "As we said, there is no time. There is no, OK, take time, we'll wait, they will process, they will grow. No. We have to be ready to win from the first day, understanding situations, but for sure understanding also from the beginning that the Real Madrid culture is to be competitive from the first day that you arrive in this team."

Keeping a winning mentality is not always easy. It is impossible to stay strong all season long, and Real went through a rough couple of months late in the regular season. Los Blancos had a 20-3 start in this EuroLeague campaign but went 2-10 after that to rank fourth at the end of the regular season. Like all winning teams, Real bounced back when the most important games arrived, sweeping Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in the playoffs. Laso believes that despite all the circumstances that all teams went through this season, all the work the team did pay off at the right time. 


Real Madrid Head Coach, Pablo Laso, discusses what it takes to play for Madrid, the winning mentality and lifting trophies.

Final Four Interview: Pablo Laso, Real Madrid

"It was a difficult year with lots of games back-to-back. There were weeks when we played even three or four games a week. So we knew it was going to be important to somehow build what we needed at the right moment," Laso admits. "And I think that Maccabi series was a great moment for us. We understood from the beginning that it was going to be very difficult to beat Maccabi because they were coming on a roll. But it's true that after the Spanish Cup, for us, it was difficult because we had injuries, we had people coming in, coming out. And let's say, not just because we were losing -- but it was true that we were not winning -- but we were not worried just because we were not winning. We were worried because we had our difficulties, but at the same time we were convinced that we could get back and get ready for the playoffs, and that's what we did. Right now, we're in a good situation arriving at the Final Four."

All of a sudden, Real fans went from being a bit worried to feeling extremely confident ahead of the big 'Clasico' against FC Barcelona in the semifinals. Laso, however, believes that his team had to battle hard against Maccabi and that taking one game at a time helped Los Blancos sweep the series. 

"For us, the first game was very important, because Maccabi was on a roll. They won like six in a row. They were playing great so for us, that first game was very important. On the second one, also, we understood that we need to go to Tel Aviv ahead 2-0. And then we wanted to finish the series, and we played a great third game there and we won," Laso recapped. "But that doesn't mean the series was easy. We swept, OK, very good. But I don't think that series was easy because Maccabi was playing great basketball, and we had a lot of respect for them."


"We were convinced that we could get back and get ready for the playoffs, and that's what we did."

Real has faced Barca three times in the Final Four semifinals, and Laso was always there. In 1996, Barca topped Real 76-66 - Laso had 2 points and 3 assists in a losing effort. As head coach, Laso led Real to back-to-back semifinal wins against Barca in 2013 and 2014. Los Blancos rallied from a nine-point deficit in the final 8 minutes to beat Barca 67-74 in 2013 and trashed its archrivals in 2014, 62-100. At the same time, Barcelona has won its last five showdowns against Real this season, including the 2022 Copa del Rey final.

Laso is not hyped up about his Final Four wins or worried about his team's recent losses against Barca. "For me, every game is different. I would be very stupid to think that a basketball game is going to be the same as yesterday. I think we have a great game, a great sport that obliges you to do something different and do it well," he told us. "Talking about 'El Clasico', the easy thing would be to think, OK, it could be like the last game we played together. No. It's going to be different. They're going to make adjustments, we're going to make adjustments, and probably even the players are not going to be on the same form, that's for sure. So, for me every game is different. I'll take the result that we had in the previous 'Clasico' at a Final Four, for sure, but I know it's going to be a different game."

Like all top-class rivals coming from the same country, Barca and Real face each other many times each season. Both teams' recent success adds more value to their already legendary sports rivalry. Above all, Laso believes that having two teams in the Final Four is nothing but good news for Spanish basketball. Real and Barca combine for 27 Final Four appearances, the most - by far - for two teams coming from the same country. Panathinaikos OPAP Athens and Olympiacos Piraeus are a distant second, combining for 21 Final Four appearances.

"I would be very stupid thinking that a basketball game is going to be the same as yesterday."

"First of all, two teams in the Final Four speak very well about Spanish basketball. Barcelona and Real Madrid have been very consistent the whole year. We played the final of the SuperCup, we played the final of the Spanish Cup, and now we're in the Final Four and we're going to play each other again," Laso said. "So that speaks very well about Barcelona and Real Madrid, despite everything, and of basketball in Spain. I think our fans, for sure Barcelona fans, and all the fans in Spain, they're proud of two teams that are going to be in the Final Four and we're very happy to be here in this position."

Last but not least, it is hard to ignore that Real won its 10th EuroLeague title in Belgrade barely four years ago, in 2018. Laso doesn't think that it will play a big role but again, seven of his players know how it feels to lift the EuroLeague trophy at Stark Arena. Laso just hopes to feel just as good as he did when the 2018 Final Four was over and confetti hit the floor with him and his team on top of the podium.

"You always think about karma. And now, let's say it's a fashionable word. And I hope it helps. But I don't know. As I said, it's going to be different games, different situations. But for sure, my thoughts about that weekend in Belgrade before are great, and I wish that my thoughts in the future about this coming weekend, will be the same."

Real Madrid is back to the Final Four for the first time since 2019 and of course, head coach Pablo Laso is back to lead the team. Laso has taken Real to seven Final Four appearances in 11 seasons with the club. Above all, Los Blancos have been loyal to Laso's guidebook, on and off the court, playing with a certain style that honors the team's run-and-gun tradition and keeping a core of players every season. 

Pablo Laso, Real: 'Right now, we're in a good situation arriving to the Final Four'

Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach Ergin Ataman shared his coaching philosophy and how he prepares for big games before traveling to Belgrade to defend the EuroLeague crown at the 2022 Final Four. 

Ergin Ataman, Efes: 'Basketball is a simple game'

Every team in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague is well-stocked with talented players up and down the roster. One of the things that separate the best from the rest is how they work together and, of course, how much their coaches bring out of them. Coach Ergin Ataman is an expert in that area. 

Ataman has his basic coaching principles, which include mastering how to move on the court to maximize spacing and playing strong individual and team defense. Once his players are comfortable in that system, he gives them almost unlimited freedom.

“I never tell my players not to shoot, to not use an early fastbreak… I want them mentally to feel free on the court,” he explained. “This is my philosophy because I don't want that my players when they come to play on the court will think too much about what coach is asking from them. I like to teach them before, in practice, in the preseason. 

"Basketball is a simple game. How much you complicate the game will be more difficult for the players to show their potential in the game."

“When the game starts, he is responsible, the players are responsible. He doesn't think about what I like, what I think, because he knows that and he uses his freedom, of course, with all respect to their friends on the court. Very simple. For me, basketball is a simple game. How much you complicate the game will be more difficult for the players to show their potential in the game.”

Naturally, to get it all to work together, the players must trust each other and work well together. Ataman does not need to get involved in building the chemistry. Instead, he tries to put together a puzzle of players with certain roles and personalities that he thinks will come together on their own. 

“Somebody must work more on defense, somebody will be more responsible to take the rebounds, somebody will be more responsible to play in the open court and fastbreak, somebody will control the game in the five-on-five, in the half-court, somebody must control the locker room of the team. When you build the team, you don't choose only the best players, you must think about everything,” he said. “The character of the players, the players that like to show their capacity inside of the team. I don't like only players who score every game 20 or 25 points, but others are not happy. So okay, maybe in the team you will have some players that score, but everybody must be happy to share the roles on the team. And we build the team, we built for this chemistry.

“It's important that everybody must understand his role and everybody must respect each other. In our team, inside the team, there's the same respect for Shane Larkin and for James Anderson. Same respect for Vasilije Micic or Chris Singleton. Because everybody knows that everybody needs to help his friends.”

Final Four Interview: Ergin Ataman, Anadolu Efes Istanbul

The core of the team that Ataman leads to Belgrade has been together for four years now and making club history at every step of the way. The next challenge is to repeat as EuroLeague champions, but that is not the way Ataman is framing it in his mind.

“We will try to win. We'll try to win one more time the title,” he explained. “Only two games to reach the EuroLeague title against a team that during the season once we beat Olympiacos, once we beat Real Madrid, only we lost two games against Barcelona. But now it's a Final Four we'll see the players’ performance, health, shape. I don't think too much about back the back. I think only about winning the title.”

To go all the way, the next hurdle will be Olympiacos, which Efes split two games against during the regular season. After winning big at home, Efes fell to the Reds in Piraeus on a game-winning three by Kostas Sloukas in overtime. However, Ataman does not think that those results will have a major impact on the semifinal. 

“Every game is different. Every game you have a different performance from your players,” he said. “Olympiacos is a great team, great coach, they have had an excellent season this season. It will be a tough game for sure. We know their system, they know our system. I don't know which performance the players will show on the court. In these practices, we will try to prepare our players to show their best.”

The team’s preparation begins with scouting the opponent. The assistant coaches all have their responsibilities, though Ataman has a preferred method of watching the games to take in ideas, too. 

“I like more to scout the games that we played against them. But, of course, we will scout also the playoffs that Olympiacos played. Some big games that they played excellent and some games that they were in trouble to find the correct strategy for the game… I believe I will watch for sure our two games and maybe two or three more other games from the playoffs and maybe from another big game that they played,” he explained. 

"It's important that everybody must understand his role and everybody must respect each other... because everybody knows that everybody needs to help his friends." 

“I watch actually quarter-by-quarter. I watch one quarter in half an hour, thinking about it. Then I give 10 minutes rest. I go out then I come back and I watch the second quarter. And in that period, I analyze, I think. That is my philosophy, my work when I'm making a scouting report, but of course, my assistants do a great job. They watched six or seven games, they prepare everything. They prepare highlights. And then finally I watch that at the end. But I like to watch full games, minimum three-four games thinking about the game.” 

Ataman said he is confident in his team rising up in Belgrade, in part because they already faced early-season struggles. 

“Actually, for us, it was the most difficult year because after we won the title, a little bit maybe we lost our motivation to reach the big goal because last year we reached the goal. This year we started slowly, maybe a lot of confidence to think about winning everything. Maybe the other teams that we played against had great motivation. Honestly, in that period, it was a difficult time for us,” he said. 

Now thanks to the players he has assembled, their chemistry, Ataman’s playing principles, the coaching staff’s scouting reports and much more, Efes will head to the Final Four confident in its chances.  

“My team mentally will be ready,” Ataman summed up. “We have a great team, great players and we will be motivated a hundred percent to win one more time.”

Ergin Ataman - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - EB21-PO3

Before FC Barcelona bench boss Sarunas Jasikevicius leads his team to Belgrade for the Final Four, he sat down to discuss what makes his team tick. 

Sarunas Jasikevicius, Barcelona: 'It will be a very difficult matchup'

This time last year, the common narrative around the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four was that Anadolu Efes Istanbul was poised to fulfill its destiny. The Turkish team had come close in 2019, losing the championship game against CSKA Moscow, and was then denied by the COVID-19 lockdown after leading the regular season standings when action was halted in spring 2020. 

So, heading to Cologne, it was widely assumed that Efes would complete its long journey by reaching the summit of European basketball… and so it proved as Ergin Ataman’s men downed FC Barcelona in the title decider to claim a triumph that appeared to be written in the stars.

This year, you could suggest the same thing about Barca: after a few years of disappointment, Svetislav Pesic inspired a big improvement which saw the team ranked joint-second when COVID halted play in 2020. The upturn then continued under new coach Sarunas Jasikevicius, taking his team to that title game against Efes before topping this season’s regular-season standings with two more wins than any other team.

"It’s very difficult to get into the players’ heads and to understand what they feel."

Jasikevicius, however, is not a believer in the theory that now is Barca’s time to complete their cycle: “That’s just people trying to make stories,” he said. “The only reality is that we’re going to Belgrade trying to win the semifinal to give ourselves a chance. That’s it.”

He does, however, acknowledge that last season’s experience should be advantageous as his players look to go one better this time around. 

“It’s very important that we went through that situation last year,” he accepted. “The majority of the players are still here, so let’s see. I think it always helps, but there is no guarantee obviously. It’s very difficult to get into the players' heads and to understand what they feel, but we are one year more together. More time to go through different situations as a team and hopefully that helps.”

The semifinal will see a clash between the two teams who know each other better than perhaps any other pair in world sport: Barca and Real Madrid. They have already met on six occasions this season, with Real winning the Spanish Super Cup in September before Barca claimed the next five in a row: twice in the Spanish League, once in the Spanish Cup Final, and twice in the EuroLeague.

With such familiarity between the teams, Jasikevicius admitted it will be almost impossible for either him or Real counterpart Pablo Laso to come up with any tactical wrinkles to catch their opponent off-guard: “There are less chances for surprises. I’m sure that there will be some, but it’s very difficult at this point to change a lot of things. Maybe one or two details for a surprise, but it’s difficult,” Jasikevicius said.

Rather than worrying about finer tactical intricacies, the Barca boss is more concerned with making sure his players head into the game with the right mental approach.

“You have to understand that it will be a very difficult matchup," he said. "There is going to be a lot of suffering and you have to be ready to suffer against Real Madrid for 40 minutes.”

Jasikevicius has repeatedly been honest enough to admit it cannot be guaranteed that his team will perform at their highest level, ruefully noting that Barca occasionally suffers unexpected glitches when they struggle to reach their best. And he has no explanation for those downturns.

“I don’t know. You’ll have to ask the players," he shrugged. "I’ve been fighting for a year and a half and I accepted it already. I have to fight through it, not fight against it. The worst thing we can do is lie to one another that we’re different. We’re not. It’s been proven that we are in general very, very good, but we are an inconsistent and up-and-down team.”

"There are so many things that go into what you’re trying to teach the players over the course of the year: to be fast in thinking or moving; to be physical." 

Jasikevicius was, though, particularly pleased with the efforts of his players in Game 3 of the playoffs series against FC Bayern Munich, praising them for playing ‘simple basketball’. Elaborating on that idea, he explained: “We played as a team, we didn’t complicate things. Very quick passes out of double teams.”

However, he also explained why it’s impossible for any team – not just his own – to execute the things required to make ‘simple basketball’ happen.

“At this point, it’s not so easy to achieve. We set out to do some things and we did them \[against Bayern in Game 3\], but obviously, you have to do it all the time and it’s not so easy.

“There are a lot of things involved. A lot of stuff going on every game. Opponents throw different things at you, and you’re just not so good sometimes. It’s not easy or everyone would do it all the time.”

With those points in mind, Jasikevicius is reluctant to spell out his basketball philosophy, instead believing that players and coaches have to be prepared to undertake a constant process of evolution.

“There are so many things that go into what you’re trying to teach the players over the course of the year: to be fast in thinking or moving; to be physical. There’s a lot of stuff going on.

“I think we want to play together, we want to move the ball, we all want to be happy. We want to play fast. But the other team is also not so stupid. They will try to prevent you from those things, try not to allow you to play to your strengths or what you believe in the most. So it’s a constant adjustment over the course of a 10-month season. It’s a constant process. You have to make adjustments obviously, because the other teams are very good and they are preparing against you.”

The same is true on the defensive side of the ball, as the Lithuanian coach again underlined the need to be prepared for anything. 

“Every team is different,” he said. “Usually we will understand what we can risk and what we cannot risk. You set your priorities and try to work on them, trying to take away the strongest parts of the other team’s basketball.”

Another key aspect of coaching – especially during this decisive phase of the season – is preparing his players to psychologically manage the ups and downs of elite sport, which again cannot come with a simple ‘one size fits all’ approach. 

“Not always everybody will be happy,” he explained. “You have to accept that and deal with it in the best way possible. 

“There is a mixture between the team chats and little individual chats. Sometimes you need to help somebody out a little bit more, but somebody else maybe you need to leave them alone. We try to juggle it and you have to get help – you cannot do things on your own.”

Acibadem Healthcare Group has once again become the official medical services partner for European basketball's top event, guaranteeing the best possible care for the continent's top players and fans at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four.

Acibadem, Final Four medical services partner

The group will be providing medical services throughout the season finale in Belgrade, highlighting Euroleague Basketball's commitment to developing long-standing and meaningful relationships with premium brands to improve the quality of our events.

Acibadem strives to provide world-class healthcare for its patients, expanding its overseas footprint since 2011 to operate hospitals in Turkey, North Macedonia, Bulgaria and the Netherlands.

All of the hospitals within the group meet high global standards, including expertise and internationally accredited centers in cancer (surgical, radiotherapy, chemotherapy), heart care (pediatric and adult cardiology, and cardiac surgery), IVF, organ transplants (liver, kidney, bone marrow), spine care, sports medicine and robotic surgery.

Euroleague Basketball welcomes Technogym as the Official Training Partner of the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Belgrade. The Italian-based Technogym is a leader in the field of commercial and home gym equipment. 

Technogym is the Official Training Partner of Belgrade Final Four

At the Final Four, Technogym will provide all the necessary premium equipment for players and team trainers to continue their normal workout patterns while in Belgrade on the chase for EuroLeague glory. 

"Our athletes are used to training at their clubs' state-of-the-art facilities all season long and we are obliged to ensure they can continue to work out with the most advanced equipment as they prepare for success at the Final Four in Belgrade," Ibrahim Erkan, Euroleague Basketball Sports Director, said. "Technogym offers us the perfect solution for our players' and teams' needs, and we are delighted to partner with a premium brand that has a long-standing reputation in the training programs of world-class athletes from all across the sporting spectrum." 

Technogym's stated goal is to help develop the philosophy of fitness and wellbeing and turn it into a true lifestyle. In doing so, it not only makes training products of the highest quality, but it complements that with all the necessary content and programs.

"At Technogym, we work every day to develop the best products and digital solutions to support professional athletes as well as fitness enthusiasts to reach their goals and their aspirations," Technogym Founder and CEO Nerio Alessandri said. "Technogym has been an Official Supplier of the last eight Olympic Games as well as the brand of reference for athletes training all over the world. Starting from our long-term commitment at the side of athletes, we are delighted that Euroleague Basketball has chosen Technogym as Official Partner of the Final Four."

Olympiacos Piraeus head coach Georgios Bartzokas heads to his third Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four - and second with the Reds, which he guided to the 2013 crown.

E2021

Bartzokas made history earlier this month when his team ousted AS Monaco 3-2 in the EuroLeague Playoffs, becoming the first coach to win a deciding Game 5 of a EuroLeague Playoffs series for the third time.

While the coach is ending a six-year Final Four drought, Olympiacos is making its return to the season's pinnacle event for the first time since 2017 after a season that saw the team open and finish the regular season in style. The Reds set the tone by winning 12 of their first 17 games and finished by winning eight of their last 10 to claim second place in the standings.

Then came a thrilling playoff series against Monaco, in which Olympiacos won the first, third and fifth games, including rallying from a double-digit deficit in the decider in Piraeus.

"It is always difficult", Bartzokas said with a smile. "It is never going to be easy. Never in my life, but never for sure in Olympiacos's life. Everything is tough. But if it is tough, it is difficult, you appreciate it more."

Throughout the season, including during that series, Olympiacos displayed a great team effort with multiple players ready to take leading roles. Only one player, All-EuroLeague forward Sasha Vezenkov, averaged more than 25 minutes per game and the team averaged more than 80 points per game despite no players scoring better than 13.7 points and only three players averaging in double figures. It all aligned with Bartzokas's coaching philosophy.

"Day by day, practice by practice I try to create a philosophy that we are not selfish."

"If you see my teams at times, you will see the team effort and creativity," Bartzokas explained. "Everybody is involved in the offensive game. Everybody has to share the ball. We always appreciate a guy who passes the ball more than a guy who scores."

To have a philosophy is one thing, but to successfully implement and adapt it for each new season despite some inevitable roster turnover is another. For Bartzokas, it is a constant effort.

"Day by day, practice by practice I try to create a philosophy that we are not selfish. Whoever is selfish, he goes to the corner. If someone does not care about the team, cares only about his stats, he is leaving the team. That is my perspective," he said.

Final Four Interview: Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus

But for as much he is proud of his teams and the success he's had in the past, Bartzokas will point out: "The roster here of Olympiacos this year is one of the best I ever had. Not only according to the talent but also for caring for each other."

In 2013, Bartzokas guided Olympiacos to the EuroLeague crown, one of the club's three EuroLeague titles. In 2016 he reached the Final Four with Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, that club's only Final Four appearance, and in 2018 he led Khimki Moscow Region to the EuroLeague Playoffs, also the club's only such achievement.

In the past, Bartzokas has repeatedly succeeded and often done so almost instantly. This season with Olympiacos, however, the coach explained that the success is a result of a two-and-a-half-year process since he returned to the club.

"We needed patience because we were in the transitional period for the club," he said, referring to the status of the club's two legendary players. Vassilis Spanoulis retired and team captain Georgios Printezis is nearing the end of his career.

"We needed to bring some new kids here who fit the Olympiacos mentality," Bartzokas continued. "The fighting, playing for the team, playing for the fans. Being in the same philosophy that the philosophy of the club that you never give up, you keep on fighting."

"The roster here of Olympiacos this year is one of the best I ever had. Not only according to the talent but also for caring for each other."

This summer, Olympiacos signed Moustapha Fall, Thomas Walkup, Tyler Dorsey and Michalis Lountzis. They were added to a core of players, some of whom were added a summer earlier, including point guard and three-time EuroLeague champion Kostas Sloukas.

Each player chosen has his purpose and Bartzokas knowing the mentality he wanted was one of the keys to the Reds' success.

"I have experience from Olympiacos, it's that simple," Bartzokas said. "There is never an easy day. Whoever knows the club, knows it is something different. Fans, it is amazing how they support the club, and also they put pressure on the club to achieve things. At Olympiacos sometimes it is not easy to just win games. You need to play well, you need to sacrifice yourself for the team."

And even when the expectation rose because of the team performing well this season, Bartzokas had a way to handle it.

"I know exactly the mentality and I was trying every day not to set long-term goals, just the next practice, the next game. That was a philosophy I had to do, and I did it. To translate to everybody not to start thinking what is going to happen during the Final Four \[if we make it\], let's start watching the next game, the next practice. And finally, we ended up reaching the Final Four."

What separated Olympiacos from other teams this season was its consistency. They lost two consecutive games in mid-November and had a four-game losing streak in January after the team was struck with 13 COVID-19 cases. Other than those two occasions, Olympiacos never lost consecutive games.

"Whenever we had a tough loss we bounced back. We were always ready to play the next game", Bartzokas pointed out. "I am more concerned about this team after a big win, not after a big loss. I am sure we are going to be ready, going to prepare mentally and physically in the right way. I was not concerned about attitude."

One can easily assign the credit for that bounce-back ability to Bartzokas. He went on a record in the past saying that for a coach "losses can feel like funerals", but also that "for a coach, it's always very important to see how a team reacts when they lose a game."

Bartzokas also admitted that he, as a coach, is more mature. Years on the sidelines and being in many different situations have helped him shape an understanding of how to navigate through the season.

"I am more concerned about this team after a big win, not after a big loss. I am sure we are going to be ready, going to prepare mentally and physically in the right way."

"We did not have many ups and downs, which are normal in a long season. It is impossible to always be at a high level, you have to admit that. It is normal to see the champions lose by 30 points. The level of intensity is fantastic in Europe, physicality is great. You cannot always be in a winning process," Bartzokas said.

"You just need to handle the situation inside the locker room, in the environment of the team. You need to be supportive, you need to have conflicts. You must do this sometimes. There are many egos in any professional basketball team, and sometimes you need conflicts, you need to be tough."

When it comes to this season, Bartzokas says his players made it easier for him.

"I am really lucky, we have great characters this year. Everybody is caring about each other. Five or six players came to my office and asked how can we help one teammate that is not feeling good right now, how can we support him?

"When I saw this, I was sure about this team and what we can achieve."

Bartzokas said that he believes the way the team went about business throughout the season, including overcoming the high-pressure Game 5 in the playoffs, can give it an advantage in Belgrade.

The series against Monaco made us better as a team. It helped us get stronger, and stick together. And I believe it was the same for Monaco, which is a better team after going through the series. We might be better in the Final Four just because of the series," Bartzokas concluded. "Now, we have to prepare our minds, and prepare ourselves tactically, physically and mentally to compete against the European champions."

Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos: 'I was sure about this team'

Georgios Bartzokas - Olympiacos Piraeus - EB21-PO3

When he first left his native Hungary for Spain in 2011, Adam Hanga was very much a complete unknown, certainly for fans. More than a decade later, his career lacks only a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague title to seal his status as one of the signature players of the competition since his debut in 2013.

Adam Hanga, Real: 'The third time is the charm, right?' 

Hanga arrives in Belgrade this week for his third Final Four with three different teams: Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, FC Barcelona and, now, Real Madrid.

In his very first Final Four game, an overtime semifinal loss to Fenerbahce Istanbul in 2016, Hanga was on the court for almost 42 minutes, more than any player in a Final Four game since 2010 and the third-most ever.

"I can recall that game minute-by-minute, to be honest," Hanga says. "I remember the gym was full of yellow because they were all Fenerbahce fans, and the experience was amazing. Obviously, I was a little bit nervous at the beginning, but I think that was the year in my career when I established myself as a player. So, for me, it was a really important year, and obviously to get to the Final Four with that team... If you look back now at the roster, you understand why we made it to the Final Four. But at that moment, no one was expecting us to be there." 

"This year, with the fans and everything back in the arena, I think it's going to be amazing."

Hanga was a tad older than Tornike Shengelia and Mike James, among others, as they went on that magic carpet ride to Berlin with Baskonia. The next season, EuroLeague head coaches recognized Hanga with the Best Defender Trophy. Then, he moved to Barcelona for four years, culminating in the team's runner-up finish at last season's Final Four in Cologne, Germany. In contrast to his first Final Four experience, however, Hanga was barely used in last season's championship game, which Barcelona lost to Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

Final Four Interview: Adam Hanga, Real Madrid

"If you talk about possibilities of winning the Final Four, winning the title, last year I was pretty close to it," Hanga recounts. "Obviously, it was really unfortunate that I couldn't play that many minutes. But you know, I've always been a team player and I always try to be a good teammate. And my goal was always to win as a team. Last year, I was at a moment of the season when I was not one of the most important players in Barcelona, so I accepted it. It was obviously tough; everybody has character and, obviously, I wanted to play. But I accepted it and I was the one going crazy on the bench for 40 minutes in the final."

When his contract with Barcelona ended, Hanga was snapped up by Real to bring his proven defensive pedigree to the backcourt. Hanga plugged right into head coach Pablo Laso's rotation and has started 24 of the 29 games he has played this season.

"The adjustment was easy because I played against Madrid so many times in the past 10 years that I kind of knew everybody. I kind of knew the system. I kind of knew what they want to do," Hanga explains. "So, for me, it was like the easiest transition to come from Barcelona to Real Madrid."

"El Clasico in the semifinals, I think it's huge. I think it's huge for EuroLeague, it's huge for basketball, it's huge for us."

His old and new teams jockeyed for the top two spots in the EuroLeague standings until Real struggled down the home stretch of the regular season and tumbled to fourth place. That presumed a tougher playoffs matchup with fifth-place Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, which was as hot as Real was cold late in the season. Nonetheless, Real found its mojo and registered the only playoffs sweep of any series as Hanga's averages soared to 9.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals. In just 21:49 minutes per game, roughly 3 more than until the playoffs, he more than doubled his performance index rating to 13.0.

"Throughout that bad period, already we were saying to ourselves that we knew we were going to get through it. Obviously, this happens sometimes for teams; the only thing was that for us, it was pretty long. It's like we looked pretty desperate to get out of that hole. But the confidence, we had it from the very beginning," Hanga said. 

Spalding Dunk of the Night: Hanga hammer!

"Nobody sees inside our locker room. Nobody sees what's going on. People might see what's going on on the court, or what we tell to the press. But nobody sees what's going on in the locker room. And in the locker room, I think we were always confident.

"And I think we came back at the best moment, to be honest. Right before the playoffs, we got together one last time. We had a barbecue at Rudy \[Fernandez\]'s house. We talked about it again, and we came through. So, that's all that matters." 

Another part of Real's story this season has been losing to Barcelona, its semifinal opponent on Friday in Belgrade in what will be just the third such El Clásico in Final Four history. 

"It's no secret that they've had the upper hand in the last five games they beat us, including the Spanish League and Spanish Cup final," Hanga says. "So obviously, they have found a way in which they could beat us. And we have to find the way that we can beat them. As we all know, it's one game, so defense is going to be key. Apart from that: physicality, concentration. Obviously, the team that's going to make less mistakes is going to make it to the final." 

It is safe to say that Hanga is unlikely to be cheerleading for much of the semifinal on Friday. But neither is he distracted by the idea of showing his old team what they are missing. Rather, he is keen to keep his eyes on the only major prize that has eluded him in his rise from relative anonymity to EuroLeague standard-bearer. 

"This year, to be honest, I was not thinking about revenge or anything like this. I was focusing on the task ahead of us, which for us at Real Madrid was making it to the Final Four. This was the only thing on my mind," Hanga says. "Even now that I know we are going to play against Barcelona, and all of my friends and a lot of people are asking me, 'Do you feel like revenge?', I say, 'No, to be honest, I don't really feel anything like this.' The only thing I feel is that I want to win because I want to lift the title. But it has nothing to do with Barcelona. If we have to go through Barcelona, so be it."

Even though Olympiacos Piraeus center Moustapha Fall did not pick up basketball until late in his teenage years, he has developed into a European force.

Moustapha Fall, Olympiacos: 'It was a perfect timing for me'

Like most of the Olympiacos roster, Fall will compete at his first Final Four as the Reds return to the main stage for the first time since 2017. However, perhaps more than most, Fall is determined to enjoy every minute there. 

"I am lucky enough to be part of the team that just qualified for the Final Four,", Fall said. "I am 30 years old, I know the time it took to get here. So I am going to enjoy this one."

Fall has been in basketball heaven the past couple of years, during which he first made his long-awaited EuroLeague debut and then won a silver medal with France at the 2021 Summer Olympics, before being an instrumental part in Olympiacos reaching the Final Four.

"It is really exciting. This does not happen to everybody," he commented.

"I think the fact that I came to the EuroLeague at this age is more easier, because I have more maturity." 

But don't expect the down-to-Earth center to get carried away, despite all the excitement. Because it took a lot of patience to get to this point.

His basketball journey started at age 17 when a friend took him along to a practice at a local club in Fall's hometown of Paris. About 2.02 meters at the time, the coach told him he should stay. A little over a year later, he was playing for Poitiers Basket's youth teams and he made his pro debut in the top level of the French Basketball couple of months after turning 20. 

"My second year in Poitiers, I remember I started playing in the preseason with the pros", Fall said. "And I was feeling pretty comfortable, way better than a year before. So, I was practicing a lot with them and I started to feel confident."

He bounced between the French second division, where he also played for AS Monaco – the team he helped beat in the best-of-five EuroLeague Playoffs series earlier this month - and the top flight where he also played for Antibes and Chalon. 

Fall grew into a 2.18-meter frame, using his frame to become one of the top rebounders and shot-blockers in France. At the age of 25, he decided to seek opportunities abroad. It turned into a journey longer than he expected.

Final Four Interview: Moustapha Fall, Olympiacos Piraeus

He started at Turkish side Sakarya, where Fall had a pretty good season, but was injured late. The next season he joined Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar and made his 7DAYS EuroCup debut, but was sidelined part of the year with a hernia. Finally, a great campaign at Turk Telekom Ankara during the COVID-19 shortened 2019-20 season allowed him to take another step up and finally be able to join a EuroLeague team, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne.

"I had to come back to France to prove myself again and show I belong to EuroLeague," Fall explained. 

He proved it quickly, posting 9.8 points on 70.1% shooting, with 5.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 blocks. It earned him a spot on the French national team at the Olympic Games and a gig with Olympiacos. The long journey finally paid dividends. And it is that journey that Fall said he thinks helped him take in stride everything that playing at a EuroLeague level threw at him.

"I think the fact that I came to the EuroLeague at this age is more easier, because I have more maturity. I don't have too many problems in my mind, thinking about some problems young guys can think of every time. So I am mature enough to understand the situation," Fall said. 

"And I think I came to a good team. Last year they were not so good, did not make the playoffs. I grew up at the same time with the team. Now, there are good expectations. We are going to the Final Four. There is a lot of motivation. I think it was perfect timing for me."

So perfect that he already signed a three-year contract extension in February, which will keep him in Piraeus until 2025.

"My family feels good here, so that is important", Fall explained. "Before I was by myself, so I did not care to move alone. I just found a good team. I never played for a such big team. Now you have a big team that is really satisfied with what you do. We are winning, it is a nice city, you have a nice contract. I feel comfortable here, I like it, there was no reason to wait."

Fall has recorded 8.4 points on 70.2% shooting, 5.1 rebounds and 1.0 block per game this season. Just like in his debut campaign, Fall did not waste much, if any, time for adjusting. Over two seasons, he has come off the bench in just three of his 66 career appearances in the competition, averaging just below 23 minutes per game so far.

Fall said his year at ASVEL helped a great deal: "It gave me experience. It was my first year in the EuroLeague, I needed to adjust to understand how it works. And to just show and prove myself and feel comfortable to play against big names. In EuroLeague, you have the big names, guys here 10 years, guys who made the Final Four six or seven times. You need to see if you can compete with those guys. And when you see you can, you feel more comfortable."

"I know nothing is guaranteed. You can have an injury, you need some luck, too. You just need one coach to trust you to reach this level."

He came such a long way that even Monaco coach Sasa Obradovic ahead of the deciding Game 5 of their playoff series stressed his team's need to solve the problem of Moustapha Fall. 

"It always feels good when you see the respect of other coaches, especially Obradovic," Fall said. "I played for him when I was in Russia so I know him really well. He knows my ability, he knows what I can do obviously. That's really a good feeling to have some big coaches like him say you are a problem for him. That means a lot to me."

Fall scored 4 points in that playoff series decider, but found a way to impact the game with 4 assists and now he heads with Olympiacos to Belgrade to compete for the EuroLeague crown. 

"I still want to win the EuroLeague, so I don't consider it an accomplishment yet," he said. 

However, don't mistake his ambition to do more with awareness of where he is and what he is done. The big man takes nothing for granted.

"I know nothing is guaranteed. You can have an injury, you need some luck, too. You just need one coach to trust you to reach this level... For me to be playing with one of the top four teams in Europe, it is a big thing knowing where I am from and the journey I had. That is a big accomplishment for me."

In Belgrade, there is one thing he expects.

"Crazy atmosphere, we know we are going to have a lot of fans", Fall said. "We got nothing to lose. Obviously, we want to win but with what people were thinking at the beginning of the season, we already overachieved. We don't need to put extra pressure. We just have to go and play as good as we can. We showed we compete with anybody all season long."

Olympiacos faces Anadolu Efes Istanbul in the first semifinals, before FC Barcelona and Real Madrid square off in the second semi.

"Efes is the reigning champion, Barcelona and Real Madrid might have the biggest budgets. We need to compete with big teams, but we have our chance. We will compete and we will see."

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