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

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four will feature a series of spectacular pregame shows, aimed at setting a new level of live entertainment and providing a truly exciting spectacle for fans both inside Stark Arena and watching at home. 


Pregame shows aiming to set new level of live entertainment

The creative concept, designed and produced by award-winning agency Filmmaster Events, is SPACE 4 GLORY, developing the metaphor of deep space, cosmic forces and the ultimate ‘event horizon’ of the Championship Game. A cosmic tale of great challenges, powerful competition and the ultimate glory pursued by EuroLeague teams, the shows will convey an exciting, visually-driven story which also emphasises the role of music in creating bonds between the Final Four and fans.

Filmmaster Events also produced the pregame shows at the Final Fours in Vitoria (2019) and Cologne (2021), with both editions winning international Best Event Awards in the categories of Best Sports Events (Vitoria), and Use of Technology and Digital Transformation (Cologne, for the use of Augmented Reality).

Roser Queralto, Chief Business Officer of Euroleague Basketball, said: “After the success and recognition we have received for our previous Final Four pregame shows, we are very happy to continue our collaboration with Filmmaster Events. Last year’s event in Cologne was held behind closed doors due to the pandemic so we created a show specifically designed for broadcast. This year in Belgrade we are very excited to celebrate the return of fans, so the shows will be based on live elements and special effects that will contribute to an electric atmosphere for a spectacular celebration of basketball.”

Thursday’s two semifinals will be preceded by shows of 2 minutes 30 seconds, the Third Place Game will have a scaled-down 45 seconds show, and the main event of the Championship Game on Saturday evening will be opened by a 4 minutes extravaganza, featuring two motorised platforms hosting DJ consoles which will descend from the ceiling and soar above the court. 

The DJs will interact with video content and the on-court dance crew, transforming Stark Arena into a contemporary urban dancehall. Street culture inspires the choreographies, also featuring parkour-style acrobatic stunts, LED handheld bars, and the surprise reveal of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Trophy at the center of the court.

Lasers, lighting and flame effects will further amplify the impact of the music and dancing, and the DJs in action high above the floor will expand the scope of the scene to encompass the whole arena, both vertically and horizontally.

The technical setup includes more than 40 winches, 12 of which are smart kinesys models, capable of moving equipment up to 24 meters in 60 seconds. The video content will come alive through more than 30 million pixels surrounding the court in all directions, while the lighting equipment encompasses 150 fixtures within the arena and 70 more on the DJ platforms, with 150kw of total power absorption, as well as two 30w laser beams moved by smart kinesys winches.

Semifinal, pre-game quotes FC Barcelona

### Nicolas Laprovittola, FC Barcelona guard

"We were talking in the team that the last games against Real were very different from each other. One had overtime, another had a low score. Truth to be told, it is hard to foresee tomorrow's game but there will be a lot of physical contacts, a lot of adrenaline and emotions. We have to be aware of all that. Sergio Llull took them here and he is an important player. We have to be careful with him. We have to keep Real out of its rhythm. We cannot allow them to find the run-and-gun game, getting easy points. Being focused will be one of the biggest keys, avoiding distractions and fighting for every ball, 100%."

Semifinal pre-game quotes: Nick Calathes, FC Barcelona

### Brandon Davies, FC Barcelona center

“It's Clasico. So you got to expect a tough game. As a competitor, these are the moments you wait for. Being a Clasico in the Final Four makes it even more special. We know them very well, but they know us very well. When you play each other so much in a year it comes down to fighting and sacrificing for your team. Hopefully, with that and attention to detail, we can get a win. They are tough at every position and right now specifically they are playing really well. Everyone seems to be fine-tuning their game so it is up to us to stop them collectively. Clasico brings more excitement, more energy and more meaning to the whole game, but we've been here before so hopefully, we can use that experience to calm some of those nerves to accomplish what we need to do."

Semifinal pre-game quotes: Kyle Kuric, FC Barcelona

### Alex Abrines, FC Barcelona forward

"What I expect from us is to do the things that we have been preparing. We worked hard all season to get here, for this moment. Now it's time to seize the opportunity. The team has to come out to win and to give everything. We know Real Madrid is a great team. Even though we managed to get the last ones, I think there were no big differences between the two teams. It was a matter of one play or one shot that we beat them. I expect a tough game to be handled point by point. We'll see which teams take care better of the details to win the game. There are no secrets. We have indeed prepared some small details, but it's difficult to surprise a team which you have played so many games against. I'm sure they will also have something to try to surprise us, a defense, an offense, but these won't mean a lot of points for any side.”

FC Barcelona v Real Madrid (2022-05-19T19:00:00.000Z)

Kyle Kuric - FC Barcelona practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

### Laprovittola’s moustache grows… on the wall

FC Barcelona arrived at Stark Arena as a team for the first time on Thursday evening to practice on the court. When they arrived at the locker-room, the players marveled at the supersized head shots of each player at his locker. Since those headshots were taken at the team’s preseason media day, there is always the possibility that a player or two might look a little different.

Such is the case with Barca guard Nicolas Laprovittola, who over the course of the season has groomed an impressive mustache. When Laprovittola was not in the room, an unnamed teammate took matters into his hands to “improve” Laprovittola’s photo by scribbling on a mustache. Does the light-hearted atmosphere speak well about the mental state of the Barca players? We’ll know more tomorrow!

### French stars meet up

There was a buzz even before Real Madrid met with reporters. Los Blancos filled their locker room and the hallway with players signing balls and meeting dignitaries. In that time, Olympiacos center Moustapha Fall walked by and ran into his countryman and national teammate Vincent Poirier of Real Madrid. The two, who helped Les Bleus to the silver medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, embraced and chatted for a few minutes before Fall headed to the showers and Poirier to the mixed zone where he would meet with reporters before his team’s practice. It was a nice moment between friends who could yet meet in the paint on Sunday.

### Schortsanitis interviews his former team

Olympiacos Piraeus was the next team to pass through the mixed zone and meet the media ahead of its practice at Stark Arena. While there were hundreds of journalists eager to meet the players, one of them stood out above the rest. He is former EuroLeague champion and All-EuroLeague First Team selection Sofoklis Schortsanitis.

"Big Sofo" is in Belgrade on assignment for a Greek television station and was curious to hear what some of his former teammates had to say. Schortsanitis, who played for the Reds from 2005 to 2010, had Georgios Printezis as well as the very young Kostas Papanikolaou and Kostas Sloukas as teammates there and on the Greek national team.

### Efes meets the press before practice

Reigning Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Anadolu Efes Istanbul was the first team to meet the press in the mixed zone before their Wednesday practice at Stark Arena. All the players and Coach Ergin Ataman were available for interviews about the big game against Olympiacos Piraeus tomorrow. Additionally, Elijah Bryant and last season's Final Four MVP Vasilije Micic were interviewed online for all media who could not attend the event.

Semifinal pre-game quotes: Vasilije Micic, Anadolu Efes Istanbul

"Even when people know we are known as an offensive team, in the last four playoffs game against Milan we showed a great part of our defensive ability, which gave us an extra boost," Micic said, perhaps foretelling a key to that semifinal.

Micic singled out Tyler Dorsey as one player who could be especially dangerous. "He is a very talented guy with a lot of points in his hands," he said. "Sasha Vezenkov is also a really unique player, very smart, a very clever guy to read the game."

### MVP Mirotic calls out Calathes in speech

The highlight of the annual EuroLeague awards ceremony is always the naming of the MVP. This season, one of the winner’s teammates saw it coming and worked his way into the speech. After Nikola Mirotic received the MVP trophy from coaching legend Zeljko Obradovic, he grabbed the microphone to share his thoughts.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The MVP did not forget about his teammate <a href="https://twitter.com/Nick_Calathes15?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Nick_Calathes15</a>!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> <a href="https://t.co/Uqq9LuyZTd">pic.twitter.com/Uqq9LuyZTd</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1526887142022123520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“A couple of weeks ago, my dear fiend Nick Calathes said in case you win, please remember me in your speech, so I said to him I will,” Mirotic revealed to the smiles of all on hand, including their coach, Sarunas Jasikevicius. Mirotic got a little more serious before adding: “I also want to thank Nick because he makes my life way easier on the court and he’s been an amazing teammate and friend.”

Mirotic’s full comments can be read [here](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/2021-22-turkish-airlines-euroleague-mvp-nikola-mirotic-fc-barcelona/).

### ANGT Finals underway!

If the semifinals and the championship game at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four are the main course, the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals are a tasty appetizer. The ANGT Finals are underway with U18 Mega Mozzart Belgrade and U18 PFYM INSEP Paris in action in the first game at Hala Sportova Ranko Zeravica. The tournament will feature 12 games through Friday and the winners of each group will square of on Saturday in the championship game. For more information on the games, check out [www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt](http://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt).

### 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.

Nick Calathes - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Alex Abrines - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Sarunas Jasikevicius - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Nigel Hayes-Davis - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Sertac Sanli - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Rokas Jokubaitis - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022

### 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."

Jeffery Taylor - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Pablo Laso - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Guerschon Yabusele - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Alberto Abalde - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Adam Hanga - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Rudy Fernandez - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Vincent Poirier - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022

### 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.

Final Four live blog: Laprovittola’s moustache grows… on the wall

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

Jeffery Taylor - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Pablo Laso - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Guerschon Yabusele - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Alberto Abalde - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Adam Hanga - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Rudy Fernandez - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Vincent Poirier - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Alex Abrines - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Nick Calathes - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Sarunas Jasikevicius - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Nigel Hayes-Davis - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Sertac Sanli - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Rokas Jokubaitis - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

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

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

Ergin Ataman 2- Anadolu Efes Istanbul practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Rodrigue Beaubois 2- Anadolu Efes Istanbul practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Filip Petrusev - Anadolu Efes Istanbul practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Sasha Vezenkov - Olympiacos Piraeus practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Olympiacos Piraeus practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Shaquielle McKissic - Olympiacos Piraeus practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Georgios Bartzokas - Olympiacos Piraeus practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Sofoklis Schortsanitis 2- Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Players FC Barcelona practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Sertac Sanli - FC Barcelona practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Cory Higgins - FC Barcelona practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Vincent Poirier - Real Madrid practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Jeffery Taylor - Real Madrid practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Euroleague Basketball is taking its digital transformation to the next level with a series of exciting developments that will give fans unique new ways of enjoying the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, to be played in Belgrade, Serbia, from Thursday, March 19, to Saturday, March 21.

Semifinal, pre-game quotes Real Madrid

### Guerschon Yabusele, Real Madrid forward

“I would say to expect a lot of intensity in the semifinals. A physical game. The best team will win it for sure. We are going to try to play our best. Obviously, it is a really important game for us and, you know, it will be a lot of competition. I think the key will be to just play together. We played Barcelona so many times this season, we know their style. We just have to stay together, play together for 40 minutes, and do whatever it takes to win the game. The most important is to get a win, no matter how it goes. We always had confidence, even when we had tough times, we knew we have the strength to turn the tables around and we kept believing in ourselves.”

Semifinal pre-game quotes: Fabien Causeur, Real Madrid

### Anthony Randolph, Real Madrid forward

"I think the game is going to be tough from the start. I think we both are elite teams, we have a lot of history. We both understand how important it is to come out and play for the 40 minutes in order to give our team chances to win… We have to take care of the ball. We know they have great players, we have to measure it out, try to contain them and as best as we can, and finish every one of their possessions with a rebound."

Semifinal pre-game quotes: Nigel Williams-Goss, Real Madrid

### Sergio Llull, Real Madrid guard

"It's a semifinal game against a great team. I'm sure it's going to be very tough, we will need to get ready to play for the whole 40 minutes, to play consistently for the entire game. We will try to do our best, to display our best version as a team and try to advance to the final… We need to stick to ourselves, to be ourselves. We face a big team, with great players, that play very physical but I think that if we are able to match that toughness, we play good defense and we control the boards, we will have chances to win."

Several numbers jump out from the previous meetings this season between Olympiacos Piraeus and Anadolu Efes Istanbul that could be worth following in their semifinal clash.

Significant stat: Shooting percentages could tell the story 

Although the teams split the two games, not much else was equal. Efes committed fewer turnovers in each, totaling 18 while the Reds had 26. Not only did Efes have more possessions, but it shot significantly better, too, making 62.0% of their two-pointers. Both teams attempted 71 twos, however, Olympiacos shot 53.5%, which was equal to 6 fewer. Efes was also the superior three-point shooting team, making 20 at 33.9%. The Reds made 17 at 30.9%. 

Semifinal, pre-game quotes: Olympiacos Piraeus

### Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach

"We just need to focus on ourselves, have to play with confidence, we have to play for our shirts, for our city, Piraeus. For our club. And to enjoy the moment. Sometimes it is rare to be in this position to play the Final Four, to play for the title. So we don't have to exaggerate in anything, we just need to enjoy the moment… There is nothing hidden anymore. Look left and right. Some people have not experienced all this and this is their first time. Suddenly it is in focus. We want to do what we do all year and if we have 1-2 players on a good day, even better."

### Sasha Vezenkov, Olympiacos Piraeus forward

"We play against the reigning champions, they are a really quality team with great players. We expect to be 100 percent ready physically and mentally, to be there, to put our best face and best performance, and then get our chances to win the game. I think we have to control the rhythm, reduce our turnovers on offense and play hard defense to stop Efes's movement and their style, the good offense they have. We know we will have the support of the fans, we know that half of the whole court will be red. We like to play in front of our fans and we love that this will happen."

Semifinal pre-game quotes: Tyler Dorsey, Olympiacos Piraeus

### Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos Piraeus guard 

"Obviously, I like their skill level and how they move the ball but also they are confident. They play with a tremendous amount of confidence. On offense, they have a lot of firepower and individual talent. We have to be ready to guard them for 40 minutes and so we will do. I am definitely ready \[to play against Micic and Larkin\]. I had to guard Mike James and five games against a guy like that prepares you for stuff like this. Obviously, they are really good players but I am up for the challenge. It is just one game, but they \[Olympiacos fans\] bring such energy that can propel you to the win, for sure. We know who we are playing for and they mean the world to us. We are going to go out there and play for them."

### Shaquielle McKissic, Olympiacos Piraeus guard

“I expect a high-energy game. It will be hard to stop their guards and their bigs. They have a very challenging team. They are the defending champs. As far as us, we just got to lock in and do what the coach says. They are a really good scoring team. They have really good scoring guards. We can play the best defense in the world, but if they come out clicking it will be a tough game. Both teams will have to find a way to win. Hopefully it will feel like home in here. I am getting an inclination that it will, so hopefully it will be the same type of vibe. We just have to have fun. We have a huge opportunity to hold the trophy over our heads, but like Papanikolaou told me: the hard part is getting here, once you get here anything can happen.”

Semifinal pre-game quotes: Kostas Sloukas, Olympiacos Piraeus

### Kostas Papanikolaou, Olympiacos Piraeus forward 

"We play the reigning champions. That says a lot. They are a very good, strong team. Full roster, a lot of great players, very talented players. It is not going to be easy, but this is not supposed to be easy. This is the Final Four, every game has to be hard. We just have to fight, do our job, and do our best on the court to fight for our possibilities. And at the end of the night, we will look at the scoreboard and see the result."

Georgios Printezis - Olympiacos Piraeus practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Here are some interesting facts about the game semifinal between Olympiacos Piraeus and Efes Pilsen Istanbul.

Game Facts, Semifinal, Olympiacos vs. Efes

### Olympiacos Piraeus

**Streaks**

Kostas Sloukas has posted double-digit PIRs in 18 of his last 19 games.

Sloukas has made at least 1 three-point shot in nine straight games and made multiple triples in eight of those.

Sloukas has scored in double figures in five of his last six games.

Sasha Vezenkov has made at least 1 three-pointer in 30 of his last 31 games and made multiple triples in seven of his last eight games.

Vezenkov has posted a PIR in double figures in 27 straight games.

Vezenkov has scored in double figures in 16 of his last 17 games.

Moustapha Fall has recorded PIRs in double figures in 13 of his last 14 games.

Fall has blocked at least 1 shot in five of his last six games.

Tyler Dorsey has made at least 1 three-point shot in nine of his last 10 games.

Thomas Walkup has made at least 1 three-pointer in six straight games and multiple triples in five of those games.

**Rankings**

Sasha Vezenkov ranks sixth this season in average PIR with 17.8 per game.

Vezenkov ranks ninth in rebounding this season with 5.8 per game.

Moustapha Fall ranks sixth in the league this season in two-point shooting at 70.2% and Vezenkov is ninth at 66.7%.

Fall ranks fourth in blocks with 1.0 per game.

Tyler Dorsey ranks ninth in three-point shots made with 2.0 per game.

Kostas Sloukas ranks fifth in assists with 4.9 per game.

**Final Four records/Milestones**

Sloukas is in 10th place on all-time Final Four charts with 38 assists. His former teammate Vassilis Spanoulis is ninth with 39 and CSKA Moscow greats JR Holden and Victor Khryapa are tied for seventh with 45. 

**Records/Milestones**

Georgios Printezis is the all-time leader in field goals made with 1,427 for his career.

Printezis ranks second all-time in two-point shots made. He has 1,193 for his career. Kyle Hines of AX Armani Exchange Milan is the all-time leader with 1,209.

Printezis ranks sixth all-time with 1,452 career rebounds. Ante Tomic is fifth with 1,545.

Printezis ranks fourth all-time with 3,597 points scored. Nando De Colo of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul is third with 3,825 points. 

Printezis ranks fourth all-time with 1,065 defensive rebounds. Felipe Reyes is third with 1,094.

Printezis ranks 14th all-time with 387 offensive rebounds. Tibor Pleiss of Anadolu Efes Istanbul is 13th with 402 and counting.

Printezis ranks seventh all-time with 3,818 performance index rating points. Jan Vesely is sixth with 3,837.

Kostas Sloukas is in fifth place all-time with 1,297 assists. Thomas Heurtel of Real Madrid is fourth with 1,340 and counting.

Sloukas ranks eighth all-time with 675 free throws made. Marcus Brown is seventh with 690.

Kostas Papanikolaou and Georgios Printezis are tied for third place all-time with 237 career starts. Vassilis Spanoulis is second with 254.

Papanikolaou needs 18 points to reach 2,000 for his career.

Papanikolaou needs 4 three-pointers to reach 300 for his career.

### Anadolu Efes Istanbul

**Streaks**

Vasilije Micic has scored 12 or more points in 17 of his last 18 games.

Micic has PIRs of 12 or more in 17 of his last 18 appearances.

Micic has made at least 1 three-point shot in 15 straight games and has made multiple triples in 10 straight.

Micic has at least 1 steal in four consecutive games.

Shane Larkin has made at least 1 three-point shot in nine of his last 10 games.

Larkin has scored in double figures in nine of his last 10 games. 

Larkin has posted double-digit PIRs in seven consecutive games.

Larkin has at least 1 steal in five straight games.

**Rankings**

Shane Larkin ranks second in average PIR this season with 18.9 per game and Vasilije Micic is seventh with 17.5 per game.

Vasilije Micic leads the league in scoring with 18.2 per game; Larkin ranks sixth with 14.6 points per game.

Larkin ranks fourth in assists with 5.3 per game and Micic ranks sixth with 4.6 per game.

Larkin ranks eighth in steals with 1.3 per game.

Larkin ranks third in three-point shots made with 2.4 per game and Vasilije Micic is seventh at 2.1.

Larkin ranks third in free throw accuracy this season at 91.4%.

Bryant Dunston ranks third in two-point shooting this season at 71.1%.

Dunston ranks fifth in blocks with 1.0 per game.

**Final Four records/Milestones**

Shane Larkin set a Final Four championship game record with 29 points in a 2019 loss vs. CSKA Moscow.

Larkin set a Final Four championship game record by making 12 free throws without a miss in 2021. He tied the free throws made mark and became the first one to do it without a miss. He also made 11 of 12 free throws in the 2019 championship game.

Larkin scored 30 points in Anadolu Efes Istanbul's 92-73 win over Fenerbahce Istanbul in 2019 semis. It is tied for the eighth-most points scored in a Final Four game and tied for the fifth-most points in a Final Four semifinal game. Larkin is one of only seven different players to score at least 30 points in a Final Four game.

**Records/Milestones**

Shane Larkin set the EuroLeague single-game scoring record with 49 points in a victory over FC Bayern Munich in November 2019. In that game, he also tied the competition record with 10 three-pointers made.

Larkin knocked down a EuroLeague-record-tying 10 three-pointers against Olympiacos Piraeus in March 2020 when he scored 40 points, becoming the first player this century to score 40 or more points twice in his career.

Bryant Dunston is the all-time leader in blocked shots with 307.

Tibor Pleiss ranks sixth all-time with 200 blocked shots. Alex Tyus is fifth with 217.

Dunston is ranked 10th all-time with 1,265 rebounds. Mirsad Turkcan is eighth with 1,287.

Dunston ranks fifth all-time with 523 career offensive rebounds. Paulius Jankunas is fourth with 557.

Pleiss ranks 12th all-time with 1,204 career rebounds. James Gist is 11th with 1,213.

Pleiss ranks 13th all-time with 402 offensive rebounds. Water Tavares of Real Madrid is 12th with 416 and counting.

Vasilije Micic ranks 10th all-time with 920 assists. Theo Papaloukas is ninth with 977.

Dogus Balbay needs 1 assist to reach 200 for his career.

Here are some interesting facts about the game semifinal between FC Bbarcelona and Real Madrid.

Game Facts, Semifinal, Barcelona vs. Madrid

### FC Barcelona

**Streaks**

Nikola Mirotic has scored in double figures and had double-digit PIRs in 11 of his last 12 games.

Mirotic has made at least 1 three-point shot in five of his last six games.

Nicolas Laprovittola has made at least 1 three-pointer in five straight and 12 of his last 13 games.

Nick Calathes has dished 5 or more assists in 12 of his last 13 games.

**Rankings**

Nikola Mirotic ranks second in the league in scoring this season with 16.6 per game.

Mirotic leads the league in average PIR with 19.4 per game.

Nikola Mirotic ranks third in the league in three-point accuracy at 45.5% and Nicolas Laprovittola is eighth at 44.0%.

Mirotic and Laprovittola are tied for 10th in three-point shots made with 1.9 per game.

Nick Calathes ranks second in the league in assists with 6.0 per game.

Laprovittola ranks second in the league in free-throw accuracy this season with 91.5% and Kyle Kuric is fourth with 91.2%.

**Records/Milestones**

Nick Calathes set the EuroLeague single-season record in 2018-19 with 286 total assists.

Calathes is the EuroLeague career leader with 1,689 assists.

Calathes is in second place all-time time with 364 steals; his former Panathinaikos teammate Dimitris Diamantidis is the all-time leader with 434.

Calathes ranks fifth all-time with 235 career starts.

Calathes ranks fourth all-time with a 2.67-to-1 career assist-to-turnover ratio.

Kyle Kuric ranks third all-time in free throw accuracy at 91.2%.

Kuric ranks seventh all-time in three-point accuracy at 45.2%.

Mirotic ranks 10th all-time with 653 free throws made. Jaka Lakovic is ninth with 673.

### Real Madrid

**Streaks**

Guerschon Yabusele has made at least 1 three-point shot in nine of his last 10 games.

Yabusele has scored in double figures and had double-digit PIRs in eight of his last nine games.

Yabusele has at least 1 steal in five of his last six games.

Sergio Llull has made at least 1 three-point shot in eight of his last nine games.

Walter Tavares has at least 1 block in six of his last seven games.

Nigel Williams-Goss has made at least 1 three-pointer in six of his last seven games.

Rudy Fernandez has made at least 1 three-point shot in five consecutive games.

Gabriel Deck has made at least 1 three-point shot in five straight appearances.

Deck has scored 10 or more points in five of his last six appearances.

**Rankings**

Walter Tavares is third in the league this season in average PIR with 18.5 per game.

Tavares ranks second in the league in rebounding with 7.6 per game and leads the league in offensive rebounding with 3.0 per game.

Tavares ranks seventh in two-point shooting at 69.5%.

Tavares ranks second in the league in blocks with 1.7 per game.

Tavares ranks fourth in two-point shots made at 4.4 per game.

Vincent Poirier ranks 11th in rebounding with 5.5 per game and fourth in offensive rebounding with 2.5 per game.

Thomas Heurtel ranks seventh in assists with 4.6 per game.

Fabien Causeur is tied for third in the league in three-point accuracy at 45.5%.

**Final Four records/Milestones**

Rudy Fernandez is tied for third place on the all-time Final Four charts with 18 steals. CSKA Moscow great J.R. Holden leads the all-time list with 24.

Llull is fifth all-time in Final Four scoring with 167 points. Barcelona legend Juan Carlos Navarro is fourth with 168 and Trajan Langdon third with 172. 

Llull is in third place on the all-time Final Four charts with 53 assists. He needs 6 more to catch all-time leader Theo Papaloukas (59).

Llull has made 24 three-pointers in Final Four history, which is fifth-best all-time. Milos Teodosic and Sergio Rodriguez are tied for third with 26. Juan Carlos Navarro leads the rankings with 31 three-pointers.

Llull dished 9 assists against Fenerbahce Istanbul in the 2015 semifinals. That is tied for the fourth-most assists in a Final Four game this century and tied for the seventh-most in a Final Four game ever.

Llull had 8 assists in the 2015 championship game, which is one shy of the championship game record of 9.

Llull scored 28 points in an 84-75 loss against Fenerbahce Istanbul at the 2017 Final Four, which is tied for 10th-most points in a Final Four semifinal.

**Records/Milestones**

Sergio Llull is in fifth place all-time with 3,489 points scored in his career. Georgios Printezis of Olympiacos Piraeus is fourth with 3,597 and counting.

 Llull is ranked seventh all-time with 1,251 assists. Dimitris Diamantidis is sixth with 1,255.

 Llull ranks 12th all-time with 619 free throws made. Dimitris Diamantidis 11th with 635. 

Llull ranks third all-time with a 2.77-to-1 career assist-to-turnover ratio, and Rudy Fernandez is 15th at 2.38-to-1.

Rudy Fernandez is in second place all-time with 547 three-point shots made. Llull is third all-time with 546 three-point shots made.

Fernandez ranks fourth all-time with 327 steals. Theo Papaloukas is third with 335.

Walter Tavares is ranked third all-time with 280 blocks. Kyle Hines of AX Armani Exchange Milan is second with 286 and counting.

Tavares is second all-time in two-point accuracy at 69.4%.

Tavares ranks 12th all-time with 416 offensive rebounds. Kerem Gonlum is 11th with 421.

Anthony Randolph needs 1 steal to reach 100 for his EuroLeague career.

Randolph needs 2 rebounds to reach 700 for his career.

FC Barcelona was among the better rebounding teams in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague this season, but it couldn’t hold a candle to Real Madrid’s dominance on the boards.

Significant stat: Rebounding could be key for Barca against Real

Coach Sarunas Jasikevicius’s men allowed the second-fewest rebounds in the league this season, just 31.2 per game, and outrebounded opponents by 3.2 boards per game. It collected the third-most defensive boards (24.3 rpg.) and ranked fourth in total rebounds (34.4 rpg.). 

Real’s rebounding dominance put it in a separate stratosphere. Los Blancos led the league in rebounds (38.3 rpg.) and defensive boards (26.8 drpg.) and ranked second with 11.6 offensive boards per game. It allowed the third-fewest rebounds (31.7 rpg.) and outrebounded opponents by an astounding 6.6 rebounds per game.

That was not the case when Real faced Barcelona this season. When they met in Round 14, Barcelona outrebounded Real 36-29. And then in Round 26, Barca won the battle of the boards 39-36. On average, Barcelona grabbed 5 more boards per game than the opponent in El Clasico this season. 

Matching those strong defensive efforts could make all the difference for Barcelona as it faces what has been the EuroLeague’s best rebounding team in the semifinals.

As part of its ongoing efforts to support local companies and feed into the grassroots passion for the sport, Euroleague Basketball is excited to welcome Tehnomanija, Kafeterija and DDOR Novi Sad to its family of partners. By associating these three premium local brands with Europe’s marquee basketball event, local fans can enjoy the unique Final Four experience even more and enhance their passion for basketball.

Tehnomanija, Kafeterija, and DDOR Novi Sad join family of Final Four partners 

Kafeterija is one of the biggest coffee chains in Eastern Europe with more than 40 coffee shops in Serbia and Montenegro. Tehnomanija is a local leader in selling technology and electronic consumer goods. DDOR Novi Sad is among the largest and most trusted insurance companies in Serbia.

Euroleague Basketball is committed to working with outstanding local brands that have shown a grassroots commitment to the sport in various European regions. Accordingly, these premium local brands will gain valuable exposure through the EuroLeague’s ever-growing reach. 

### KAFETERIJA

Kafeterija is one of the biggest coffee chains in Eastern Europe. With more than 40 coffee shops opened in five cities in Serbia and Montenegro in only eight years, Kafeterija is one of the fastest-growing Serbian brands. 

What makes Kafeterija stand out is its quality coffee, high standards of service and a unique approach to promotion. It boasts a team of young experts eager to learn and make the brand better and more fit for customers day by day. 

### Tehnomanija

Tehnomanija, part of Roaming group, is a leader in selling technology and electronic consumer goods. It has 1,800 employees in 124 stores in Serbia and nearly 5 million website visitors per month. Tehnomanija offers more than 20,000 different products and this number is constantly growing as new categories such as fitness, baby and garden equipment are introduced. The company's vision is to become a regional omnichannel retailer and provide a top-notch customer experience in all selling and communication channels.

### DDOR Novi Sad

DDOR Novi Sad has more than 75 years of experience in the local insurance industry. Since 2012, it has been part of the leading Italian group Unipol Gruppo S.p.A. with a written premium of more than EUR 13 billion in 2021 and with close to 17 million clients.

With its team of over 1,300 employees and through its strong and developed network of 100 internal and over 500 external points of sale, DDOR Novi Sad serves nearly 400,000 customers with a premium of almost RSD 14 billion. DDOR Novi Sad is a socially responsible company and invests significant funds in culture, art, sports, environment protection and traffic safety. DDOR is the official insurance of the Olympic Committee of Serbia and the project "Novi Sad - European Capital of Culture".

The leader of the team that rode atop the standings for most of the season, forward Nikola Mirotic of FC Barcelona has been chosen by fans, media, head coaches and team captains as the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP.

2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP: Nikola Mirotic, FC Barcelona

Mirotic, 31, was awarded his highest honor yet in a career full of accolades during the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Awards Ceremony in Belgrade, Serbia, on Wednesday, the eve of the 2022 Final Four. The ceremony was held at Stark Arena, where Barcelona will take on Real Madrid in the second semifinal on Thursday, right after Olympiacos Piraeus and Anadolu Efes Istanbul face off in the other.

Mirotic had another stellar season, ranking first among all EuroLeague players with an average performance index rating of 19.4 and second in scoring with 16.6 points per game. In both categories, he was the league leader on a per-minute basis, with a 32.1 PIR and 24.5 points prorated over 40 minutes. Mirotic shot the ball this season with historic efficiency, becoming just the second player in EuroLeague history to post 65-45-85 shooting percentages; he made 65.6% of his two-point shots, 45.5% of his three-pointers and 87.5% of his free throws.

Mirotic was chosen as the MVP of the Month in both October and December, which gave him a record seven such awards. He was MVP of the Round three times, too, tied for the most by any player this season. His early-season dominance led Barca to a 6-0 start and a season-long place among the top two teams in the standings. His December MVP award included the last five wins in a nine-game winning streak that propelled Barca to the best record of the regular season, 21-7.

Mirotic also was recognized on Wednesday for his second consecutive selection to the All-EuroLeague First Team. He began winning EuroLeague awards more than a decade ago when he was the back-to-back Rising Star Trophy winner in 2010-11 and 2011-12 and was selected to the All-EuroLeague Second Team in the next two seasons. Only two other active players have more All-EuroLeague selections than Mirotic, who spent five seasons in the NBA before returning to Europe to sign with Barca in 2019.

2021-22 MVP of the Season: Nikola Mirotic, FC Barcelona

Mirotic was the first choice of the head coaches, the team captains and the media in this season's MVP voting. Mike James of AS Monaco finished second in the overall voting and Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos Piraeus third. He is the second Barca player to be celebrated as the full-season MVP, following Juan Carlos Navarro in the 2008-09 season.

“I would like to say that it’s a big pleasure for me to receive this award from our greatest coach Zeljko Obradovic and I would like to thank my team FC Barcelona, the whole organization, coaching staff, all the players, because at the end this is a team job. A couple of weeks ago, my dear friend Nick Calathes said in case you win, please remember me in your speech, so I said to him I will. So I also want to thank Nick because he makes my life way easier on the court and he’s been an amazing teammate and friend. At the end, I want to say a couple of words to a special person here with us, my personal coach, Jadran Vujacic. He was my first coach since I started basketball and he really pushed me very hard to get to this point, all the summers working together hard. He is the person who really believed in me more than I ever believed in myself, so this trophy also goes to him.

“It feels great to have this award in my hands, but I know that the job I came here for is not done. I know why I came. Last season Micic did an incredible job and he demonstrated in the Final Four why he was the MVP. It was well deserved, hopefully, this year I can do my job.”

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Some special messages for the MVP<br><br>📣 <a href="https://twitter.com/AntoGriezmann?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AntoGriezmann</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ud3no8aseg">pic.twitter.com/Ud3no8aseg</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1526870831657324545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Born in Podgorica, Montenegro, Mirotic was a late-comer to basketball, introduced to the sport at age 13 by his grandfather. Within two years, after time spent at the Joker School in his hometown, Mirotic had signed his first contract with Real Madrid, joining its youth program. By 2008, he was on Real's senior roster and made his EuroLeague debut shortly after turning 18 in a road game against Barcelona. He would help Real make its Final Four return after 15 years in 2011. In two more Final Four appearances with Real, in 2013 and 2014, they finished as the runner-up.

Mirotic went on to play in the NBA before joining Barca at age 28, right in the prime of his career, and after the 2019-20 season was discontinued, led his new team last year to its first Final Four in seven years. They lost the championship game to Efes, but Barcelona comes into this weekend in Belgrade with the best overall record of all EuroLeague teams, 24-9, and now with the MVP of the season leading a quest to take one step further to the title.

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2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP: Nikola Mirotic, FC Barcelona

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