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

Euroleague Basketball's gamification strategy adds blockchain technology and Web3 space

Euroleague to add new fantasy dimension, Ultimate Champions 

For fans, one of the greatest advantages of NFT Gamification is being able to own the assets they play with, which readies them for a future in which interoperability will be the norm, and their devotion will enable them to experience new products and perks. The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague will be part of the Ultimate Champions platform, developed by Unagi, starting with the 2022-23 season. Ultimate Champions is a completely free-to-play fantasy game with officially licensed digital cards of your favourite basketball players that you can fully own, collect and trade because they are NFTs.

Ultimate Champions launched its fantasy football game in April of 2022 with over 35 clubs, including the English Premier League powerhouse Arsenal FC, and has now set its sights on the second most popular sport on the planet: basketball. Ultimate Champions is fulfilling its vision of becoming the go-to fantasy sports platform for all major sports through this long-term partnership with Euroleague Basketball, which is the top professional basketball management company in Europe. With over 500 games every season across the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the 7Days EuroCup, it is perfectly suited to this new era of fantasy gaming.

Euroleague to add new fantasy dimension, Ultimate Champions

Unagi's co-CEOs, Charlie Guillemot and Remi Pellerin, stated: "We are really excited about the partnership with the Euroleague. As lifelong fans, we know the passion, energy and enthusiasm brought by both the EuroLeague and EuroCup. We have been impressed by their new corporate strategy – focusing on youth, urban locations, and new distribution channels – including the Web3 ecosystem. We believe the Ultimate Champions platform provides a new way for European basketball fans to engage with their teams and players. The EuroLeague is the anchor of our strategy around basketball for our product expansion. Let's ball!"

Roser Queralto, Chief Business Officer at Euroleague Basketball, said: "We are honored that Unagi has chosen Euroleague Basketball to expand their Ultimate Champions platform into new sports, basketball in particular. It is a unique fan engagement platform that is currently being built on top of renowned football properties, and that will grow exponentially thanks to basketball and the EuroLeague. That is a testament to our gaming strategy and the legacy of the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge community."

French company Unagi will launch the NFT game next season.

Euroleague Basketball's gamification strategy adds blockchain technology and Web3 space

Here are some interesting facts you might not know about Real Madrid.

Real Madrid: Did you know? Championship Game edition

...Real Madrid has the chance to win its 11th EuroLeague title? It leads the all-time standings with 10 titles, but only three of them have come in the last 35 years. Real has won the competition in 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1974, 1978, 1980, 1995, 2015 and 2018.

...Real looks for its 19th EuroLeague Championship Game appearance? It leads the all-time list with 18 championship game appearances. Maccabi Tel Aviv has been to 14 EuroLeague and one SuproLeague title game. CSKA Moscow has reached the EuroLeague Championship Game 14 times. 

...Real has the chance to lift its 17th continental trophy? In addition to its 10 EuroLeague titles, Madrid has won four Saporta Cups, a Korac Cup and a ULEB Cup – currently 7DAYS EuroCup.

... Rudy Fernandez belongs to a select group of players to have won both the EuroLeague and the EuroCup titles? Fernandez won the EuroCup with DKV Joventut Badalona in 2008 and two EuroLeague crowns with Real in 2015 and 2018. The list includes two other Spanish players: Felipe Reyes and Ricky Rubio, and also features stars like Nando De Colo, Nick Calathes or Romain Sato. 

...Fernandez and Sergio Llull belong to a group of 23 players who have won the EuroLeague, EuroBasket and World Championship titles? Llull and Fernandez are two of the four players on the list not hailing from the former Soviet Union or former Yugoslavia; Felipe Reyes and Juan Carlos Navarro are the others. The list includes all-time greats such as Arvydas Sabonis, Drazen Petrovic and Toni Kukoc.

...Fernandez headlines the short list of players to have won a World Championship, EuroBasket, EuroLeague and EuroCup?  He is joined only by Dejan Tomasevic and Reyes. 

...Llull and Fernandez are in their fifth championship game? They made it this far in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2018. The last Spanish player to reach five EuroLeague Championship Games was Rafa Rullan, who was in six finals (1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1985)

...Coach Pablo Laso is in his fifth EuroLeague Championship Game, too? He joins Bozidar Maljkovic and Lolo Sainz in a fifth-place tie. Zeljko Obradovic (11 + SuproLeague) leads the table, followed by Ettore Messina (9), Pedro Ferrandiz (7) and Alexander Gomelskiy (6). 

...Llull is one of two EuroLeague MVPs present at the Championship Game? Llull earned that honor two seasons ago.  Vasilije Micic was the 2020-21 EuroLeague MVP.

...Llull is the third-best scorer in Final Four history? He has amassed 182 points. Only Nikos Galis (231 points) and J.R. Holden (194) are ahead of him. 

...Llull has a good chance to climb into first place on the Final Four's career assists list? He already ranks ties for second place with former teammate Sergio Rodriguez, each with 56 assists. Theo Papaloukas leads the all-time charts with 59 assists in Final Four action.

...Adam Hanga and Tavares are two of the three former EuroLeague Best Defenders at the 2022 Championship Game? Hanga won the trophy in 2017 and Tavares did it in 2019 and 2021. Bryant Dunston of Efes (2014, 2015) has also won the award in the past.

...Hanga can become the first Hungarian player to win the EuroLeague title? Kornel David came closest when he reached the championship game with Tau Ceramica in 2005.

...Hanga is the first player to make it to the Final Four with three different Spanish teams? Hanga played the 2016 Final Four with Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and also made it with FC Barcelona in 2021. 

...Fernandez is tied for third place in steals in Final Four history? He has collected 18, just like Dimitris Diamantidis. Holden ranks first (24), followed by Victor Khryapa (22).

...Fernandez and Llull can win their third EuroLeague title? The last Spanish players to win three EuroLeague titles were Rafael Rullan, Juan Antonio Corbalan and Luis Maria Prada with Real in 1974, 1978 and 1980.

...Jeffery Taylor is the only Swedish player to have won the EuroLeague? 

...Alberto Abalde can join an exclusive list of Adidas Next Generation Tournament MVPs who also won the EuroLeague title? Abalde was the ANGT MVP in 2013 with Joventut Badalona. Luka Doncic is the only player to get both – he was the ANGT MVP in 2015 and won the EuroLeague in 2018 with Real. Only eight players won both titles, and only four  of them won the EuroLeague being an active Final Four player: Doncic, Nikita Kurbanov, Jonas Maciulis and Alexey Shved.

...Gabriel Deck can join a list of Argentineans that won the EuroLeague title? The list features Hugo Sconochini (Virtus 1998, 2001), Facu Campazzo (Real 2015, 2018), Manu Ginobili (Virtus 2001), Pepe Sanchez (Panathinaikos 2002) and Andres Nocioni (Real 2015). Nicolas Laprovittola of FC Barcelona can also join this list in 2022.

Real Madrid v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2022-05-21T17:00:00.000Z)

Here are some interesting facts you might not know about Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul: Did you know...? Championship Game edition

...Efes has a chance to win a second consecutive Turkish Airlines EuroLeague title? Maccabi Tel Aviv (2004, 2005) and Olympiacos Piraeus (2012, 2013) are the only teams to do this since the turn of the millennium.

...Efes became the first Turkish team in any sport to win a European competition? It lifted the Korac Cup in 1996 won its first EuroLeague crown 25 years later.

...Efes returns to the Championship Game with 11 players and the coach who played in the 2021 EuroLeague Championship Game? Sertac Sanli is the only player that is not with the team – but he is at the Final Four with FC Barcelona. Elijah Bryant, Filip Petrusev and Egemen Guven were not with the team last season. 

...Ergin Ataman has won four different continental titles! He won the Saporta Cup with Montepaschi Siena in 2002, the EuroChallenge with Besiktas Istanbul in 2012, the 7DAYS EuroCup with Galatasaray Istanbul in 2015 and the EuroLeague with Efes in 2021. Only two coaches have won four different European competitions: Dusan Ivkovic (EuroLeague, EuroCup, Saporta, Korac) and Aito Garcia Reneses (EuroCup, Saporta, Korac, EuroChallenge).

...Ataman can join an elite group of coaches that won back-to-back EuroLeague titles? Aleksander Gomelskiy (ASK Riga 1958, 1959, 1960), Pedro Ferrandiz (Real Madrid 1967, 1968), Aleksandar Nikolic (Varese 1972, 1973), Sandro Gamba (Varese 1975, 1976), Bozidar Maljkovic (Split 1989, 1990), Zeljko Obradovic (Joventut 1994, Real Madrid 1995) and Pini Gershon (Maccabi 2004, 2005).

Anadolu Efes Istanbul: Did you know? Championship Game edition

### After dramatic semis, focus shifts to finale 

Perspective is everything. And so was the case with the EuroLeague Semifinals, which set the stage for perhaps even bigger drama in the title-decider on Saturday night.

A newcomer to European basketball would surely gush at the events of Thursday night at Stark Arena. Two games that went to the wire in front of a packed house with loud, boisterous fans. Heroic efforts from superstars and role players alike. High-level basketball for 80 minutes. A grizzled veteran of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague might wink and say, “just another typical night at the EuroLeague Semifinals.”

The two semifinal games decided by a grand total of 6 points is the second-lowest margin of victory in the semis on record. The lowest was just last season when FC Barcelona edged AX Armani Exchange Milan by 2 and Anadolu Efes Istanbul bested CSKA Moscow by 3. Indeed, drama in the semifinals has become the norm.

And with that as the backdrop, the focus in Belgrade will quickly shift to Saturday night’s main event, Real Madrid vs. Efes for all the marbles. It will be the first game since the EuroLeague adopted a season-long round-robin format that neither of the finalists finished among the top three in the regular-season standings, but rest assured these are worthy contenders. 

After all, they collectively took out those top three teams with No. 6 Efes KO’ing No. 3 Milan in the playoffs and No. 2 Olympiacos Piraeus last night while No. 4 Real disposed of the top regular-season team, Barcelona, in Thursday’s second semifinal. 

Over the next 36 hours, countless words will be written about this championship game, analyzing it from all angles, dissecting their previous meetings, parsing words spoken by players and coaches. And then we will get to the biggest game of the season. It’s what we’ve all been waiting for.

### Semifinals are here!

The day has finally arrived! The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four gets underway with both semifinals, Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul and FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid. All EuroLeague fans have been waiting for this moment for a long time. All teams practiced and are ready to go. Olympiacos fans are all around the arena, wearing their red and white uniforms with a lot of pride, but there many Efes fans around, too. A great atmosphere is guaranteed when the ball goes up in the air - Stark Arena, one of the biggest basketball arenas in the worlds, is sold out. 

As always, we will be covering the game on [EuroLeague.net](http://EuroLeague.net). Our Game Blog will be active before the start of the first semifinals until we know which two teams made it to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game on Saturday. Stay tuned for inside information, game analysis, exclusive footage and much more. Finally, it's Final Four time! Good luck to all four teams!

### FanZone open for business

It's Semifinals Thursday at the Final Four, which also means the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague FanZone has opened its doors. Located at the spacious Savski Square, along the trendy Belgrade waterfront, the FanZone will once again be the Final Four's starting point for fans of all ages.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to flock over the next three days to the FanZone where everyone will be able to participate in a wide array of activities. Thanks to Euroleague Basketball partners Turkish Airlines, 7DAYS, BKT, Adidas and many more, the visitors will be able to do a variety of things at more than a dozen stands and pavilions set up in the FanZone. The activities range from measuring hang time and testing basketball knowledge to taking photos with the EuroLeague trophy or recording a video with some EuroLeague stars. Fans will also be able to buy merchandise and souvenirs, win prizes, see some of the Euroleague Basketball legends and – of course – shoot hoops.

The non-stop fun will be highlighted with One Team activities and a 3x3 tournament. And for those not lucky enough to have a ticket for the games at the Stark Arena, the FanZone will also be a great place to watch the Final Four games on a jumbo screen.

Make sure not to miss the FanZone!

### 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: After dramatic semis, focus shifts to finale 

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

Kyle Kuric - 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

Anadolu Efes Istanbul celebrates 3- Final Four Belgrade 2022 - E21-FFS

Fans Olympiacos Piraeus 2- Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Here is where you can watch the Final Four, Third place game between FC Barcelona and Olympiacos Piraeus.

TV Info,  Third place game, Barcelona vs. Olympiacos

**Armenia:** VIVARO

**Australia:** FOX SPORTS

**Balkans:** SPORTKLUB

**Baltic:** TV3 SPORT

**Belgium:** VOOsport World (BETV)

**Bulgaria:** MAX SPORT 1

**Brazil:** BANDSPORTS and DAZN

**China:** CCTV and SDTV

**Czech Republic:** O2 TV SPORT

**Denmark:** VIAPLAY

**Eurasia:** SETANTA SPORTS

**Finland:** VIAPLAY

**Georgia:** SILK SPORT 2 HD

**Germany:** MAGENTA SPORT

**Greece:** NOVASPORTS PRIME

**Iberoamerica:** DIRECT TV GO

**Iceland:** VIAPLAY

**India:** DISCOVERY

**Internet:** [EUROLEAGUE.TV](http://EUROLEAGUE.TV)

**Israel:** 5PLUS

**In Flight:** SPORT 24

**Italy:** SKY SPORT and ELEVEN SPORTS

**Lithuania:** LRT

**Mexico:** ESPN

**Norway:** VIAPLAY

**Philippines:** TAPSPORTS LIVE

**Poland:** POLSAT SPORT EXTRA

**Portugal:** SPORT TV

**Spain:** DAZN & DAZN1

**Sweden:** VIAPLAY

**Taiwan:** ELEVEN SPORTS

**Thailand:** 3BBTV

**Turkey:** beIN SPORTS

**United Kingdom:** FREESPORTS

**Vietnam:** FPT

TV Info,  Championship game, Madrid vs. Efes

**Armenia:** VIVARO

**Australia:** FOX SPORTS

**Balkans:** SPORTKLUB

**Baltic:** TV3 SPORT

**Belgium:** VOOsport World (BETV)

**Bulgaria:** MAX SPORT 1

**Brazil:** BANDSPORTS and DAZN

**China:** ESPN SS2, CCTV and SDTV

**Czech Republic:** O2 TV SPORT

**Denmark:** VIAPLAY

**Eurasia:** SETANTA SPORTS

**France:** L'EQUIPE TV

**Finland:** VIAPLAY

**Georgia:** SILK SPORT 2 HD

**Germany:** MAGENTA SPORT

**Greece:** NOVASPORTS PRIME

**Iberoamerica:** DIRECT TV GO

**Iceland:** VIAPLAY

**India:** DISCOVERY

**Internet:** [EUROLEAGUE.TV](http://EUROLEAGUE.TV)

**Israel:** 5PLUS

**In Flight:** SPORT 24

**Italy:** SKY SPORT and ELEVEN SPORTS

**Lithuania:** LRT

**Mexico:** ESPN

**Norway:** VIAPLAY

**Philippines:** TAPSPORTS LIVE

**Poland:** POLSAT SPORT EXTRA

**Portugal:** SPORT TV

**Spain:** DAZN & DAZN1

**Sweden:** VIAPLAY

**Taiwan:** ELEVEN SPORTS

**Thailand:** 3BBTV

**Turkey:** beIN SPORTS

**United Kingdom:** FREESPORTS

**Vietnam:** FPT

Key stat: Real's fourth-quarter rebounding

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

Gabriel Deck2- Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21-FFS

I congratulate my players for the victory, I think we did a great effort the whole game, playing against a great team. In the second quarter we had three or four bad minutes and they killed us, they got a 10-point advantage quickly. We played very solid the first, third and fourth quarters.

But Barcelona is a great team and that’s why they got an advantage at halftime because in the second quarter they outplayed us. I’m happy with how the players stayed focused on the gameplan, when at halftime everyone probably thought, ‘Ok, this is finished’, we stayed in there. We kept on fighting offensively and defensively, we looked for the best situations at both ends.

When you have a problem like we did with Nigel so early, it changes your gameplan. But the great thing about my team is that everyone can step up, and they did. We saw that with Fabien on the ball, Alberto bringing it up, Sergi stepped up. The problems we could have with Nigel out, we solved them with Fabien, Alberto, Sergi and Adam. Fabien played with a lot of character, things didn’t go well for him in the first half but he played very solid in the second.

He made 5 points in a row that were very important for us. We always believe that Fabien is someone who will step up in these moments. When somebody makes a great play like Vince did \[to block Laprovittola\], it’s often because somebody did something before. And this time it was Fabien getting in Nico’s way to change the transition and Vince did a great job to block the shot. Generally I think we played a good game offensively. We didn’t lose many balls and we knew how to read and attack their defense to give ourselves an advantage. We had patience in offense, and we were intelligent in possession.

I don’t think we played that badly offensively in the second quarter, but we missed open jumpers and they got an advantage because they could rebound and run, and they do that very well. We lost the rhythm of the game because we were missing shots. Gabi does a lot of good things for the team, and we missed him in the playoffs. Fabien played very well in the last Final Four in Belgrade and today his game was magnificent. I might recommend he should buy a house here! It was a test of faith and being solid in the whole game. You can play well or badly, but the team worked very hard and I am very proud as coach that they kept on believing even when it was difficult.

Since 1st September I’ve always believed we can win these games, when we started preseason. We have lost some games against Barcelona, but we knew today would be a different game, as always. It wasn’t easy, but we never stopped believing. My only mission at half-time was to reinforce this belief. Our three French players were very good. Fabien was very aggressive going towards the basket, attacking. Yabusele hit a very important three at a key moment, and Vince was very dominant offensively and defensively, reading their defense and attacking the basket. I always say it’s not a matter of winning or losing. Pablo Laso is not great because he wins or terrible because he loses. I have to make my team better.

From the games we played before against Barcelona, we learned a lot about what we have to do to play against a great team like that. We showed it today and we were able to play 40 solid minutes. We lost in Belgrade against Zvezda, but we played good. We were missing open shots, but I think we did a lot of good things. Probably it was an important moment to make the team understand you have to do things right. In that game we were not making open jumpers and Zvezda beat us because they played very well. It was a moment for us to understand that you have to play together. If you miss shots you’re not going to beat anyone, but to make those shots you’ve got to work a lot on what basketball means. It’s not only making shots. You’ve got to play defense, get rebounds, make assists, make good screens. A lot of things, that’s the great thing about basketball.

I’ve always had a lot of respect for Belgrade. Lots of great players, great teams, a basketball city. Coming to Belgrade is always special. We were European champs here and now we’re playing another final. For sure Belgrade is going to be in my heart for years. In that last final I was coaching Real Madrid, not Luka. He was one of my players. And I’m very happy to watch him now, the way he’s playing. But I’m very happy to watch my players now. I don’t think too much about Luka now – I love watching him play and I loved coaching him. But I love my players also.

Pablo Laso press conference quotes

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

Real Madrid edged FC Barcelona 83-86 to make it to the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game. Real's French players – Fabien Causeur, Vincent Poirier and Gueschon Yabusele – paved the way to this important win. 

Real's French connection seals it

Yabusele scored his team's first 8 points on consecutive three-pointers and a fastbreak slam. He was also the last player to score, on a free throw with 2.4 seconds remaining that fixed the final score. He finished the game with 18 points on 4-for-6 three-point shooting, 8 rebounds and a team-high performance index rating of 24. His first-half efforts allowed Los Blancos to stay in the game.

Real s French connection seals it.mp4

"I'm just proud of the team. We showed a lot of team effort today from beginning until the end," Yabusele said after the game. "We took care of the job and got the win. That was a really intense game. It's a clasico, so it was really tough. We deserved it and I'm really happy about the win."

Poirier arguably had the most critical defensive play of the night, a huge block on Nico Laprovittola that prevented Barca from taking the lead with 52 seconds remaining. Poirier scored all of his 6 points on dunks in the final 8 minutes. He added 5 rebounds and 3 blocks to round out a really solid performance, giving Real much-needed frontcourt options to balance its offense when it mattered most. 

Once again, Causeur delivered for Los Blancos in a Final Four in Belgrade. He had 17 points and a PIR of 21 in the 2018 championship game at Stark Arena. Back in the Serbian capital for a Final Four game, Causeur had another stellar performance: 18 points, 3 steals and a PIR of 18. With the game tied at 75-75, Causeur buried a go-ahead three-pointer and soon scored off a steal to give Real a 75-80 lead with 2 minutes remaining that Los Blancos managed really well until the final buzzer. 

Real's French connection will now try to be ready to deliver in Saturday's championship game against defending champion Anadolu Efes Istanbul at 19:00 CET.

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

Fabien Causeur - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21-FFS

Nikola Mirotic turned in one of the finest games in the history of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, even though it was not enough to carry FC Barcelona to victory.

MVP Mirotic delivers heroic effort in Barcelona defeat

The day after being named this season’s EuroLeague MVP, Mirotic posted 26 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals for a performance index rating of 39. That PIR is the second-highest at a Final Four game since the turn of the century behind only Shane Larkin’s 43 in the 2019 semifinals.

Nikola Mirotic (26 points) Highlights vs. Real Madrid, 05/19/2022

Mirotic performed with excellent accuracy, making 4 of 7 two-pointers, 4 of 7 threes and all 6 of his free throws. He only committed 1 turnover, too. Mirotic led all players on both teams in scoring and rebounds and had the second-most assists in the game. 

The star forward did not look away when the pressure rose in the fourth quarter. He played the entirety of the final stanza, during which he tallied 9 points and 3 assists – all to Brandon Davies – and thus had a hand in 15 of Barcelona’s fourth-quarter points.

Mirotic took the ball on the team’s final possession and attempted a contested heave from beyond halfcourt for the win, but was unable to play the hero role in the end and finished a brilliant season and fantastic semifinal performance on the losing side. 

"They played much better than us in the second half," a disappointed Mirotic told reporters after the game. "They hit more shots than we did. Congratulations to them."

Nikola Mirotic 2- FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21-FFS

Congratulations to Madrid. I thought on our part clearly there was a huge lack of attention to details. A lot of things we set out to do, we did not do. It’s very difficult to understand the Final Four coach going into the halftime being up 11 points but saying to the players that we're not doing good. But this was my speech at halftime. I thought we were not doing good. I didn't like how we were playing. We made some shots and Madrid missed some shots, but usually in basketball over 40 minutes these situations will equal out. We were not ready to sacrifice, we made all the fouls on shot situations.

At the end, Madrid did make shots. If you want to play in a championship game and you give up 52 points in the second half…I don’t know. I missed a lot of extra professionalism and sacrificing. Huge disappointment for us, there’s no question. I think we’re a better team, but we're not going to be playing the final, that's the reality. We scored 83 points which is enough to win any game, especially with the defense we normally have. But Madrid scored 86, an incredible total, 52 in the second half. Unacceptable. In the third quarter we gifted everything. This happens to us a lot.

A team with a lot of talent but allowing 52 points in the second half…this is not serious. This has to hurt a lot and I'm a bit tired of saying that we're gifting things. It's very difficult to win titles, but I'm tired of saying it's more of the same. Over the course of 40 minutes I did not manage to prepare my team for what was coming. Always the coach is the most responsible. Jokubaitis was fine, he came out and played his minutes. A couple of times he didn't make the right choices. This is the Final Four, the big boys have got to play. Games are usually decided by the big boys and some x-factors.

These games are decided by details and 86 points…we had the ability to take away 10, but we didn’t do it. Madrid played a little different than they did in the Copa del Rey, with less big lineups, putting Yabusele on Calathes and Deck on Mirotic and switching everything. We scored 83 points but you have to defend, you have to sacrifice. We're always talking with this team about the killer instinct; we're not killers. We're not capable of killing off teams or killing off series. It's more of the same. I've been signing the same song for a year and a half, and it’s difficult to accept for me. We have to sleep and lift ourselves. It's a very difficult defeat and everyone has to look in the mirror. We still have a very important title to play for and we have to learn. We’ll see.

Sarunas Jasikevicius press conference quotes

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

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.

News

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

Awards

Euroleague to add new fantasy dimension, Ultimate Champions

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Real Madrid: Did you know? Championship Game edition

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Anadolu Efes Istanbul: Did you know? Championship Game edition

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Final Four live blog: After dramatic semis, focus shifts to finale

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TV Info, Third place game, Barcelona vs. Olympiacos

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TV Info, Championship game, Madrid vs. Efes

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Key stat: Real's fourth-quarter rebounding

Stats

Pablo Laso press conference quotes

News

Real's French connection seals it

News

MVP Mirotic delivers heroic effort in Barcelona defeat

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Sarunas Jasikevicius press conference quotes

News