Valencia Basket found a new coach, none other than Pedro Martinez, who will start his second stint with the club after signing a two-year deal on Tuesday. 

 Valencia brings back Pedro Martinez as head coach 

Valencia Basket has reached back into a successful past to put head coach Pedro Martinez on its bench again with a two-year mandate, the club announced on Tuesday. 

Martinez, 62, had previously coached Valencia for two seasons, from 2015 to 2017. He helped the team win its only Spanish League title in 2017 and also make to the BKT EuroCup Finals that year.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">Es miércoles <br><br>Y los miércoles es el día del espectador <br><br>Así que hoy, hay 𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙚 🚬 <a href="https://t.co/qqc9X957kC">pic.twitter.com/qqc9X957kC</a></p>&mdash; Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket/status/1795824919286042923?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Martinez started his coaching career with Joventut Badalona, becoming the youngest coach ever to win a European trophy by leading Joventut to the 1989-90 Korac Cup crown at age 28. Martinez arrives from BAXI Manresa, where he worked for the last five seasons. It was his third stint with that club.

Martinez has also coached Salamanca, Granada, Ourense, Menorca, Tenerife, Dreamland Gran Canaria, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Estudiantes, Girona and Sevilla, all of his native Spain. Martinez helped Girona reach the EuroCup final in 2008, and also made it to the BCL final with Manresa in 2022.

Martinez is one of two coaches, along with Aito Garcia Reneses, to work in over 1,000 Spanish League games. He has a 24-22 EuroLeague record (52.2% wins) with Baskonia and Gran Canaria, and a 73-33 EuroCup record (68.9% wins) with Gran Canaria, Estudiantes, Girona and Valencia.

MORE VALENCIA BASKET NEWS

The club has brought back a former coach for a second stint with the club.

Valencia brings back Pedro Martinez as head coach

By leading Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens to its seventh Turkish Airlines EuroLeague crown, Ergin Ataman reached several other milestones in his already legendary coaching career. One of them is winning the title in each of his last three Final Four appearances. 

Ergin Ataman achieved a three-peat, of sorts

By [leading Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens to its seventh Turkish Airlines EuroLeague crown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/championship-game-live-real-madrid-vs-panathinaikos/), Ergin Ataman reached several other milestones in his already legendary coaching career. One of them is winning the title in each of his last three Final Four appearances. 

Coach Ataman led Anadolu Efes Istanbul to back-to-back EuroLeague championships in [2021 ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/efes-wins-its-first-euroleague-crown/)and [2022](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/eb21-finalfour-final-madrid-efes-report/). After missing the playoffs in 2023, Ataman joined Panathinaikos, returned to the Final Four and ended up lifting the trophy. That's three consecutive Final Fours without a loss. 

He is the third coach to achieve that in the Final Four era. Zeljko Obradovic did that twice, once with three different squads and the other with Ataman's current team, Panathinaikos. Obradovic won EuroLeague titles with Partizan Belgrade in 1992, Joventut Badalona in 1994 and Real Madrid in 1995. In 1993, Obradovic coached Partizan, which was not allowed to compete due to the UN embargo on FR Yugoslavia. Obradovic did it again with Panathinaikos in 2007, 2009 and 2010. The Greens missed the Final Four in 2008 and 2010, so Obradovic won the EuroLeague in three consecutive Final Four appearances. 

Pini Gershon won the 2001 SuproLeague with Maccabi, did not coach for the next two seasons and returned to the team to win back-to-back EuroLeague crowns. Aleksander Gomelskiy (ASK Riga 1958, 1959, 1960) and Pedro Ferrandiz (Real 1965, 1967, 1968) also won three consecutive championship games before the Final Four era.

### Ataman's trail of trophies

Throughout his coaching career, Ataman has won four different continental trophies. He won the Saporta Cup with Montepaschi Siena in 2002, the EuroChallenge with Besiktas Istanbul in 2012, the EuroCup with Galatasaray Istanbul in 2015 and the EuroLeague with Anadolu Efes Istanbul in 2021 and 2022 and now with Panathinaikos in 2024. Only Dusan Ivkovic (EuroLeague, EuroCup, Saporta, Korac) and Aito Garcia Reneses (EuroCup, Saporta, Korac, EuroChallenge) have also won four different European trophies.

Ataman has now led five different teams to European trophies. He is the second coach to achieve this. Only Obradovic is ahead of him, as he has won European trophies with six different teams: Partizan, Joventut, Real, Benetton Treviso, Panathinaikos and Fenerbahce Istanbul.

Ataman has also won the Turkish League championship with an unprecedented three different teams: Efes, Besiktas and Galatasaray, and it looks like his golden era with Panathinaikos has just started. The one and only, Ergin Ataman!

The Panathinaikos maestro added to his legacy in Berlin

 

Real Madrid v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2024-05-26T18:00:00.000Z)

For a fan base used to winning titles that had waited 13 years for its newest continental crown, the explosion of joy when Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens returned home on Monday was something to behold.

The Greens had collected their first six EuroLeague titles between 1996 and 2011, making Panathinaikos the most successful team of the Final Four era, but a 12-year wait to get back to the Final Four meant a long wait to celebrate again.

All that pent-up energy was on display even before the Greens returned as Omonia Square in central Athens was teeming with celebrants soon after the final buzzer of the championship game, which saw Panathinaikos take an 80-95 comeback victory over Real Madrid to claim the title at Uber Arena on Sunday in Berlin, Germany.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Panathinaikos fans celebrating in the center of Athens winning the seventh ⭐️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4Glory?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4Glory</a> <a href="https://t.co/CbvEWVZ5lL">pic.twitter.com/CbvEWVZ5lL</a></p>&mdash; Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) <a href="https://twitter.com/Eurohoopsnet/status/1794867730044293559?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It marked the "the seventh star" to be added to the Panathinaikos logo and marked the second time that the Greens had won at the same arena in Berlin, after their 2009 triumph there. By the time the team's plane landed the next day, an estimated 50,000 fans were waiting at the airport to praise them. 

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">🔊🔊🔊🔊<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7thStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7thStar</a> <a href="https://t.co/kAeWOga0D8">pic.twitter.com/kAeWOga0D8</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1795070145104118090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

From Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos, riding a green open-topped bus with the slogan "The King is Back", the team was escorted into central Athens by a phalanx of fans on motorcycles draped in the Panathinaikos colors, with fans along the route singing the club's songs.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">CHAMPIONS ARE BACK HOME ☘️💚<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7thStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7thStar</a> <a href="https://t.co/sQZcwEQbV8">pic.twitter.com/sQZcwEQbV8</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1795108328495812817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

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The desination was OAKA arena, where even more fans were on hand, under a bright sun, ready to lose their voices cheering or their heroes. 

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Meanwhile at OAKA ☘️💚<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7thStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7thStar</a> <a href="https://t.co/PzjAmSQsGA">pic.twitter.com/PzjAmSQsGA</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1795085259152789793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

A highlight the crowd loved was center Mathias Lessort imitating his coach's famous two-fisted victory celebration, then getting Juancho Hernangomez and the self-same Ergin Ataman to join him.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/ThiasLsf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ThiasLsf</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/juanchiviris41?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@juanchiviris41</a> do it like Coach Ataman! 😆💚<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7thStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7thStar</a> <a href="https://t.co/ECN3E0UEig">pic.twitter.com/ECN3E0UEig</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1795110253270376923?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 


Ataman, who joined the team last summer and had been promising a return to the Final Four and a new title, appropriately had the final word for the fans.

"You believed in us. We believed in you. Enjoy the seventh star. You wanted the seventh star. Here is the seventh star!" Ataman told the crowd.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Coach Ataman: «You want the 7th star, 7th star is there!» ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7thStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7thStar</a> <a href="https://t.co/GwARKPJf6M">pic.twitter.com/GwARKPJf6M</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1795122250263269400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Athens turned green for Panathinaikos's return

The former Maccabi player has led the team to playoffs in each of the last two seasons

Maccabi pens Coach Kattash to two-year extension

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv announced on Wednesday that it has signed head coach Oded Kattash to a two-year contract extension. Kattash has guided Maccabi to a 40-28 regular season record in his two seasons with the club and in both years the Israeli champs have pushed their playoff opponents the distance before losing Game 5s on the road.

“I am happy and proud to sign for two more seasons with Maccabi,” Kattash said. “I am very appreciative, grateful for the confidence in me this shows and ready for the challenges that await us. Right now, we are all focused on the mission in front of us, to win the Israeli championship.”

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">🤝 <a href="https://t.co/KGHnBoQkVc">pic.twitter.com/KGHnBoQkVc</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC 🇮🇱​ (@MaccabiTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabiTLVBC/status/1795752626480697800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

This is the second stint at the Maccabi helm for Kattash, who had an illustrious playing career with his boyhood club Maccabi and Panathinaikos Athens. He helped Panathinaikos win the EuroLeague in 2000 before a knee injury prematurely ended his playing career as Kattash was entering his prime at age 28. He began his coaching career in 2004 with Hapoel Galil Elyon and debuted as a EuroLeague coach in 2007 with Maccabi, where he went 6-3 before resigning.

Kattash has since coached Hapoel Galil Elyon, Hapoel Eilat, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Hapoel Jerusalem and Panathinaikos as well as Israel's national team. He won the Israeli League with Galil in 2010 and Israeli Cups with Jerusalem in 2019 and 2020. Kattash guided Panathinaikos to the 2021 Greek championship and won the Israeli League with Maccabi last season.

"It seems only natural to me that Oded will continue in his role as coach of the Maccabi Tel Aviv team for the next two years," Maccabi president Shimon Mizrahi said. "This basketball season has proven and strengthened his abilities. Oded knew how to navigate and strengthen the relationship with the team's players despite the difficult conditions that we had in the last eight months, and he succeeded during this period with significant achievements. I wish him continued success with the club."

More Maccabi news

A rip-roaring championship game in which both sides dominated one half ended with Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens as the new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champions for the 2023-24 season. Check out the top photos from the final!

 Top 10 photos of the Championship Game 

Juancho Hernangomez of Panathinaikos detonated a huge first-half dunk.

Sergio Llull of Real Madrid confronted the sticky defense of Panagiotis Kalaitzakis.

Kendrick Nunn of Panathinaikos challenged Real big man Vincent Poirier at the rim.

Vincent Poirier of Real got the best of the Panathinaikos defense with this early two-handed slam.

Kostas Sloukas, voted the Final Four MVP, was a smooth operator whether passing or scoring.

Real Madrid tower of power Edy Tavares got loose for more than one slam dunk.

Panathinaikos defensive ace Jerian Grant tussled with Edy Tavares for a loose ball.

Real Madrid swingman Dzanan Musa made a save in the corner in front of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Panathinaikos fans.

Panathinaikos big man Mathias Lessort made a monster put-back dunk amid the Greens' momentum change.

All eyes were on Real Madrid's Facundo Campazzo as he raised up for a three-point attempt.

Top 10 photos of the EuroLeague Championship Game

Kostas Sloukas lifted the EuroLeague trophy as Panathinaikos BC captain, which is the fourth time he's become a EuroLeague champion.

Kostas Sloukas's bold decision has been vindicated

It takes a whole lot of courage to move between rival clubs, but that’s precisely what [Kostas Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/) opted to do last summer. Overnight, the 34-year-old went from being adored by the fans of Olympiacos Piraeus to being despised. On the other side of town, the opposite happened. The Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens supporters went from whistling Sloukas to chanting his name in songs. Oh, how quickly things change in sports.

Well, one constant is Sloukas appearing in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game. The veteran Greek guard played an important role for Olympiacos as it went all the way to the title decider, only to lose in the final seconds to Real Madrid. Having decided that he wanted a new place he could call home, Sloukas was inspired to join the Greens thanks to the arrival of Ergin Ataman.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WE DID IT! ☘️💚<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> <a href="https://t.co/WfW4ZaCIZx">pic.twitter.com/WfW4ZaCIZx</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1794861458725237162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“He trusts me,” Sloukas said of Ataman in the post-game press conference. “The situation is what brought me over here. He’s the main reason why I’m over here in Panathinaikos. He was the first guy who believed in the dream, and now we have shown everyone what was the dream – the championship.”

“Until the first day that we arrived together, after we met casually at the airport in the summer, we told each other that so far we have always been opponents,” Ataman recalled. “But he has a lot of respect for me, I have incredible respect for him for his character and his play. He will have two more years on his contract, I have only one more year, so I can guarantee you \[that we will be together\] for one year.”

Panathinaikos guard Kostas Sloukas talks on the court after winning the EuroLeague

Kostas Sloukas: ‘We are the best team in Europe’

Sloukas missed what could have been the game-winning shot last year, but has now [earned Final Four MVP honors in this year’s title decider](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/kostas-sloukas-is-the-final-four-mvp/). It was viewed as a bold decision to leave Olympiacos for Panathinaikos, yet it has only taken Sloukas one year to be vindicated.

In particular, when Panathinaikos’s season was on the line – either in the playoffs or at the Final Four – Sloukas has largely been there to show why he was such a coveted signing by the Greens’ hierarchy. His backcourt connection with fellow star [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) gave Panathinaikos a partnership that could take them all the way, and so it proved.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">TWO WORDS: KOSTAS SLOUKAS 💚<br><br>OUR CAPTAIN 🫡<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7thStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7thStar</a> <a href="https://t.co/64Rvuu5FCS">pic.twitter.com/64Rvuu5FCS</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1794842075936239845?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The idea of a fairy tale is often applied to sports, but in Sloukas’s case, he certainly believes that to be true.

“Can you tell me a better story than this: me, from Olympiacos, going to Panathinaikos and showing the European championship to everyone in my first year?”

Now, Sloukas is a four-time EuroLeague champion and has lifted the trophy with three different clubs. His name will forever be remembered in Panathinaikos folklore, too.

Game News

Kostas Sloukas celebrates with his Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens teammates after winning the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague title.

The Greens' guard lifted his fourth EuroLeague trophy on Sunday night

feast your eyes and ears on what a revolutionary MindFly AI ultralight-powered bodycam embedded in the referee's jersey sees and hears! Game officials Ilija Belosevic and Fernando Rocha wore MindFly's POV Cam during the first championship game between Real Madrid and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens on Sunday at Uber Arena in Berlin.

 See the championship game from inside the court! 

Do you want to know what it feels like to be part of the action of a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship game?

Well, feast your eyes and ears on what a revolutionary MindFly AI ultralight-powered bodycam embedded in the referee's jersey sees and hears!

Game officials Ilija Belosevic and Fernando Rocha wore MindFly's POV Cam during the first championship game between Real Madrid and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens on Sunday at Uber Arena in Berlin. Now, you may not only see the game action from closer than ever through their bodycams, but also hear them speaking with the players, coaches and each other during the game. It's a fascinating look at the professionalism that is at the very heart of the EuroLeague game experience.

Euroleague Basketball and MindFly started their collaboration during the last Final Four held in Kaunas, where all fans had the possibility to re-live some of the best moments of the EuroLeague's final phase as if they were inside the court. This season's debut of the same technology let fans experience *El Clásico* between [Real Madrid and FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/experience-el-clasico-like-never-before/) and since then a true winning streak of derby rivalries: [AS Monaco and LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/go-right-on-court-with-monaco-and-asvel/) in France, [Virtus Segafredo Bologna and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/join-virtus-bologna-olimpia-milano-on-the-floor-euroleague-derby-ditalia/) in Italy, [Anadolu Efes and Fenerbahce Beko](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/mindfly-referee-cams-went-inside-the-istanbul-derby/) in Turkey, [Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/go-inside-the-belgrade-derby-with-mindflys-referee-cams/) in Serbia, and [Panathinakos and Olympiacos Piraues](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/the-greek-derby-like-youve-never-seen-it-before/) in Greece. The innovative was complete at the Final Four in Berlin with both semifinals and the championship game.

MINDFLY CAMS ARCHIVE

See the championship game from inside the court! 

Go inside the court on the first night of the Final Four with the POV CAM from MindFly!

Andy West reviews the highs and the lows of the EuroLeague championship game between Real Madrid and Panathinaikos BC

Final Four records tumbled in a tale of two halves 

From record highs to record lows on a roller-coaster ride, the first-ever championship game between Real Madrid and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens was well worth the wait. 

Real exploded out of the gate with the highest-scoring first quarter in a final this century, leading 36-25 after 10 minutes. The previous high had been 31 points by Maccabi Tel Aviv in the opening frame of the 2004 title game. 

Furthermore, the 61 points combined in Sunday's first quarter was a Final Four record in general, eclipsing the 53 scored between Montepaschi Siena and CSKA Moscow in their 2003 third-place game. 

By halftime, when Real led 54-49, more records had fallen. It was the highest-scoring first half of a final this century, also tying for the most points in any Final Four first half over that span. And it was the third-most points in any half at the Final Four. 

After being on the receiving end of that opening blitz, it was obvious that defense would be the focus in the Panathinaikos locker room at halftime, and the Greens duly came out to put the clamps on the previously rampant Real offense to record-breaking effect.

In the process of moving into a 61-64 lead after three quarters, Panathinaikos held Real to just 7 points. That was tied for the fewest points ever in any championship game quarter this century, alongside Olympiacos against CSKA in 2012, and was also Real's lowest-scoring quarter all season long.

And finally, Panathinaikos then put the seal on a thrilling 80-95 victory by scoring 31 points in the last 10 minutes, the fourth-highest fourth-quarter scoring in a final and the most in more than a decade.

Victorious coach Ergin Ataman insisted his players never started to panic despite their troubled opening, saying: “We didn't start well, we gave them 36 points in the first quarter, and maybe everybody was starting to think it would be a boring final.

“But we never thought like this, not in the timeouts nor in the locker room. We always talked about improving our defense, improving our aggressiveness. The game came back to us when we held them to 7 points in the third quarter, and in the last quarter we played perfect basketball.”

Juancho Hernangomez echoed those views, claiming his team still felt confident after allowing those 54 first-half points, stating: “They had been making all their shots, but we knew that wouldn’t continue throughout the whole game and we stayed on the same path defensively.

“At halftime, Coach Ataman just told us that we were doing fine, to apply more pressure and keep competing. We just had to be physical, all five players boxing out. All five players on the court had to stay focused and I think we did a great job. Every player is needed to win, not every player is going to score 30 points. We just had to do our jobs.”

Game Videos

Although the Greens players understandably celebrated their triumph by paying tribute to the team ethic, Luca Vildoza was happy to pinpoint one player in particular as the embodiment of the turnaround. 

“We have really good players,” he began. "Sloukas was controlling the game, Nunn is always there, but I think the main guy was Jerian \[Grant\]. Jerian was playing defense everywhere, helping everywhere, scoring when it was necessary, so I’m really happy for him.” 

Grant himself, however, hailed the collective effort throughout the roster as he reflected on how the game changed after the interval, simply stating: “As a team. We knew we had 20 minutes left in the second half to bring home the seventh star and we did that.  

“From day one, Coach told us our goal was to get to the Final Four and to win the championship, and we got it done. \[The Final Four\] was two games to call yourselves champions of EuroLeague, so whatever we had to do, whatever energy we had to get, we were going to do that.” 

No player experienced more of an individual turnaround than Kendrick Nunn, who was unable to contribute much during the early exchanges after committing three first-quarter fouls but returned with a bang after the break to finish with 21 points. 

"I was too aggressive with my hands,” he admitted. “I've been in that position before and just had to stay composed, believing in my teammates and sticking together.” 

Real coach Chus Mateo, meanwhile, believed his team fell into the trap of getting away from their game plan during their second-half collapse. “We probably thought the easy path was to play only on the perimeter,” he said.  

"But what we want to do first is gain advantage in the paint, to penetrate, get into the low post, set picks that give you an advantage, and in that sense, we lost a certain amount of aggressiveness. But this is basketball and sometimes things don’t go the way you want.” 

Andy West reviews the highs and the lows of the championship game 

Baskonia has decided to move on from head coach Dusko Ivanovic, the Spanish club confirmed Monday.

Baskonia, Dusko Ivanovic part ways

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and head coach Dusko Ivanovic have agreed to go in separate directions, the club announced on Monday.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="eu" dir="ltr">Baskonia y Dusko Ivanovic acuerdan separar sus caminos <br><br>📎 <a href="https://t.co/3h1p8EM2SX">https://t.co/3h1p8EM2SX</a><br><br>Beti gutariko bat izango zara, Dusko! 🔵🔴 <a href="https://t.co/6MMtPwtRF3">pic.twitter.com/6MMtPwtRF3</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1795092463700299962?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The 66-year-old tactician returned to Baskonia for a fourth spell as head coach last November, with the Spanish outfit having started the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season with a 1-4 record.

Ivanovic ended up leading Baskonia to an 18-16 record and eighth place in the standings, which was good for the play-in. Baskonia lost heavily at Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in the first play-in game, but it made the most of home-court advantage in the second to beat Virtus Segafredo Bologna and lock up a spot in the playoffs. However, Real Madrid would go on to sweep Baskonia, 3-0, and reach the Final Four.

Baskonia must find a way of stop a Real offense which has run riot in the opening two, scoring 90 and 101 led by the playmaking of Facu Campazzo. If the game becomes another shootout, Baskonia will again lean on Markus Howard, who has held to below average scores of 15 and 12 in the playoffs thus far.

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-Real Madrid | Playoffs Game 3 | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

“Dusko Ivanovic will not continue as Baskonia head coach,” read Baskonia’s statement. “The club and the coach, after holding talks over the last few days regarding the future, have jointly agreed not to continue the relationship that had united them since last November.”

### An unwanted piece of history in the Spanish League

While Baskonia impressed in the EuroLeague, Ivanovic’s squad failed to make the Spanish League playoffs after also posting an 18-16 record. They came in ninth position and thus missed the domestic postseason for the first time in 40 years.

More Baskonia News

Dusko Ivanovic on the sideline during a Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz game in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

The Spanish side will now begin its search for his successor