Olympiacos Piraeus put together an impressive second-half comeback to beat AS Monaco 76-62 in the first semifinal of the 2023 Final Four. Driving behind its defense, which held Monaco to just 2 third-quarter points, the Reds were clicking on offense as well.

It was an impressive change from the first half to the second.

"Coach told us at halftime to relax because we are not playing our basketball," Fall said after the big semifinal win. We were nervous. We were missing easy layups, we were missing free throws, they were getting offensive rebounds. It was a total mess in the first half. But we came back really aggressive, like hungry dogs, and we did the job."

One of the facilitators of the comeback was big man Moustapha Fall who just had a single point in the first half, but then finished the game with 12 points, and 4 assists to help Olympiacos move into Sunday's championship game.

Post-game interview: Moustapha Fall, Olympiacos Piraeus

"Nothing was going well so I had to play as aggressive as possible. As a group, we had to step up, and I also had to step up," Fall added. 

Olympiacos scored 29 first-half points, shooting 4-for-12 on both two-pointers and threes, but then scored 27 in the third quarter alone. Fall had 5 of those, but then continued his inside dominance in the fourth quarter, as well. And that was of massive importance to keep Olympiacos ahead, as Monaco was trying to mount a comeback of its own.

When Monaco got within 60-53 with 6 minutes to go, the big man had a pair of dunks that pushed the margin back into double digits and the Reds never looked back.

Fall stepped up to turn the Reds into 'hungry dogs'

Olympiacos Piraeus v AS Monaco (2023-05-19T15:00:00.000Z)

A historic third quarter in which Olympiacos Piraeus turned around a 12-point halftime deficit to lead AS Monaco by 13 after 30 minutes turned the first semifinal at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four on its head and sent the Reds to the championship game on Sunday in search of their fourth continental title against either FC Barcelona or Real Madrid.

Olympiacos scored the first 14 points after halftime, matching the second-biggest comeback ever in a semifinal or championship game, to go on and outscore Monaco 27-2 in the third quarter. That 25-point difference was the greatest in any quarter of a Final Four game ever.

As much as the Reds scoring just 2 fewer points than in all of the first half, it was the defense that starred. Thomas Walkup held Monaco top scorer Mike James, the author of 13 first-half points, to 0 points in the third quarter. The Reds also forced Monaco into 3 shot-clock violations.

"That defensive effort in the third quarter was really championshipesque," Walkup said. "It took guts to come out there, change the whole rhythm of the game. It was special to be a part of it, if I’m being honest. The energy and the effort and the buy-in to team basketball that was there in the third quarter was amazing."

Post-game interview: Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos Piraeus

The upshot was that Monaco's 2 points in 10 minutes was not only the lowest scoring in any Final Four quarter ever, but tied three other teams for the worst offensive performance in a single quarter of any EuroLeague game ever.

As Walkup said, the Reds' defense made it much easier to play offense.

"We definitely knew that the 41 points they had \[in the first half\] was way, way, way too many. And we knew that we were going to get our offensive rhythm from our defensive rhythm," Walkup explained.

"Pap \[Papanikolaou\] came in the locker room and said 'Guys. Settle down. Twelve is nothing. We’ve come back from this before.' And we came out there and did it. There’s nothing more or less to it. We just did it. With effort, with energy, fighting, clawing, scratching, everything. It was really great to be a part of the third quarter."

Record-setting D fueled Reds' historic third quarter

Basketball is a game of runs, but AS Monaco was not ready for what Olympiacos Piraeus did to it in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague semifinal - a history-making third quarter that wiped out Monaco’s title hopes.

"That third quarter wasn’t easy. They did everything right and we didn’t," said Monaco’s Donta Hall about his team scoring just 2 points in the third quarter in a 76-62 loss.

The 27-2 quarter tied for the fewest points scored in a quarter in EuroLeague history.

It happened three other times: Benetton Basket in 2004-05, Maroussi in 2009-10 and Zalgiris Kaunas in 2014-15.

"In the moment, it was a tough feeling. They were picking us apart a little bit. But that’s what they do," added Hall.

Monaco made just 1-of-14 shots and was forced into three shot-clock violations in the third quarter, which turned a 12-point Monaco lead, 29-41, into a 56-43 Olympics advantage after 30 minutes.

"Tactically, we weren’t focused. We didn’t have composure to sustain their runs. We knew it was a game of runs. A 12-point lead is nothing. We wanted to expand it, but when you have a quarter like that it’s gonna kill you in the end," said Monaco’s Jordan Loyd.

When asked what makes it so difficult to get out of that type of run, Loyd said: "It takes composure from everyone. When teams make a run, you have to know you are always in the game. It’s frustrating because we know we could have done something special here. And we didn’t."

Monaco: That third quarter wasn’t easy

Olympiacos downs Monaco to reach the championship game!

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The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague FanZone is always a perfect starting point for basketball lovers at the Final Four. This year, seemingly more than ever before, fans from all corners of the continent and beyond have flocked to Kaunas for the pinnacle basketball weekend of the year.

There are Final Four veterans, like Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv fan Moshe, who is in his 12th Final Four, and the group of CSP Limoges fans who are celebrating 30 years since their beloved team won its lone EuroLeague crown.

"We are four guys coming from central France who came here to enjoy the tournament," said Junien, wearing a specially-made Limoges jacket.

Radek, from Wroclaw in Poland, came to the FanZone in a Toni Kukoc Jugoplastika jersey.

"I am here with eight crazy guys from Poland. We support all basketball, we love basketball, we love Kaunas, a very exciting place", he said.

The most represented fans are those of Olympiacos, who believe they will have 5,000 fans supporting the team at Zalgirio Arena for the semifinals tonight, but FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and AS Monaco fans have also been strolling the FanZone.

The hometown fans, young and old, although heartbroken when Zalgiris Kaunas lost a chance to qualify for the Final Four earlier this month, have shown up in big numbers at the FanZone, too.

"I have never been to the Final Four before. I think the fans are amazing and they bring a good atmosphere", said 17-year old Justinas, who participated in the 3x3 basketball tournament.

The FanZone is where Justinas will also watch the games this weekend along with thousands of other fans, who all came to basketball-loving Kaunas to enjoy the Final Four party.

Fans from around the world celebrate the Final Four at the FanZone

Among the people who are most attracted to attending the Final Four are the very players who have been on center stage at the same event in the past. Many have come back from around the world as Final Four Ambassadors to support in One Team and sustainability initiatives in Kaunas this weekend. But they are also fans, and on the morning of the semifinals, Mike Batiste, Sofoklis Schortsanitis and Matjaz Smodis all talked about following such an intense season that led to an unpredictable Final Four. 

Legends on intense season.mp4

Final Four Ambassadors praise super-intense season

Many Turkish Airlines EuroLeague greats have attended the Adidas EuroLeague Next Generation Tournament Finals in years past and this season is no different. One of the biggest celebrities checked in to see the games early Friday with when Arvydas Sabonis returned to Kaunas Sports Hall, where he played for many years, to see U18 Zalgiris Kaunas take on U18 Joventut Badalona. Sabonis came with his son Tautvydas, who works as one of Zalgiris's assistant coaches. Playing in this building, Sabonis led Zalgiris to three consecutive Soviet Union titles from 1985 to 1987 and reached the EuroLeague Championship Game in 1986. After a long, successful career Sabonis returned to Zalgiris to become the 2003-04 EuroLeague MVP with the team playing all of its home games at Kaunas Sports Hall.

Sabonis is one of many VIPs at the ANGT Finals in Kaunas. Euroleague Ambassadors Jonas Maciulis and Mike Batiste were courtside watching U18 Real Madrid beat U18 Panathinaikos Athens. Maciulis helped Real win the 2014-15 EuroLeague title and Batiste is a three-time EuroLeague champion with Panathinaikos. London Lions head coach Ryan Schmidt was also at that game, as well as former EuroLeague star Primoz Brezec. More and more VIPs are expected at Kaunas Sports Hall, but Sabonis's return to the building was quite emotional for those in attendance.

Arvydas Sabonis watches Zalgiris at the ANGT

In the opening hours of the FanZone at the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, located at Unity Square in the center of Kaunas, people from all over the world – and supporters from a plethora of different teams – came together to celebrate their shared love of EuroLeague basketball.

Perhaps fittingly, upon walking into the FanZone, one fan was seen proudly wearing the jersey of Anadolu Efes Istanbul, the outgoing back-to-back champ. This weekend, a new champion will be crowned, with Olympiacos Piraeus, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and AS Monaco all hoping to come away from Kaunas, Lithuania with the championship trophy.

The red of Olympiacos dominated much of the FanZone, but as the hours went by, fans of Barca, Real and even Monaco began to appear. The family friendly atmosphere meant that some mothers and fathers had come with their sons and daughters, while there were also many groups of friends who decided to enjoy the festivities by taking part in the abundance of activities available.

In fact, even those whose teams didn’t make it to the Final Four still decided to make the trip to the Final Four, with supporters of the hometown Zalgiris Kaunas, as well as fellow EuroLeague teams Efes, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, all joining together at the FanZone. There were even fans of former EuroLeague sides Limoges and Jugoplastika Split present, in addition to some smaller teams that have never made the EuroLeague, such as Santo Andre of Portugal.

Fans from all corners of the globe have come together at the FanZone and the fun is going to continue throughout the day, so make sure to get down there if you haven't been already!

The Final Four FanZone opens its doors to the world!

Real Madrid swingman Rudy Fernandez is still going strong at age 38 and has a chance to add more hardware to a unique roll of honors. One of the few players whose popularity is great enough for him to go by just his first name, Rudy has been one of the most prolific winners in basketball, not just due to the quantity of his achievements, but also for the quality of them.

Rudy Fernandez: Celebrating a unique career

Real Madrid swingman [Rudy Fernandez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/rudy-fernandez/bmt/) is still going strong at age 38 and has a chance to add more hardware to a unique roll of honors. One of the few players whose popularity is great enough for him to go by just his first name, Rudy has been one of the most prolific winners in basketball, not just due to the quantity of his achievements, but also for the quality of them.

Rudy has found success with his two European clubs, Joventut Badalona and Real, as well as with the Spanish national team. He has led Real to Turkish Airlines EuroLeague titles in 2015 and 2018, helping Los Blancos reach a new golden age. Fernandez had a starring role at first, making it to the All-EuroLeague First Team in the 2012-13 and the 2013-14 campaigns and earning 2014-15 All-EuroLeague Second Team honors. In recent years, he has been equally effective as a glue guy, defensive leader and all-around contributor on offense.

Los Blancos, with Fernandez as one of its leaders, has been a dominant force in Spanish basketball. He's helped Real win six Spanish League titles, six Spanish Copa del Rey crowns and lifted the Spanish SuperCup title eight times. And the only time Real was given the opportunity to play the Intercontinental Cup this century, Fernandez delivered again, leading Los Blancos to its 2015 title.

With Joventut, Rudy won the 7DAYS EuroCup in 2008 and earned Finals MVP honors. He lifted the Spanish Copa del Rey trophy with La Penya earlier that season. A year earlier, he won the FIBA EuroChallenge title with Joventut, which gives him three different European club titles in his career.

Rudy Fernandez, Real: 'I try to focus on the present'

Rudy has been just as successful with the Spanish national team, winning two World Cups and four EuroBasket gold medals. He is one of three players to win multiple EuroBasket, EuroLeague and World Cup crowns: Dejan Bodiroga and the late Sergei Belov are the other two. It gets better: Fernandez won three Olympic medals (silver in 2008 and 2012, bronze in 2016) and two more EuroBaskets medals.

That gives him 31 official titles and he is far from done. He has a chance to add a third EuroLeague title this week in Kaunas, where he helped Spain to the gold medal at EuroBasket 2011. If Spain qualifies in 2024, Fernandez may have the chance to become the first athlete to take part in six Olympics Games. Rudy is eager to continue adding hardware to a one-of-a-kind roll of honors. When the dust settles and he hangs up his shoes, he will go down in history as one of the greatest winners in the game of basketball.