Real Madrid is headed back to the Final Four! Real made playoff history by beating Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 3-2 with a home win in Game 5. It was the only home win of the series after a record-breaking four consecutive road victories. Real became the first team to rally from a 0-2 deficit in a EuroLeague Playoff series. With their backs against the wall, Los Blancos brought out their most competitive version to take road wins in Games 3 and 4, taking the series back to the Spanish capital to finish the job. Real is now set to face archrival FC Barcelona in the semifinals.
Real is the winningest team in EuroLeague history with 10 continental crowns. Only three of them came in the Final Four era. After the format was adopted in 1988, Real only made it to three of the first 23 Final Fours. Things changed in the early 2010s when a golden generation of domestic players led by Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Llull, Sergio Rodriguez and Felipe Reyes joined forces with head coach Pablo Laso to restore Real to its place at among the top clubs on the continent. Real won EuroLeague titles in 2015 and 2018 and reached three more championship games. Chus Mateo, a two-time champion as Laso's assistant, now hopes to add to the club's legacy.