After nights of disappointment in previous years, Olympiacos finally had its date with glory — and did so in its own city, on the court of its arch-rival, OAKA. To get there, the Greek club clearly defeated the reigning champion Fenerbahce in the semifinals, before overcoming a depleted Real Madrid side in the grand final, one that battled until the final possessions. As a final note, Olympiacos’ victory also broke an unwritten curse in the competition: after a long wait, the regular-season leader was finally able to go on and win the title. Evan Fournier was named Final Four MVP
The regular season once again produced several major headlines, starting with the confirmation of Olympiacos as the competition’s leading reference point. The Piraeus side finished at the top with a 26-12 record and a +262 point differential, built on tremendous solidity throughout the campaign and an almost perfect final stretch, with eight wins in its last ten games.
The big positive surprise came from Valencia Basket, which put together an outstanding season and finished second with a 25-13 record, ahead of Real Madrid and Fenerbahce, both at 24-14. The Spanish powerhouse sustained its candidacy through an almost impregnable home-court strength, finishing 18-1 at home, while Fenerbahce, despite entering the privileged group, closed the regular season with poor sensations after losing seven of its last ten games.
Zalgiris Kaunas and Hapoel Tel Aviv also stood out, both finishing 23-15, consolidating themselves among the best teams of the season and securing a direct place in the upper zone. Panathinaikos and Monaco, two teams expected to fight for everything, rounded out the group of qualified teams at 22-16, leaving outside the Top 8 a Barcelona side that, despite finishing with a positive 21-17 record, failed to make it among the top eight.
The campaign also marked the competitive debut of Dubai Basketball, which finished with a balanced 19-19 record, while historic clubs such as Anadolu Efes, Baskonia and ASVEL ended far below expectations. Especially striking was the collapse of Efes, second from bottom at 12-26, and that of ASVEL, last with only eight wins in 38 rounds.
1. Olympiacos Piraeus (26-12)
2. Valencia Basket (25-13)
3. Real Madrid (24-14)
4. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (24-14)
5. Zalgiris Kaunas (23-15)
6. Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv (23-15)
7. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (22-16)
8. AS Monaco (22-16)
9. FC Barcelona (21-17)
10. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (21-17)
11. Dubai Basketball (19-19)
12. Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv (18-20)
13. FC Bayern Munich (17-21)
14. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (17-21)
15. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (16-22)
16. Paris Basketball (15-23)
17. Virtus Bologna (14-24)
18. Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (13-25)
19. Anadolu Efes Istanbul (12-26)
20. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (8-30)
The teams classified between 7th and 10th place played the play-in, the format that determines the final two tickets to the playoffs. In the first round, Panathinaikos defeated AS Monaco (87-79), while Barcelona beat Crvena Zvezda (80-72). With no margin for error, Barcelona faced AS Monaco for the eighth place, with victory for the Principality side (79-70).
The playoffs offered a full range of emotions. One series was resolved the quick way, 3-0, with Olympiacos dominating AS Monaco. Two matchups needed one more game, as Fenerbahce eliminated Zalgiris Kaunas (3-1), and Real Madrid did the same against Hapoel Tel Aviv. The drama came in Valencia Basket vs Panathinaikos, where the Greeks were able to win the first two games in Valencia, but the Taronja side reacted with three consecutive victories (3-2).
Olympiacos did not have too many problems eliminating Monaco. In reality, the Greeks dominated the series at will, winning by +31, +30 and +23 in Monaco. Little more to say. Results: (91-70); (94-64); (82-105).
Fenerbahce faced one of the revelations of the season, but made itself strong at home in the first two games. In the third, Zalgiris won the game of honor, and the Turkish side closed it out in the fourth meeting. Results: (89-78); (86-74); (81-78); (90-94).
Real Madrid struggled to win the first game, then won the second very clearly against Hapoel Tel Aviv. In the third, the Whites gave up the only game of the series, before sealing their place in the F4 in the fourth. Results: (86-82); (102-75); (76-69); (81-87).
Valencia took the playoff series. Nobody expected it after losing on its home court in the first two games, both by very narrow margins, but it was able to silence OAKA and finish the job in the fifth at home, in that final game in the most comfortable fashion of the entire series. Results: (67-68); (105-107); (87-91); (86-89); (81-64).
After a long road, we reached the culminating point: the Final Four, held this year in Athens, at OAKA. Of the four qualified teams, two were returning, Olympiacos and Fenerbahce, while two Spanish teams completed the F4: Real Madrid, back at the decisive stage, and Valencia Basket, which qualified for the first time in its history.
Olympiacos Piraeus produced an authoritative performance in the EuroLeague Final Four and defeated Fenerbahce 79-61 to return to the continental final. Georgios Bartzokas’ team set the tone from the start with suffocating defense, a 12-0 opening run and constant control of the rebounding battle and the rhythm of the game. Fenerbahce, the reigning European champion, never found offensive continuity and was only able to stay alive at times thanks to the contributions of Tarik Biberovic, Talen Horton-Tucker and Wade Baldwin.
The decisive blow came after halftime, when Sasha Vezenkov led another Olympiacos surge and opened up a gap that proved impossible to overcome. Alec Peters was the Greek side’s top scorer with 17 points, Vezenkov added 16 and Tyler Dorsey contributed 15, while Nikola Milutinov dominated the paint with 13 rebounds. With clear physical, tactical and defensive superiority, Olympiacos closed out the game without trouble and will fight to win the fourth European title in its history.
Olympiacos 79
*Walkup – 2p, 5r, 5a
*Dorsey – 15p, 3r, 1a
*Papanikolaou – 0p, 2r, 1a
*Vezenkov – 16p, 5r, 1a
*Milutinov – 6p, 13r.
Joseph – 0p, 2br
Fournier – 10p, 4r, 4a
Ward – 10p, 3r, 2a
Peters – 17p, 2r, 1a
Jones – 2p, 2r, 1br
McKissic – 1p, 1a
Hall – 0p
Fenerbahce 61
*Hall – 0p, 2r
*Horton-Tucker – 16p, 7r, 3a
*Biberovic – 17p, 6r, 2br
*Melli – 7p, 4r, 2a
*Birch – 3p, 4r, 1t
De Colo – 6p, 1r, 1a
Baldwin – 10p, 6a, 5r
Jantunen – 0p, 1a
Silva – 2p, 1r
Colson – 0p, 1r
Bitim – 0p
Boston Jr. –
Real Madrid defeated Valencia Basket 90-105 in the second semifinal of the EuroLeague Final Four and will play the continental final against Olympiacos in Athens. The Spanish powerhouse had to overcome a competitive Valencia side, which started bravely, even took the lead in the first quarter and forced Sergio Scariolo’s team to raise its level. Facundo Campazzo, Gabriel Deck and Usman Garuba were key before halftime in changing the rhythm of the game and allowing Real Madrid to reach a ten-point lead heading into the locker room.
The semifinal broke open after halftime with a great performance from Mario Hezonja, especially from three-point range, leading a Real Madrid offense that opened up a 16-point advantage. Usman Garuba’s injury, with bad signs pointing to a possible Achilles tendon rupture, emotionally slowed the team for a few minutes, but Deck and Hezonja held Real Madrid together until closing out the win without major trouble. With this victory, the Spanish side will play the 22nd European Cup final in its history, while Valencia Basket bows out after a competitive semifinal and a season of major growth in the EuroLeague.
Real Madrid 105
*Campazzo – 8p, 8a
*Abalde – 5p, 3r, 2a
*Hezonja – 25p, 7r, 3a
*Okeke – 5p, 4r, 1t
*Garuba – 2p, 5r, 1a
Feliz – 15p, 8r, 3a
Llull – 0p
Maledon – 12p, 3r, 3a
Deck – 16p, 8r, 2a
Lyles – 17p, 7r, 1a
Procida – 0p
Almansa – 0p
Valencia Basket 90
*Montero – 15p, 9a, 3br
*Badio – 6p, 2r, 1a
*Taylor – 11p, 6r, 4a
*Pradilla – 15p, 8r, 1t
*Reuvers – 15p
Thompson – 3p, 1r, 1a
De Larrea – 3p, 2a, 1r
Sako – 6p, 4r
Costello – 3p, 1r
Key – 13p, 5r, 3a
Moore – 0p, 2a, 1r
Nogues –
Olympiacos Piraeus defeated Real Madrid 92-85 in the EuroLeague final and conquered the fourth European title in its history in an OAKA painted red, completing a historic season for the team coached by Georgios Bartzokas.
Thirteen years after its last continental crown, also precisely against Real Madrid, Olympiacos returned to the European throne after a final of enormous tension, marked by the Greek reaction following a difficult start to the game.
The Spanish powerhouse started the EuroLeague final much better, taking advantage of Olympiacos’ nerves in the opening minutes. Trey Lyles took on all the offensive responsibility for Real Madrid and exploded with 10 points in just four minutes to fire the Whites into an initial 15-3 lead.
Sergio Scariolo’s team punished Olympiacos’ mistakes and found great accuracy from the outside during the first quarter. Lyles finished the period with 13 points and Real Madrid closed the first ten minutes leading 26-19 after a very solid offensive start.
However, Olympiacos reacted in the second quarter. Sasha Vezenkov began to find offensive rhythm and the trio formed by Evan Fournier, Alec Peters and Tyrone Ward completely changed the dynamic of the game.
The Greek side found constant solutions from the bench and went on to record 33 points from its second-unit players during the first half. Fournier scored 11 points in the second quarter and Peters added another nine to lead Olympiacos’ comeback.
After tying the game (36-36), Bartzokas’ team even managed to open up a small lead before halftime, heading to the locker room with a 46-44 advantage despite Trey Lyles’ 21 points in the first half.
The balance continued after the break in a tremendously physical and emotional EuroLeague final. Olympiacos managed to move 54-50 ahead, but Real Madrid responded with a 10-0 run led by Mario Hezonja, who scored nine points in the third quarter to give the Whites the lead again.
The Madrid side also took advantage of Olympiacos’ turnovers and closed the third quarter ahead 65-61, leaving everything open for a final quarter of maximum tension.
That was when the most mature version of Olympiacos appeared. The Greek team adjusted defensively on Trey Lyles, limiting him to just one point in the entire second half after his initial 21, and found absolute leadership in Evan Fournier.
The French guard finished with 20 points and led Olympiacos’ decisive run in the final minutes. After a Hezonja three-pointer kept Real Madrid alive with just over two minutes remaining, the Greeks responded with a forceful 8-0 run that made it 88-80 on the scoreboard.
Alec Peters added 16 points and Thomas Walkup provided clarity and control with 10 points in a final stretch where Olympiacos managed the pressure better, despite some mistakes that allowed Real Madrid to close the gap to 88-85.
The Spanish side even had a three-pointer to force overtime, but Andrés Feliz could not convert and Olympiacos finally sealed the win from the free-throw line.
With this victory, Olympiacos Piraeus also broke the so-called “first-place curse”, becoming the first regular-season leader to win the EuroLeague title under the current format.
Giorgos Bartzokas’ team thus conquers the fourth European Cup in its history, after those won in 1997, 2012 and 2013, returning Olympiacos to the summit of European basketball.
Olympiacos 92
*Walkup – 10p, 2r, 2a
*Dorsey – 1p, 1r
*Papanikolaou – 0p
*Vezenkov – 12p, 4r
*Milutinov – 8p, 8r, 1a
Joseph – 5p, 5a, 3r
Fournier – 20p, 5r, 4a
Ward – 7p, 1r, 1a
Peters – 16p, 7r, 2a
Jones – 4p, 1r
Hall – 4p, 6a, 1br
McKissic – 5p, 2r, 1a
Real Madrid 85
*Campazzo – 5p, 6a, 2br
*Abalde – 9p, 2r, 1a
*Hezonja – 19p, 5a, 4r
*Lyles – 24p, 8r, 3br
*Okeke – 0p, 4r, 2a
Feliz – 13p, 3r, 1a
Maledon – 8p, 2r, 1a
Llull – 3p, 1a
Deck – 4p, 2r
Kramer –
Procida –
