GROUP A
REAL MADRID (8-2)
ANADOLU EFES (6-4)
ZALGIRIS KAUNAS (5-5)
NIZHNY NOVGOROD (5-5)
UNICS KAZAN (5-5)
SARDEGNA SASSARI (1-9)
GROUP B
CSKA MOSCOW (10-0)
MACCABI (7-3)
UNICAJA MALAGA (4-6)
ALBA BERLÍN (4-6)
CEDEVITA (3-7)
LIMOGES (2-8)
GROUP C
BARCELONA (9-1)
FENERBAHCE ULKER (8-2)
PANATHINAIKOS (5-5)
ARMANI MILÁN (5-5)
BAYERN MUNICH (2-8)
PGE TUROW (1-9)
GROUP D
OLYMPIACOS (8-2)
ESTRELLA ROJA (6-4)
LABORAL KUTXA (5-5)
GALATASARAY (4-6)
NEPTUNAS (4-6)
VALENCIA BASKET (3-7)
As always, the TOP16 was the most exciting regular phase of the regular season. In Group E, Real Madrid and Barcelona finished tied at the top, only the average gave the whites the lead. Maccabi finished third, and Panathinaikos, also thanks to the average got into the playoff, against Alba Berlin. In Group F, CSKA continued their dominance, closely followed by Fenerbahce Ulker, Olympiacos finished third, and for fourth place, Anadolu Efes took the battle with Laboral Kutxa.
GROUP E
REAL MADRID (11-3)
BARCELONA (11-3)
MACCABI (9-5)
PANATHINAIKOS (7-7)
ALBA BERLIN (7-7)
ZALGIRIS KAUNAS (5-9)
ESTRELLA ROJA (4-10)
GALATASARAY (2-12)
GROUP F
CSKA MOSCOW (12-2)
FENERBAHCE ULKER (11-3)
OLYMPIACOS (10-4)
ANADOLU EFES (6-8)
LABORAL KUTXA (6-8)
ARMANI MILAN (4-10)
UNICAJA MALAGA (4-10)
NIZHNY NOVGOROD (3-11)
In the playoffs, Real Madrid eliminated Ivkovic’s Anadolu Efes. The whites, still without playing their best basketball won both home games, in the third the Turks won, but Real Madrid did not allow the series to go to the fifth (3-1).
(80-71); (90-85); (75-72); (63-76)
Fenerbahce Ulker gave a good account of the reigning champion, Maccabi. On Turkish soil, Obradovic’s men won with solvency, and in the Maccabi pavilion, Ulker was able to handle the pressure and win the tie by a clear (3-0).
(80-72); (82-67); (74-75)
CSKA did not miss Panathinaikos either. The Russians secured their two home games with great authority. On Hellenic soil things changed, they lost the first, but did not let the series extend more than the fourth game, (3-1) for Moscow.
(93-66); (100-80); (86-85); (55-74)
Olympiacos again demonstrated its competitive gene to be the only team that has gone to the final four winning the playoff with court factor against. The injured Barcelona, Pascual’s never showed their best level. In his palau, he played very well in the first but fell defeated in the second, the Greeks sentenced in their court. In the fourth with a triple madness Printezis (1-3).
(73-57); (63-76); (73-71); (71-68)
After the playoffs we reached the four final that this year is held in Madrid. The local team, REAL MADRID, faced FENERBAHCE ULKER and CSKA MOSCOW against their black beast, OLYMPIACOS.
History repeated itself in the first semi-final. CSKA dominated the match at all times, although Olympiacos never allowed the distances to be definitive. In the end, at the key moment, the Russians weighed the responsibility, the opposite to the Greeks, who led by a until now disappeared Spanoulis, sentenced in the last possessions. Once again the curse of CSKA in the final four, jumped to scene
Olympiacos 70
*Mantzaris – 5p, 4a, 1r.
*Spanoulis – 13p, 3a, 3br.
*Darden – 0p.
*Printezis – 14p, 8r, 4a.
*Dunston – 5p, 5r, 2br.
Papapetrou – 9p, 2r, 2br.
Sloukas – 10p, 2r, 2a.
Lojeski – 2p, 3r, 1a.
Petway – 5p, 4r, 1t.
Lafayette – 3p.
Agravanis – 2p, 4r.
Hunter – 2p, 1r, 1t.
CSKA Moscow 68
*Teodosic – 8p, 5a, 3r.
*Weems – 9p, 4r, 4a.
*Vorontsevich – 5p, 5r, 3t.
*Kirilenko – 5p, 5r, 1a.
*Kaun – 11p, 4r, 1br.
De Colo – 18p, 4r, 4a.
Jackson – 9p, 7br, 3a.
Khryapa – 2p, 2r, 2a.
Hines – 1p, 4r, 1a.
Markoishvili – 0p, 1br.
Nichols – 0p.
Real Madrid knew how to stop the «Obradovic» factor. Fenerbahce Ulker could not counteract the powerful white punch. Ayón dominating the zones and an excellent exterior level, that acribilló to triples, playing a second quarter of fabula, the Ottoman defense, were the keys of the victory madridista. One more year, the third consecutive one, Real Madrid was presented to the final of the Euroleague.
Real Madrid 96
*Llull – 12p, 9a, 2r.
*Carroll – 7p, 1r.
*Rudy – 12p, 4r, 1a.
*Reyes – 0p.
*Ayón – 18p, 7r, 6a.
Rodríguez – 13p, 7a.
Nocioni – 12p, 6r, 1a.
Rivers – 17p, 2r, 2br.
Slaughter – 2p, 2r, 1br.
Bourousis – 1p.
Maciulis – 2p.
Fenerbahce Ulker 87
*Sipahi – 0p, 1r.
*Goudelock – 26p, 6r, 4a.
*Bogdanovic – 12p, 4a, 3r.
*Vesely – 20p, 6r, 2a.
*Zoric – 6p, 1r, 1t.
Bjelica – 11p, 5r, 2a.
Zisis – 2p, 2a.
Mahmutoglu – 6p, 4r, 1a.
Preldzic – 2p, 2r, 2a.
Savas – 2p, 1r.
Erden – 0p, 1r.
After 20 years of drought – too long for a team accustomed to success – and two consecutive Euroleague finals lost, Real Madrid have once again inscribed their name on the continental list by winning their ninth European Cup after defeating Olympiakos 78-59. In a replay of the final lost by the whites two years ago against the same opponent, Pablo Laso’s men clearly overcame their Greek rivals, who this time accused their star Vasilis Spanoulis (brilliant in the semi-final against CSKA but well below his usual performance in the grand final) and his nefarious percentage from the free-kick line (12 out of 26). Although the match cannot be described as brilliant, the intensity and mental harshness of both sides guaranteed the excitement until the final minutes, when Pablo Laso’s men dynamited the match and achieved an already unattainable lead for Olympiakos (despite the Greek team’s record of impossible comebacks). On this occasion, Real Madrid did not need the contribution of their best weapons, but were other players usually reserves, such as Nocioni, Mačiulis and Carroll, who contributed to the choral victory of the white team. After his great match in the semifinals, the «Chapu» Nocioni showed that charisma and heart also play basketball, and after a new demonstration of intensity and claw was elected MVP of the final phase.
From the initial jump, Real Madrid showed their motivation not to miss a third unbeatable opportunity to win the Euroleague, in front of their own public (6-1, min. 3). However, Olympiakos soon proved that a white victory would not be easy. Mexico’s Gustavo Ayon was soon charged with two personnel, although the main problem Pablo Laso’s team had to face was their lack of fluidity in attack and defensive concentration to manage the Greek team’s patient attacks. In this way, Giannis Sferopoulos’ men not only equalized the score (6-6, min. 4), but began to dominate it (12-17, min. 8). The excellent performance of the American forward Matt Lojeski -author of two three pointers and two baskets of two without failure- was added to the lack of ideas in attack of Real Madrid, tied by the defense of a Greek team that clearly imposed its rhythm of party. However, the white box was able to overcome the difficulties (and also their own ghosts of past editions) to finish the first quarter with a short (albeit worrying) disadvantage of four points (15-19).
In the second period, Real Madrid, in view of their attacking difficulties, gritted their teeth in defence to shake off Greek dominance. Olympiakos began to have problems in attack and their percentage of successes fell. The Lithuanian Jonas Mačiulis – with two trebles and a basket of two without failure – and the Argentine Andres Nocioni -who again insufflated claw and strength to his team- were then key pieces for the madridistas, who thanks to his greater patience in attack managed to turn the scoreboard (28-25, min. 17) and retired at half time with an interesting return of seven points (35-28), after a partial in this quarter of 20-9.
At the start of the third period, Rudy Fernandez, who had appeared with a dropper in the match, took charge with a triple to raise the advantage of Madrid above ten points (40-29, min. 23). Although the tension and importance of the final prevented a showy game, the match (although dense, excessively tactical and choppy) offered all the quality that can be asked of two Euroleague classics such as Real Madrid and Olympiakos. The madridistas, after the negative experience of the two lost finals in the last two years, knew in this occasion to maintain the mental hardness necessary to give the face in the difficult moments, without despairing by the offensive failures and defending with order. Olympiakos, with a partial of 0-12 in three and a half minutes (40-41, min. 26), showed that their mental hardness and competitive spirit remain intact. In that moment the figure of the North American escort Jaycee Carroll appeared, who with three consecutive triples and a basket of two prevented that old white ghosts returned (49-43, min. 29). The third quarter finished with a Madrid lead (53-46), although Olympiakos’ record of European comebacks ensured an exciting final period.
A hat-trick from the tireless Nocioni at the start of the quarter-final helped Real Madrid again to a maximum lead of ten points (56-46, min. 31). A new basket of three from the Argentine forward marked the start of a 9-0 Madrid partial that, at this stage of the match, was practically definitive. Olympiakos stagnated in attack and the whites shot to an almost unreachable 71-55 with 1’54» to go. Amidst the jubilation in the stands of the Palacio de Deportes, Real Madrid completed its European reconquest after its long journey through the desert. Just as their footballing counterparts did last year, the white team finally took a huge weight off the conquest of the long-awaited «ninth».
Real Madrid 78
*Llull – 12p, 4a.
*Carroll – 16p, 3r, 1br.
*Rudy – 7p, 4r, 2a.
*Reyes – 2p, 1r, 1a.
*Ayón – 2p, 5r, 1a.
Rodríguez – 11p, 4a, 3r.
Nocioni – 12p, 7r, 2a.
Rivers – 5p, 4r.
Slaughter – 2p, 4r, 2a.
Maciulis – 9p, 4r.
Bourousis – 0p, 1r, 1br.
Olympiacos 59
*Mantzaris – 1p, 3r, 2br.
*Spanoulis – 3p, 3a.
*Darden – 0p, 1r.
*Printezis – 11p, 3a, 2r.
*Dunston – 4p, 2a, 1r.
Lojeski – 17p, 2r, 2br.
Sloukas – 10p, 2r, 2a.
Hunter – 10p, 7r.
Petway – 2p, 2r, 1a.
Lafayette – 1p, 2a, 1r.
Agravanis – 0p, 1r.
Papapetrou – 0p, 1br.
