In 1996, the Korac final was held between Stefanel Milan and Anadolu Efes, with the Turks winning after two matches by a single point. Naumoski made the difference against the Bodiroga, Blackman and Fucka
Quarterfinals
Fenerbahce – Efes Pilsen
Varese – Stefanel Milan
ALBA Berlin – ASVEL Villeurbanne
Scavolini – Fortitudo Bologna
Semi-finals
Efes Pilsen – Fortitudo Bologna
Stefanel Milan – ASVEL Villeurbanne
In the hell of Abdi İpekçi, Ephes Pilsen managed to beat Stefane Milan by eight points (76-68) in the first match of the Korać Cup final, leaving swords high in the face of the second leg to be played on Italian soil in a week’s time. With an exceptional Petar Naumoski, the Turkish league leader dominated the Lombardy team for most of the match, reaching a maximum lead of eleven points (40-29) two minutes before the break. Neither veteran Milan star Rolando Blackman nor the multi-functional Dejan Bodiroga (base-back-side-forward) could stop the one-on-one constants of the Macedonian base, which formed the basis of Efes Pilsen’s attacking play during the first half. After a series of controversial decisions by Finnish referee Carl Jungebrand in the final minutes of the match, an angry Dino Meneghin, Stefanel’s assistant coach, had to be stopped by the Turkish police on his way to attack the FIBA officer. Efes Pilsen became the first Turkish team to win a European title after scoring a good eight points in the first match of the Cup final Korać. However, the Pyrrhic victory achieved by Stefanel Milan in the second leg (77-70) could not prevent the Lombardy team from losing the title for the second year in a row (on a personal level, it was the fifth Cup final Korać lost by Bogdan Tanjević).
Efes Pilsen
*Naumoski – 28.5p, 5.5a
*Sanca – 8.5p, 2.5r
*Aydin – 7.0p, 4.0r
*McRae – 11.5p, 8.0r
*Oyguc – 4.5p, 2.5r
Turkcan – 6.5p, 9.5r
Evliyaoglu – 6.5p, 1.5br
Stefanel Milán
*Gentile – 14.5p, 3.5a
*Blackman – 13.0p, 2.5r
*Bodiroga – 16.5p, 9.0r
*Fucka – 16.0p, 4.5r
*Cantarello – 4.0p, 2.5r
Portaluppi – 4.0p, 1.0r
De Pol – 3.0p, 3.5r
Alberti – 3p, 1r. (1)
