1 – 2 – 4 – 6 and
57 – 58
The numbers I gave above are the rankings of the teams playing the Euroleague Final Four in the regular season of the Euroleague.
1 – Barcelona
2 – Olympiacos
4 – Real Madrid
6 – Anadolu Efes
Final – Four took place in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, on 19 – 21 May with the participation of the teams I mentioned.
Secondly, the part that consists of the numbers I mentioned shows the Final - Four score.
Before coming to the final, let's remember the pairings;
Anadolu Efes – Olympiacos and Barcelona – Real Madrid
The struggle of Ephesus and Olympiacos was breathtaking. Even though the teams entered the last section with the equality of 74 - 74, there was still one last offensive time for the match to end and Anadolu Efes had the ball.
Micic scored a three-pointer at the last second of the blow and fixed the scoreboard at 77 – 74. There was nothing to be said for Olympiacos here. Luck was not on their side! At a time when they could reach the final, they missed this chance for the 2021-2022 Euroleague season.
In the other match, two Spaniards Barcelona and Real Madrid put on the basketball version of El Classico. Again, in the breathtaking struggle, Barcellona, who played badly only in the third period, actually lost the entire match in one period. Real Madrid was happy when the scoreboard was fixed as 83 – 86.
21 May 2022 Belgrade
Final - Four's name:
Real Madrid - Anadolu Efes
Things were going well for Real Madrid, who used the pot gold well with Tavares in the first period of the match played at Stark Arena. Although they could not benefit from many shots, they were able to produce baskets even when they had difficulty thanks to Tavares' offensive rebounds.
Anadolu Efes could not show the expected effect with Larkin and Micic duo, so Real Madrid won the first quarter with a score of 15-14.
In the second quarter, which started with mutual baskets, the score was balanced for a while. With the contribution of the players who were later included in the game, Real Madrid entered the game ahead 34-29. Things were not going well for Anadolu Efes and their two players Larkin and Micic, who fell short of expectations in the first half.
In the third quarter, both teams had a hard time producing baskets for a while. Missing the empty shots, Anadolu Efes fell back 9 points for a while. Anadolu Efes, which shared the score again with the 7-0 series captured afterward, managed to close the gap. The score of 42-40 fixed the third quarter on the scoreboard.
Shortly before the end of the quarter, an argument broke out between Poirier and Anderson. Unsportsmanlike fouls were charged to both players after a scuffle. The tension of the finale began to have a noticeable effect on the players, and as time progressed, the effect increased.
Anadolu Efes took the lead in the last quarter, which was filled with tactics and nerve warfare. Micic's influential play began to take the stage...
…but none of the teams could make the magic touch to carry the score. Real Madrid coach Pablo Laso, who allowed Anadolu Efes, who was leading the last attack with a score of 57 - 58, not committing the expected fouls and allowing him to use his offensive time to the full, may be the focus of criticism.
In the matches where the score is so close, small mistakes can affect the determination of the result. If Real Madrid had not committed any fouls in the beginning, they would have had offensive time. Due to the foul before the team foul was over, and the 14 seconds passed afterward, he did not continue to commit fouls even though he had no more offensive time, and watched Anadolu Efes dissolve the time!
Vasillije Micic, who was the top scorer of the match with 23 points, became the most valuable player of the Final - Four. Anadolu Efes, which won the Euroleague Final - Four Champions twice in a row after last year, became the third team to hold this title.
The Cup was in Istanbul and remained in Istanbul.
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