May 23, 2012



Regal FC Barcelona Champ Euroleague 2010 - Final Four Paris 2010


A festival of basketball in the City of Light has ended with Regal FC Barcelona as the new Euroleague champion! Whether on the court, where an array of stars put on a dazzling show, or off it, where the devotion of Euroleague fans was as animated as ever, the spectacle was served. Barcelona showed enough offensive power, almost non-stop from the opening tipoff, to make you forget they were the Euroleague's best defensive team this season. Everybody scored in a 47-point first half, with Pete Mickeal and Juan Carlos Navarro setting a blistering pace. Then, they settled down to defend like dobermans and exploit every advantage on the offensive end. With a second wind behind part-timers like Victor Sada and Roger Grimau, Barcelona did not miss a beat. That seemed to take Olympiacos out of its game more and more. By the midde of the final quarter, up 66-50, there seemed to be no doubt about it. And when yet another Barcelona star, Terence Morris, started taking over the fourth quarter with a steal, monster block and a smooth three-pointer, it was true. One of the biggest leads in a recent final was 71-52 with just over 5 minutes left. In the corner of Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy filled with Barcelona fans, the celebration was started. In the much larger Olympiacos area on the far turn, silence reigned for the first time all season. There was little they could do now. The last Olympiacos lead was at 5-6. Barcelona turned back every Olympiacos push thereafter. The kings of the Euroleague season are going back to Barcelona as the clear champions. Congratulations!

Posted on Sunday, May 9 @ 22:51

It's now or not this year for Olympiacos but Barcelona keeps showing why it is considered one of the best defensive teams in European basketball history. Morris strips the ball away from Kleiza, allowing Rubio to get a fast break layup. Olympiacos is forced to use long possessions, which speaks wonders about Barcelona's defense. Schortsianitis makes free throws but you can see that Olympiacos fans are not putting that much pressure anymore. Their team wants to prove them wrong and get them back in the game, but Barcelona is fully focused in defense. A huge, huge block by Morris on Sofo allows Mickeal to score in the other end. It's 68-52 Barcelona with 6:44 left and it is tough to think how Olympiacos can get back in this game. In other words, Barcelona is really, really close to start celebrating.

Posted on Sunday, May 9 @ 22:33

Olympiacos keeps shining in defense, pushed by an unbelievable crowd. Papaloukas drives for another power layup in transition that makes it a five-point game. Most definitely, it not the same for Barcelona with 2,000 fans cheering for the team than against 5,000 supporters in their face. But only for a while. Ndong provides a highlight with a dunk-and-foul and Sada sweeps a Childress shot away from the rim and beats the buzzer with a very important three-pointer. Just when Olympiacos got close, Barcelona is on an open 6-0 run and leading 58-47. Ndong scores again and Olympiacos is using Papaloukas on Mickeal because of its three-guard lineup - Theo, Teodosic and Beverley. Navarro delivers the play of the day this far with a running left-handed hook that sends all Barcelona fans to their feet. It is a 14-point game and Olympiacos needs to bounce back right here, right now. Kleiza scores off a smooth move in the low post that Morris matches with free throws. End of third quarter, 64-50, and Barcelona just a step away from its second Euroleague title.

Posted on Sunday, May 9 @ 22:25

Pete Mickeal - Regal FC Barcelona - Final Four Paris 2010


The 2010 Nike International Junior Tournament awards ceremony took place at halftime, in which Partizan players and fans had their traditional post-game ritual. It consists on fans singing and players singing back, with Slavko Vranes leading the show as - obviously - the most visible one. You, Euroleague fans, can believe us if we say that this post-game ritual at Pionir or Belgrade Arena is one of the most impressive experiences in the competition. Back to the game, Patrick Beverley is into the game to guard Navarro. Schortsianitis quickly brings Olympiacos within single digits and Childress scores in transition. Just that fast, Olympiacos is back in the game, 47-40. Sofo and Ndong trade blocks on each other. This is a whole different game and coach Xavi Pascual tries to get more physical with Sada on the floor. Mickeal steps us with a smooth turnaround jumper. Olympiacos brings Papaloukas back on the floor to improve the Reds' ball circulation. Kleiza, who had not scored since the opening basket, hits a floater and Childress matches Navarro's triple for a 52-45 score. The game is on the line and Olympiacos rides its momentum - but Barcelona has the lead.

Posted on Sunday, May 9 @ 22:12

Players Futbol Club Barcelona in suport Basketball team - Regal FC Barcelona - Final Four Paris 2010


Fresh off winning a decisive game in the Spanish football league, FC Barcelona stars Bojan Krkic, Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Busquets, Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique took a flight to Paris to support his clubmates courtside at the Euroleague Final! All five players arrived midway through the second quarter and were welcomed as heroes by all Barcelona fans, that started to sing even louder. Bojan and Pique are regulars at Palau Blaugrana, as they go and see the team courtside as often as they can. In almost every home game he attends in Barcelona, Pique usually wears a Juan Carlos Navarro #11 jersey - they are good friends -, but not tonight. Barcelona downed Sevilla FC 2-3 last night, taking another step forwards to win the Spanish 'La liga' title. Regal FCB now hopes to round a near-perfect weekend that may well go down as one of the best in club history!

Posted on Sunday, May 9 @ 22:07

Ioannis Bourousis - Olympiacos - Final Four Paris 2010


Navarro always chooses the right time to pull the trigger from downtown - and that time is definitely now. His three-pointer gets all Barcelona fans even more involved. Papaloukas penetrates, fakes to go out and returns for a power layup in front of Vazquez and Lorbek - what a play! Lorbek buries a three-pointer and Rubio excels at what he does best - collect an incredible steal and score off it for a 43-30 score. Vazquez has 4 blocks already - no wonder he is the best at this category in Euroleague history. He is definitely proving it today! Bourousis manages to tip the ball in over him but some stats leave no doubt about this first half. Barcelona has doubled Olympiacos in performance index rating and has 10 assists for just one turnover. Olympiacos has 4 and 4, respectively. Navarro strikes again from downtown, as Barcelona keeps double-teaming Schortsianitis. Olympiacos needs more options on offense and Papaloukas gets a layup off the baseline. The Reds' problems, however, come on the other side of the court, as Barcelona keeps finding easy baskets. Bourousis dunks it off a midcourt steal by Childress - Olympiacos gets within 47-36 at halftime. The question is - will Barcelona be able to score that much right in front of a sea of red fans when they shoot at the other basket in the second half?

Posted on Sunday, May 9 @ 21:52

Controlling the boards was one of the keys to this game and Barcelona is excelling at it. Gianluca Basile sinks a three-pointer in a three-chance Barcelona offense in which Victory Sada grabbed one of the offensive boards. Bourousis beats the buzzer with a wild seven-meter bomb but Barcelona keeps pushing the pedal. Whoever thought this would be a low-scoring game got it absolutely wrong. Bourousis keeps pacing Olympiacos but he doesn't find any help while Barcelona thrives in this run-and-gun tempo. Vazquez scores again and it is an 11-point Barcelona lead, 35-24. Barcelona has 8 different scorers. Olympiacos tried to play more aggressive on the court and its most experienced players step up at the right time. A steal leads to one of the classic combinations in modern basketball, Vujcic to Papaloukas for a fastbreak slam, which was just what the doctor ordered for Olympiacos and its fans, who rise up in unison as a TV timeout lets the Reds regroup on a good note, down 35-28. Stay tuned!

Posted on Sunday, May 9 @ 21:37

Ricky Rubio - Regal FC Barcelona - Final Four Paris 2010


The pace was what many expected, 10 points split over the first 90 seconds as the team's traded triples and shorter jumpers. Two fouls on Ndong, on on a high-flying near-block of a Childress dunk try and another in the paint trying to check Schortsanitis - forced the first substitution, as Fran Vazquez came on for him and dished to Mickeal for a dunk. The pace everyone hoped for was being met and more. Basket for basket, next Schortsanitis and Navarro. Triple for triple, by Teodosic and Rubio, left a 17-13 scoreboard after 7 minutes. Only a TV timeout stopped them. You can feel the tension from the fans, but these players look like they are having fun on an incredible stage, showing their stuff to 197 countries. They have a lot to live up to, with two overtime games in the Final Four so far, but they are doing it! Both teams kept playing up-tempo and the game truned into a run-and-gun, fun-to-watch battle. What a great start of the game! Mickeal stayed on fire with a three-point play and soon sinks a jumper to cap a 10-0 run. All of a sudden, Barcelona has a double-digit lead and Kleiza heads to the bench once his close shot is blocked by Fran Vazquez. Victor Sada, who didn't play last night, scores in penetration and Morris, looking for his first Euroleague title in his third consecutive final, rocks the rim with a dunk. End of first quarter, 28-19, and all looking good for the cules.

Posted on Sunday, May 9 @ 21:29

Paris, we have tipoff! The City of Light has become the City of Noise for the start of the 2009-10 Euroleague Final! In 40 minutes - if there are not more overtimes, of course - the Euroleague will have a new champion between the two most consistently great teams of a long season, Regal FC Barcelona and Olympiacos. The starting lineups are: for Olympiacos, Scoonie Penn, Milos Teodosic, Josh Childress, Linas Kleiza and Sofoklis Schortsanitis; and for Barcelona, Ricky Rubio, Juan Carlos Navarro, Pete Mickeal, Boni Ndong and Erazem Lorbek. There are 14,000 people packed into Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. Among them are a whole quadrant of red-clad Olympiacos fans who can be heard back home in Piraeus, Greece. Opposite them, filling one corner, are the supporters of Barcelona, in their club's garnet and gold colors recognized around the world. In between are the elite of world basketball. Join the greatest fans on the planet, Euroleague fans, in following these electric teams until one of them can be called king of Paris and the Euroleague!

Posted on Sunday, May 9 @ 20:57

Olympiacos rrives at Palais Omnisports Paris-Bercy on Sunday

The stage is set! On Sunday night from Paris, the one-of-a-kind City of Light, live on TV in 197 countries on 5 continents, the Euroleague will crown a new champion. The finalists are in the house, having just arrived by bus to Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy looking ready to rock. Either Regal FC Barcelona or Olympiacos Piraeus will lift a second continental trophy for which their fans have been waiting years. Olympiacos won the Euroleague for the first and only time in 1997, defeating Barcelona in the Final in Rome. Six years later, in 2003, Barcelona ended its long wait to lift the trophy. After a pair of exciting semifinals in which they both won despite playing slower games than is their style, Barcelona and Olympiacos could be expected to put on a show in the title game. For certain, the court will be full of star power. Former Euroleague MVPs Theo Papaloukas of Olympiacos and Juan Carlos Navarro of Barcelona lead their respective teams. Olympiacos has six more present of former All-Euroleague players, including this year's MVP, Milos Teodosic, who was sick after the semifinals but is expected to play, as well as Linas Kleiza and Josh Childress, awarded on Saturday night, and former honorees Nikola Vujcic, Yotam Halperin and Ioannis Bourousis. For Barcelona, the roster of award holders includes this year's Rising Star Trophy winner, Ricky Rubio, and All-Euroleague selection Erazem Lorbek. Other former All-Euroleague selections on Barcelona are Terence Morris and Jaka Lakovic. Any one of those superstars or other players on two tremendously deep rosters could make the difference tonight!

Posted on Sunday, May 9 @ 19:22

A lot of players will become first-time Euroleague champions tonight and experience that special feeling. Nobody knows better about it than 'Il Monumento Nazionale' Dino Maneghin, the winningest player in Euroleague history. Among many other longevity records, Meneghin played in 12 Euroleague finals and won seven titles – five of them with Pallacanestro Varese in the 1970s and two more with Olimpia Milano in 1987 and 1988. With that experience in tow, Meneghin spoke to Euroleague.net about playing in a final. "Both teams are great basketball organizations, with deep benches and loads of good players. I really don't know what is going to happen, but the team that goes on the court unafraid and focused on what to do, makes fewer mistakes and plays better defense will have a better chance," Meneghin said. "The team that plays with its mind and heart has a good chance to win the title. You must play 'tranquillo', quiet."

Dino Meneghin at 2010 Final Four

Meneghin is now the president of the Italian Basketball Federation and of course he will be following the only Italian player, Gianluca Basile of Regal FC Barcelona, who is trying to win his first Euroleague title at age 35, toward the end of an impressive career. "He has a lot of Euroleague experience and also with the national team, but I wouldn't give any suggestions other than playing the way he knows. That way, he will be useful to the team with his great defense and long shooting range. Maybe he will play 3, 5, 8 minutes, so he will have to give his best in that time," Meneghin said. Just hours before the final, he made his pick for tonight's title game. "Looking at what happened this season, Barcelona should win this game. I love the way they defend - sometimes they are like a wall. They also have a lot of options on offense. They are very dangerous outside with Rubio and Navarro. If Barcelona makes a lot of noise on offense, their defense should do the rest. I think that it is one of the best teams in the world, not just in Europe."

Posted on Sunday, May 9 @ 17:58

Dan Peterson

When it comes to European basketball finals, you won’t find anyone who knows more than Dan Peterson, a former Euroleague champion as a coach and a legendary basketball personality. Peterson is a Final Four regular and has seen it all over the past 40 years, since he first starting coaching in Italy. After witnessing Friday’s semifinals, Peterson, who broadcasted the games for SportItalia, summed up the atmosphere in the arena and the play on the floor in one word: “Tremendous.” And despite the fact that he is a veteran of dozens of championship games, he continued “the second game was one of the best semifinals of all time. A thrilling game. The first game the teams were a little tight, but they are great defensive teams. The second game was a little looser and Partizan came within 2 seconds of winning! It was a great game.” Looking ahead to the title game, Peterson wasnlt shy about making his prediction, right down to the final score! “I think Barcelona will win the game because it has great defense. Of course Olympiacos has some offensive threats. Schortsanitis can score inside. Kleiza can score from anywhere. Teodosic we have seen what he can do; He’s the MVP. And I love Papaloukas. He creates offense. He eats up good defensive teams, but he’ll go up against the best defensive team in Europe. I think the scoring will be in the 70s. Something like 72-71."

Posted on Sunday, May 9 @ 16:14

Among those watching the NIJT final was a former Euroleague champion with excellent memories of Bercy, Zoran Savic. The retired big man won his second Euroleague title with Split in this very same building back in 1991. He helped Split beat Barcelona 70-65 for the club’s third consecutive Euroleague title – a feat only ASK Riga achieved before and no one has repeated since. "I have great memories from that game. Barcelona was the heavy favorite before the Final Four. We had lost three players from the previous season - Dino Radja, Dusko Ivanovic and Goran Sobin. I think we played unbelievably well against Scavolini in the semifinals and against Barcelona in the final," Savic said. "We had a psychological advantage because we had won it twice before, downing Barcelona in the most important games in Munich 1989 and Zaragoza 1990," he added. Savic scored 27 points on 9-of-12 two-point shooting. Even though Toni Kukoc was chosen as the MVP, he said in a post-game press conference that Savic deserved the award. "It was one of the best games in my career. It was a very important game for me and also for the team. It is really difficult to win three consecutive Euroleague titles and nobody has been able to repeat that since we did it."

Zoran Savic at NIJT Final

Savic is naturally not only here to see the next generation of stars but also to enjoy the much-anticipated final tonight, about which he spoke to Euroleague.net. "Barcelona needs to play the same way it has this far. Barca needs to run, because Olympiacos will most probably try to slow down the game tempo, just as CSKA did in the semifinals. Barcelona has the best team and they fought hard to be where they are at right now. They have to win so that the hard work they did all season pays off," he thought. "Olympiacos will be a dangerous team if the game goes down to the wire. They are the most decisive team in Europe when it comes to winning the game in the final minutes with two great clutch players like Theo Papaloukas and Milos Teodosic, who has gained a lot of confidence this season. They are dangerous, but Barcelona has an advantage with Ricky Rubio, Juan Carlos Navarro and Pete Mickeal, who always step up in decisive moments. If I have to name a favorite, it has to be Barcelona."

Posted on Sunday, May 9 @ 15:13


Olympiacos players at NIJT Final

The Nike International Junior Tournament is already underway and hundreds of people have made it to Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy for the big game between FMP and INSEP. As it is already traditional in the NIJT final, most players from other teams were in the stands to watch the final. It is more unusual, however, what happened in the first half of the game. Right after their team's morning practice, a group of Olympiacos players decided to stay around and watch the start of the game. Panos Vasilopoulos, Scoonie Penn, Kostas Papanikolaou, Nikola Vujcic, Theo Papaloukas, Loukas Mavrokefalidis and Yotam Halperin were in the far end of the stands watching the opening 15 minutes before leaving back to the organization hotel to get ready for the Euroleague final later on tonight. So far INSEP leads 32-36 behind 10 points from sharp shooter Hugo Ivernizzi. INSEP has managed to limit FMP superstar Nenad Miljenovic to just 3 points. It is all set for a very exciting second half!

Posted on Sunday, May 9 @ 13:29



When you scan the media tribune, which is packed with nearly 500 journalists, perhaps the most difficult reporter to spot is Georgeos Panagiotopoulos… And with good reason. Panagiotopoulos is just 11 years old! The youngster hopes to one day be a sports reporter like his dad, veteran writer Panos Panagiotopoulos, who is also covering the Final Four. Panagiotopoulos Jr. was sent by his father’s Greek newspaper, Sport Day, to write a feature for Sport Day Kids, a weekly supplement in the Saturday newspaper. Sport Day Kids’ special initiative sends kid reporters to interview athletes from many different sports for its edition and Georgeos was chosen to report for the nespaper at the Final Four. "Of course I am happy and excited to be here. If Olympiacos plays well and is serious, I think we have a chance to win. Milos Teodosic and Linas Kleiza are our most important players. Milos has a lot of talent and Linas puts a great effort inside," Georgeos told Euroleague.net. Georgeos appreciates the opportunity to be here in Paris and although he will be rooting for Olympiacos, he isn’t certain the Reds will go home with the ultimate prize. "It is really good to be in Bercy, to see how excited fans are to be at the Final Four. It is a great opportunity for me to watch the Final Four. I think Barcelona will win the Euroleague title because it is the favorite."

Posted on Sunday, May 9 @ 11:45

Jure Zdovc


Welcome to championship Sunday at the 2010 Final Four! By the end of the day, the Euroleague will have a new champion, either Olympiacos Piraeus or Regal FC Barcelona. Of course, with the world basketball elite here in Paris to enjoy the show, there are plenty of experts with opinions of the final and the event in general. One such expert is the legendary player and current coach Jure Zdovc, who was nothing less than starting point guard on the only French team ever to win the continental title, Limoges, in 1993.

Posted on Sunday, May 9 @ 10:11

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FINAL FOUR TEAMS

FINAL FOUR SCHEDULE
SEMIFINALS - FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2011
Panathinaikos vs. Montepaschi, 18:00 CET
Maccabi Electra vs. Real Madrid, 21:00 CET
3RD PLACE - SUNDAY, MAY 8, 2011
Loser 1 vs. Loser 2, 13:30 CET
FINAL - SUNDAY, MAY 8, 2011
Winner 1 vs. Winner 2, 16:30 CET

2011 FINAL FOUR TV COVERAGE

DEVOTION

PAST FINAL FOURS

FINAL FOUR SLIDE SHOW
Lior Eliyahu of Maccabi Electra in Barcelona!