Pau Gasol will probably never win the Euroleague. FC Barcelona indeed failed Sunday in the final of the major European competition after a big physical fight won by Anadolu Efes, the Istanbul club (86-81) who won for his second attempt in the final after the ‘known failure in 2019 against CSKA Moscow (83-91).
With eleven players (out of twelve) returning two years later, in the dull closed doors of Cologne (Germany), the Turkish team won at the finish after two hours and ten minutes, without extra time, of a match. irradiated by the doublet of backs Vasilije Micic (25 points including 21 in the second half, 8 fouls provoked), MVP of the event and the Final Four, and Shane Larkin (21 points, 12 out of 12 in throws) who have unlocked the two teams in the second half (39-36 for Anadolu Efes at the break).
The team of two French people Adrien Moerman (6 points, 8 rebounds) and Rodrigue Beaubois (3 points), who succeed Nando De Colo (CSKA Moscow, 2016 and 2019) and Fabien Causeur (Real Madrid, 2018) on the prize list is the second Turkish club European champion after Fenerbahçe in 2017.
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NBA champion in 2011 with the Dallas Mavericks, without playing in the play-offs, the French back of Anadolu Efes Rodrigue Beaubois is the first European player to win the Euroleague after winning the Larry O’Brien trophy.
His final success took a long time to emerge but it is well deserved in the match and in the continuity of the last three seasons. Last year, the prowess of Serbian Micic and Turkish naturalized American Larkin dazzled the regular season (4 losses in 28 matches) before the season’s premature cancellation due to the coronavirus pandemic.
On Sunday, coach Ergin Ataman’s team, who won a fourth separate European Cup and their first Euroleague, suffered a ignition delay. His two stars were stifled in the first half by defensive stopers sent by Sarunas Jasikevicius. FC Barcelona led by ten points (25-15) before letting their guard down and suffering the physical impact of the Turkish team.
Micic and Larkin unlocked everything
At the break (39-36 for Anadolu), the two teams accumulated 29 faults, 37 attempted free throws, 16 stray balls and small percentages on shots, especially at long distance. The stars were locked, Micic, Larkin but also Nikola Mirotic (11 points, 4 of 12 on shots, 9 rebounds) and Pau Gasol (1 point, 3 rebounds, 1 against in 13 minutes) had a hard time getting rid of the defensive hold.
The game changed face in the third quarter under the impetus of the backs of the Turkish team. Cory Higgins (23 points), author of the winning basket in the semi-final against Milan, also set off and the two teams delivered a magnificent mano a mano in the last quarter
But FC Barcelona (14 stray balls), tied (72-72) four minutes from time, never managed to get past and gave in on individual exploits of Micic and Larkin.
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