Efes Istanbul defeated Real Madrid by one point (58-57) in the Euroleague basketball final this Saturday at the Stark Arena in Belgrade and thus revalidated its title in the top continental tournament, where it had won last year in the final against Barcelona.
The Serbian Vasilije Micic (23 points) and the German Tibor Pleiss (19 points) were the leaders of Efes, who managed to repeat the Euroleague title, lifting the trophy in two consecutive years, something that had not been achieved in this competition since Greek Olympiakos did in 2012 and 2013.
To find a European champion team with so few points scored in the final, you have to go back to 1998, when Bologna beat AEK Athens in Barcelona 58-44.
In three of the last five editions, the Euroleague champion club has been Turkish, Fenerbahçe in 2017 and Efes Istanbul in 2021 and 2022.
Before the Fenerbahçe title, no team from the Ottoman country had managed to win this competition.
Real Madrid is the team that dominates the historical record of the tournament, with ten crowns, but could not add the ‘Eleventh’ on this occasion. Their last Euroleague title was achieved in 2018, when they beat Turkish Fenerbahçe in another Final 4 played in Belgrade.
“We can’t blame the boys for anything, they’ve left everything. A heads or tails against a difficult team. Our plan was to have reached the end with more advantage, they have taken it, it couldn’t be”, lamented the coach of the Real Madrid, Pablo Laso, in statements to DAZN.
– Micic, again MVP of the Final 4 –
In the final, Efes Istanbul trailed for several phases of the match. Real Madrid dominated by seven points (15-8) in the first quarter and went on to win by nine points (40-31, minute 25) midway through the third quarter.
Efes was able to react in time and achieve a comeback that allows them to continue at the top of Europe.
“When I was a kid I always watched the two teams that played the Final 4 final and now I’ve won the EuroLeague twice in a row. It’s unbelievable,” said 32-year-old center Tibor Pleiss, logically named the best player in the final.
“I have no words, there is a lot of emotion. This team has worked hard to win the title. We have had ups and downs this season. We finished it with a new title,” he celebrated.
For his part, Micic was chosen as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Final 4. He was the author of the triple that qualified Efes in the semifinals against Olympiakos.
Efes Istanbul gets this title after a dismal start to the Euroleague regular season, with six losses in eight games.
The Turkish team adds its name to the exclusive club of formations that have been able to defend their title in European basketball from one season to the next, following the example of Olympiakos (2012, 2013), Maccabi Tel Aviv (2004, 2005), Split ( 1989, 1990, 1991), the Zagreb (1985, 1986) and the Varese (1972, 1973).
This Saturday, Barcelona, who was defeated on Thursday by Real Madrid in the semifinals of this Final 4, consoled themselves with third place by beating Olympiakos 84-74.
tba / dr / dam
