The basketball player Moustapha Fall is 2.18 meters tall, his arms reach up to the basket hanging at 3.05 meters even when standing, but that didn’t matter at the moment. Opposite him was the best matchmaker in European operations in Sergio Llull. The Spaniard Llull, 35, has already sunk so many so-called “game winners” that he also claimed this final throw in the steaming hall in Kaunas for himself.
“I had to dribble a bit to the right and somehow fire the ball in a high arc, that worked,” the Real Madrid professional later explained the action on the indoor microphone – and how: Time stood still for a second, the ball sailed through the air and struck. Swish, 79-78 vs Olympiacos, three seconds from time. The last attempt by the Greeks in this final of the Euroleague went wrong, so Europe’s best basketball team is called Real Madrid for the eleventh time.
Three things are particularly interesting about the triumph of the Spaniards in this rock-hard competition, which lasted more than 40 games. First: The apparent immortality of basketball geniuses Llull and Sergio “el Chacho” Rodriguez, 36. Both in the fall of their careers, neither of them had an outstanding season. But when it came down to it, they took over games with all their authority. The parallels to the Real footballers cannot be overlooked: Rodriguez acted like a kind of Toni Kroos in parts of the playoffs and in the Final Four in Lithuania, he steered and controlled the offensive, his 15 points against Olympiakos were a team best. Llull, whom they call the ‘incredible’ in Spain, was out of points for much of the final but still took the decisive shot – and scored.
Second: It was a game at the highest level, especially in the first half. Piraeus were in the lead for a long time, led by Bulgaria’s Sasha Vezenkov (29 points), who was voted the best professional in the Euroleague. With 70 seconds left the lead was four points and Olympiakos had possession, so what could go wrong? But basketball is an unpredictable game of turns and runs. And Real broke through the Greeks’ final run with sheer willpower (also here: see Soccer Champions League, see Benzema, Ramos, Rodrygo etc.).
Real Madrid was actually already eliminated from the Euroleague
And thirdly, there remains a flaw in the story, because actually Real was almost eliminated in the quarter-finals against Partizan Belgrade. After two home defeats, the playoff series was tied 2-0 by surprise Serbia when Llull committed a wicked foul in game three, starting a bar-style brawl rarely seen in basketball. Two Madrilenians were then suspended – on the other hand with Kevin Punter but also the previously dominant player from Belgrade. His temporary absence threw Partizan so out of rhythm that the series ultimately ended 3-2 for Real’s comeback specialists.
Nevertheless, the (sporting) clout of the Madrilenians deserves recognition: You won’t find a similar winning spirit in European basketball. “We’re all proud of how this group came together at crucial moments,” said coach Chus Mateo. Incidentally, the Cape Verde center Edy Tavares took home the trophy for the best final player. He is 2.21 meters tall.
