- A Greek Final-4 -
EUROLEAGUE - FINAL-4
| CSKA Moscow | 88 - 81 | Lokomotiv Kuban |
|---|---|---|
| Fenerbahce | 88 - 77 (OT) | Laboral Kutxa |
|---|---|---|
CSKA Moscow and Fenerbahce defeated Lokomotiv Kuban and Laboral Kutxa, respectively and advanced to the Euroleague Basketball Final. Although no Greek teams took part in today’s Final-4, Greeks players and coaches stole the spotlight in today’s action in Berlin.
The first semi-final was a battle between two Greek coaches and two Russian teams. Dimitrios Itoudis’ CSKA Moscow played against Georgios Bartzokas’ Lokomotiv Kuban. The Euroleague MVP, de Colo, led CSKA Moscow to an 88-81 victory while scoring 30 points for his side. Although this will be Itoudis’ first Euroleague Final as a head coach, he has appeared in six other Euroleague Finals as an assistant coach to Zeljko Obradoivc with Panathinaikos. As an assistant he has won the Euroleague title on 5 occasions (2000, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2011) with the Prasinoi and was defeated once in 2001. On Sunday, Itoudis will go up against his “mentor, Obradovic, in the Euroleague Final. Bartzokas, who led Lokomotiv Kuban to their first Final-4, is the only Greek coach to have won a Euroleague Championship (Olympiacos 2013).
The other semi-final consisted of two Greek players, Kostas Sloukas for Fenerbahce and Ioannis Bourousis for Laboral Kutxa. It was a thrilling match, to say the least, and a great showing for both players. Kostas Sloukas tied the game with 24 seconds remaining and sent the game to overtime. In the extra period, the Turkish side prevailed 88-77 an advanced to their first ever Euroleague Final. Sloukas ended the game with 13 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds and will play in his 4th Euroleague Championship in 5 years (2012, 2013, 2015, 2016). Ioannis Bourousis, who was named to the All Euroleague Tem yesterday, finished the game with a double-double, scoring 22 points and getting 10 rebounds.
On Sunday Itoudis’ CSKA Moscow will play Sloukas’ Fenerbahce, in Berlin, for the Euroleague Title. If there is one thing certain…A Greek will win this year’s Euroleague Title!
Image Source: ert.gr
