Euroleague Basketball is pleased to announce two initiatives aimed at promoting sustainability, mobility, education and emissions impact awareness that will take place at the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Kaunas, Lithuania, from May 18 to 21. The first program is a reforestation campaign and the second is the [Final Four Walking Challenge](https://ftpserver.euroleague.net/general/instructions.pdf), which will also allow locals and visitors to support the reforestation campaign.

As part of the reforestation campaign, Euroleague Basketball aims to plant 15,000 trees in Kaunas. To tip off the campaign, 10,000 trees were already planted by Euroleague Basketball and its partner, #walk15, in the Dubravos Forest last Saturday, May 6. Euroleague Basketball Legend Ramunas Siskauskas and Zalgiris Kaunas Legend Paulius Jankunas actively participated in the planting of the trees. It is estimated that 10,000 new trees will help absorb more than 100 tons of CO2 emitted into the environment each year, while the species of trees being planted will contribute to the needs of the local wildlife.

Final Four Walking Challenge!

The [Final Four Walking Challenge](https://ftpserver.euroleague.net/general/instructions.pdf), which runs throughout Final Four weekend, will ask participants to take at least 10,000 steps on each of the four days. Not only will the extra walking promote sustainable mobility, healthy habits, and emissions reductions, but it will be the source of more trees being planted to reach the goal of 15,000. In addition, participants can win prizes!

Euroleague Basketball will collaborate with the popular Lithuanian app #walk15 on both initiatives. To take part in the [Final Four Walking Challenge](https://ftpserver.euroleague.net/general/instructions.pdf), fans – whether Final Four ticket holders or not – should simply download the free #walk15 app through the [Apple Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/walk15/id1155907677) or [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.walk15.pedometer&gl=ES). Once registered, they can join one of the Final Four teams – AS Monaco, FC Barcelona, Olympiacos Piraeus or Real Madrid – or the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague team.

The goal of the challenge is for participants, both as individuals and team members, to achieve the highest number of steps over those four days. The challenge will be open to everyone in the city of Kaunas and abroad. Registration opens on Thursday, May 11. 

To be eligible for the prizes, participants must walk at least 10,000 steps on each day of the challenge. Eligible participants will be included in a raffle for tickets to the 2024 EuroLeague Final Four in Berlin, Germany. There will be additional prizes for the top three walkers from each of the five teams. Euroleague Basketball and its partner, adidas, will also offer on-site prize opportunities for visiting specific locations, including the Adidas Next Generation Tournament at Kaunas Sports Hall and the FanZone at Unity Square, through dedicated routes. The app will also allow the participants to store their steps in a wallet to exchange them for a special Final Four discount of 15% on trains from Vilnius to Kaunas. [See all terms and conditions here](https://ftpserver.euroleague.net/general/TCFinalFourWalkingChallenge.pdf). 

This initiative is being supported by our friends and Final Four collaborators at #walk15, the Lithuanian Forestry Office, Lithuanian train company LTG Link, Kauno autobusai, Zalgiris Kaunas, adidas and the City of Kaunas.

Walking Challenge headlines 2023 Final Four sustainability initiatives

Real Madrid is headed back to the Final Four! Real made playoff history by beating Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 3-2 with a home win in Game 5. It was the only home win of the series after a record-breaking four consecutive road victories. Real became the first team to rally from a 0-2 deficit in a EuroLeague Playoff series. With their backs against the wall, Los Blancos brought out their most competitive version to take road wins in Games 3 and 4, taking the series back to the Spanish capital to finish the job. Real is now set to face archrival FC Barcelona in the semifinals.

Real Madrid returns to the Final Four!

Real Madrid is headed back to the Final Four! Real made playoff history by beating Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 3-2 with a home win in Game 5. It was the only home win of the series after a record-breaking four consecutive road victories. Real became the first team to rally from a 0-2 deficit in a EuroLeague Playoff series. With their backs against the wall, *Los Blancos* brought out their most competitive version to take road wins in Games 3 and 4, taking the series back to the Spanish capital to finish the job. Real is now set to face archrival FC Barcelona in the semifinals.

Real is the winningest team in EuroLeague history with 10 continental crowns. Only three of them came in the Final Four era. After the format was adopted in 1988, Real only made it to three of the first 23 Final Fours. Things changed in the early 2010s when a golden generation of domestic players led by Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Llull, Sergio Rodriguez and Felipe Reyes joined forces with head coach Pablo Laso to restore Real to its place at among the top clubs on the continent. Real won EuroLeague titles in 2015 and 2018 and reached three more championship games. Chus Mateo, a two-time champion as Laso's assistant, now hopes to add to the club's legacy.

### Journey to the Final Four

Real was third in the regular season standings with a 23-11 record after winning 13 of its 17 home games. A road loss against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in the teams' [regular-season finale, 100-96](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv-real-madrid/E2022/301/), prevented Real from finishing second due to its tie-break disadvantage with Barca. Real, however, would have the home-court advantage in its best-of-five series against Partizan.

The series between Real and Partizan became an instant classic. [Partizan upset Real in Game 1 87-89](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/real-madrid-partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade/E2022/309/) on a game-winning shot by Kevin Punter, who buried a contested three-pointer with 0.4 seconds left to fix the final score. Punter led all scorers with 26 points. Gabriel Deck led Real with 24 points. Real center Walter Tavares missed Game 2 due to injury and Partizan took full advantage of it for [an 80-95 road victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/real-madrid-partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade/E2022/313/). The game ended prematurely, with 1:40 minutes left on the clock after a brawl erupted on the court. The game could not continue as the ejections of players who took part in the chaos meant neither team had the required number of players to carry on.

Players on both teams were suspended and Tavares returned for the games at Stark Arena, where he earned MVP of the Round honors in Games 3 and 4. He led Real to [an 80-82 win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade-real-madrid/E2022/317/) with 26 points and 11 rebounds for a PIR of 41. With the game tied at 77-77, Nigel Williams-Goss buried a critical three-pointer and Mario Hezonja put the victory on ice from the foul line. Then Tavares went for 15 points, 7 rebounds and a PIR of 30 in leading Real to [a 78-85 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade-real-madrid/E2022/321/) in Game 4. 

If Real's comeback was the theme of the series, so too was it in Game 5 as Los Blancos erased an 18-point deficit early in the second half to storm back and beat Partizan [98-94](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/real-madrid-partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade/E2022/325/) in a game that will go down in basketball history as a classic. It marked the first time ever that a team rallied from a 0-2 deficit to win a best-of-five series. Sergio Rodriguez scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and Dzanan Musa led Real with 20 to lead the victory.

### Final Four experience

It is safe to say that no team has more experience on the court than *Los Blancos*. Sergio Llull is headed to his ninth Final Four, which is tied for second place all-time. He is the all-time Final Four leader in assists (62) and ranks third in scoring (191). Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Rodriguez each have qualified for their eighth Final Four. Fernandez and Llull have only been there with Real. Rodriguez has taken three different teams to the Final Four: Real, CSKA Moscow and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan.

Anthony Randolph has made it to the Final Four for the sixth time. Fabien Causeur is in his fifth Final Four and Adam Hanga and Tavares have each reached the event for the fourth time. Alberto Abalde and Vincent Poirier were at the Final Four last season, just like Nigel Williams-Goss, who only played 53 seconds due to injury. Mario Hezonja had a brief Final Four experience, taking part in the 2014 third place game with Barca. Twelve different Real players have been to at least one EuroLeague Championship Game.

### Final Four history

Real won seven EuroLeague tiles before the Final Four began: four in the 1960s, two in the 1970s and one in 1981. Once Arvydas Sabonis joined the team, Real reached the Final Four in 1993 and lifted the trophy, coached by Zeljko Obradovic, in 1995. Sabonis left but Real returned to the Final Four in 1996. After a 15-year absence, *Los Blancos* were back at the Final Four in 2011, where they lost against Maccabi in the semifinals. Coach Laso joined the following season and a new era began.

Real reached three consecutive championship games from 2013 to 2015, losing against Olympiacos Piraeus and Maccabi before lifting the trophy in its third attempt, in the Spanish capital. Andres Nocioni earned 2015 Final Four MVP honors. Real remained highly competitive and another title, the club's 10th, arrived in 2018. Luka Doncic was chosen as the 2018 Final Four MVP. Last season, Real returned to the Championship Game and lost against Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

 Monaco makes history with Final Four spot! 

The meteoric rise of AS Monaco reached new heights on Thursday when the club clinched a spot at the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. Coach Sasa Obradovic's squad won Game 5 to take the best-of-five playoff series against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv on its home floor.

The victory meant that Monaco will play in European basketball’s pinnacle event in just its second season in the competition. Monaco hadn't even played in the EuroCup before 2018. It won that competition in its third season in the EuroCup and now could be two wins away from rocking the basketball world with the continental crown. When Monaco lands in Kaunas, Lithuania, for this season’s Final Four, it will face top-seed Olympiacos Piraeus in the semifinals.

### Journey to the Final Four

Monaco was in the playoff hunt all season after winning five of its first six games, including triumphs over outgoing champion [Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/as-monaco-anadolu-efes-istanbul/E2022/10/) and [Olympiacos](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/olympiacos-piraeus-as-monaco/E2022/40/). The club lost back-to-back games only twice all season. The second time was in the final two games of the regular season after Monaco had clinched a playoff berth. It finished the regular season in fourth place with a 21-13 record.

Then Monaco stumbled out of the gate in the playoffs, [losing the series opener to Maccabi 67-79](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/as-monaco-maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/E2022/308/) and with it the home-court advantage. It bounced back [to take the second game 86-74](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/as-monaco-maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/E2022/312/) led by Jordan Loyd, who posted 33 points.

"Roca Team" then recaptured the home-court advantage with [a 78-83 Game 3 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv-as-monaco/E2022/316/). Monaco never trailed in that game, riding Mike James's 18 first-half points to take control and then holding off all of Maccabi's comeback attempts in the second half. Maccabi responded in Game 4, dominating from the start of the second quarter en route to a [104-69 victory.](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv-as-monaco/E2022/320/)

In a back-and-forth Game 5 one year after Monaco had lost the same opportunity on the road, this time experience counted as Jordan Loyd's 8 points in a row turned around a one-point deficit with under 4 minutes left to preserve a [97-86](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/as-monaco-maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/E2022/324/) victory as he and Mike James tallied 21 points each. 

AS Monaco Top Plays from 10/01/2022 to 05/04/2023

AS Monaco's best moments en route to the Kaunas Final Four!

### Kaunas connection

Center Donatas Motiejunas will surely have a special cheering section in Kaunas. A native of the city, he came through the youth ranks with Zalgiris and made his professional debut there before spending time in Italy, Poland, the NBA and China. This is Motiejunas's second season with Monaco. 

### Final Four experience

The team’s star guard Mike James is the only player on the roster with Final Four experience. He reached the Final Four with Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2016 in Berlin.  

### Final Four history 

Monaco becomes just the third team from the French League to reach the Final Four and the first in more than a quarter-century. The last French club to do was ASVEL Villeurbanne in Rome in 1997. The other French club to make a Final Four was Limoges CSP, which won the 1993 crown in Piraeus and lost in the semifinals in Zaragoza in both 1990 and 1995.

Monaco makes history with Final Four spot!

Olympiacos Piraeus, the No. 1 seed entering 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs, has secured its place in the Final Four after defeating Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 3-2 in a hard-fought series. After splitting the first two games in Greece, the Reds went on the road and split games at Ulker Sports and Events Hall, too. The Reds used the support at Peace and Friendship Stadium in Game 5 to break out to early double-digit leads before halftime and maintain the upper hand on the way to an 84-72 victory and a ticket to Kaunas for the semifinals on May 19. Olympiacos will play the winner of the series between AS Monaco and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv.

Olympiacos books its place in the EuroLeague Final Four!

Olympiacos Piraeus, the No. 1 seed entering 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs, has secured its place in the Final Four after defeating Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 3-2 in a hard-fought series. After splitting the first two games in Greece, the Reds went on the road and split games at Ulker Sports and Events Hall, too. The Reds used the support at Peace and Friendship Stadium in Game 5 to break out to early double-digit leads before halftime and maintain the upper hand on the way to an [84-72](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/olympiacos-piraeus-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/E2022/323/) victory and a ticket to Kaunas for the semifinals on May 19. Olympiacos will play the winner of the series between AS Monaco and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv.

Since Georgios Bartzokas's return as head coach in January 2020, he has helped build Olympiacos from the bottom up once again. The team failed to make the playoffs in 2020-21, with the club having brought Kostas Sloukas back to Peace and Friendship Stadium heading into that campaign, but Coach Bartzokas has since guided Olympiacos to back-to-back Final Four appearances. Curiously, the last time that Olympiacos made two Final Fours in a row was when it became the back-to-back champion in 2012 and 2013.

### Journey to the Final Four

Olympiacos topped the standings with a league-best 24-10 record, going on a seven-game winning run between Rounds 19 and 25, before having a 6-2 run to close the regular season. Its series with Fenerbahce ended up going to five games, which once again led to memorable scenes inside Peace and Friendship Stadium at the final buzzer – just like what happened against Monaco one year ago.

Coach Bartzokas's squad got the EuroLeague Playoffs off to a good start with [a 79-68 win](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/olympiacos-piraeus-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/E2022/307/) against Fenerbahce, thanks in large part to 5 made triples in the third quarter by Isaiah Canaan, who finished with 18 points. Sasha Vezenkov paced Olympiacos that night with 19 points. Game 2 saw Fenerbahce fall behind 24-10 after the first 10 minutes, but a second-quarter fightback led by Carsen Edwards and Johnathan Motley cut the gap to 3 points, 37-34, at the interval. Then, in the fourth quarter, Nigel Hayes-Davis stepped up to ensure that Fenerbahce came away with a crucial [78-82](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/olympiacos-piraeus-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/E2022/311/) victory, tying the series in the process. The action then switched to Istanbul and it looked almost certain that Fenerbahce was going to go 2-1 up after Marko Guduric made a mid-range jumper with 3.9 seconds remaining to set the score at 71-69. But, ex-Fenerbahce guard Sloukas broke his former side's hearts with a game-winning triple at the buzzer, [71-72](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul-olympiacos-piraeus/E2022/315/). Yet, Fenerbahce responded by winning Game 4 at home, [73-69](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul-olympiacos-piraeus/E2022/319/), to force the decider. But back in Piraeus, a Game 5-record 15-0 second-quarter run put Olympiacos in charge the rest of the way on the way to an 84-72 victory. Sloukas led the way with 22 points, while Kostas Papanikolaou had 14 and 11 rebounds to send Olympiacos to its eighth Final Four this century!

‘The final minute between Fenerbahce and Olympiacos was CRAZY ’

### Final Four experience

Luckily for Coach Bartzokas, the majority of this Olympiacos squad can lean on its experience from last season's Final Four. The Reds came up just short in the semifinals, with Anadolu Efes Istanbul's Vasilije Micic hitting a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer. Yet, that disappoint will only act as inspiration for [Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/), [Thomas Walkup](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/thomas-walkup/008855/), [Moustapha Fall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/moustapha-fall/008811/), [Shaquielle McKissic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/shaquielle-mckissic/007853/) and [Giannoulis Larentzakis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/giannoulis-larentzakis/010392/), all of whom made their first trip to the Final Four in 2022.

[Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/) and [Kostas Papanikolaou](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kostas-papanikolaou/001255/), who were both members of Olympiacos's title-winning teams in 2012 and 2013, are the veteran leaders for this team following the retirement of Georgios Printezis, and their experience will be key in Kaunas. There is also championship experience in the form of backups [Alec Peters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/alec-peters/008829/) and [Joel Bolomboy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/joel-bolomboy/009035/), who were part of CSKA Moscow's EuroLeague triumph in 2019. [Canaan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/isaiah-canaan/010612/) and [Tarik Black](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tarik-black/008991/), meanwhile, are heading to the Final Four for the first time.

### Final Four history

Olympiacos has made it to its eighth Final Four since the turn of the century, and all of those have come in the last 15 years. In that time, the Reds have become champion on two occasions: in [2012](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2011-12/cska-moscow-olympiacos-piraeus/E2011/188/) and [2013](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2012-13/olympiacos-piraeus-real-madrid/E2012/253/). Looking further back, since the Final Four format was introduced in 1988, the Reds have reached European basketball's showpiece event 11 times and won a total of three titles, having also become champion of Europe in 1997.

Since becoming the back-to-back champion in 2013, Olympiacos has twice finished as runner-up – in [2015](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2014-15/real-madrid-olympiacos-piraeus/E2014/251/) and [2017](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2016-17/fenerbahce-istanbul-olympiacos-piraeus/E2016/263/) – and once ended the season in fourth place, which is where it finished last season after [losing to Efes in the semifinals](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2021-22/olympiacos-piraeus-anadolu-efes-istanbul/E2021/328/) and [FC Barcelona in the third-place game](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2021-22/fc-barcelona-olympiacos-piraeus/E2021/329/). This year, Olympiacos is back with a vengeance as it looks to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its last EuroLeague title by becoming the champion once again.

Olympiacos books its place in the Final Four!

FC Barcelona is the first team to have booked its place at the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, but it will have to play its games in Kaunas, Lithuania without two-time champion Cory Higgins. The guard, who last played in Round 34 of the regular season, missed the playoff series against Zalgiris Kaunas due to a back problem and will now miss the Final Four after undergoing surgery.

Barcelona's Cory Higgins to miss 2023 EuroLeague Final Four

FC Barcelona is the first team to have booked its place at the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, but it will have to play its games in Kaunas, Lithuania without two-time champion [Cory Higgins](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/cory-higgins/006450/). The guard, who last played in Round 34 of the regular season, missed the playoff series against Zalgiris Kaunas due to a back problem and will now miss the Final Four after undergoing surgery.

We inform you that our player Cory Higgins has successfully undergone surgery for the lower back problems he had," read Barca's statement. "The operation, performed at the Hospital de Barcelona, has been carried out by Dr. Maite Ubierna and Dr. Anna Garcia de Frutos. The player is out for the rest of the 2022/23 season."

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">[𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓 𝐌𝐄̀𝐃𝐈𝐂]<br><br>Us informem que el jugador Cory Higgins ha estat operat amb èxit dels problemes de columna lumbar detectats<br><br>La intervenció, realitzada a l’Hospital de Barcelona, ha anat a càrrec de les doctores Maria Teresa Ubierna i Anna Garcia de Frutos.<br><br>El… <a href="https://t.co/YJ9RotXMsQ">pic.twitter.com/YJ9RotXMsQ</a></p>&mdash; Barça Basket (@FCBbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket/status/1655939884593598469?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Higgins made 32 appearances for Barca during the 34-game regular season, averaging 8.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and an 8.7 PIR in 19:49 on the court. The 33-year-old, who joined Barca in 2019, has been an important member of the team's last two trips to the Final Four, in which the Blaugrana lost in the 2021 championship game to Anadolu Efes Istanbul before falling short in the 2022 semifinals to archrival Real Madrid. 

Having previously become a EuroLeague champion while playing for CSKA Moscow, lifting the trophy in 2016 and 2019, Higgins's experience on the court will come as a big blow to Barca, which is trying to win its first EuroLeague title since 2010. He has played in a total of six Final Fours in the past, having reached four straight with CSKA between 2015 and 2019, while he also played in Europe's showpiece event in 2021 and 2022 with Barca.

Barcelona's Cory Higgins to miss 2023 Final Four

For the third year in a row, FC Barcelona will compete at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four! After finishing the regular season as the No. 2 seed with a 23-11 record, Barca swept Zalgiris Kaunas 3-0 in the playoffs and will soon head back to Kaunas, Lithuania, to take part in European basketball's showpiece event.

Barca has made it to the Final Four in all three years that head coach Saras Jasikevicius has been in charge, while this will be the club's ninth Final Four appearance since the playoff format was reintroduced in the EuroLeague for the 2004-05 campaign. In this year's semifinals, it will take on the winner of the series between Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and archrival Real Madrid. Partizan leads that series 2-1 and will host Game 4. Seeking its first EuroLeague title since 2010, will this be the year that Barca fans are able to become kings of the continent once again?

### Journey to the Final Four

During the 34-round regular season, Barca remained towards the top of the standings throughout – and it improved as time went on. In fact, since its overtime loss at Real in Round 21, Barca has gone 13-3. Shrinking that down further, Coach Jasikevicius's side is 8-1 over its last nine games and it managed to avoid any scares in the playoffs, having had to go to a Game 5 in its playoff series with Zenit St. Petersburg in 2021 and FC Bayern Munich in 2022.

Barca blew Zalgiris out of the water in Game 1, establishing a 17-point lead at halftime before [going on to win 91-69](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/fc-barcelona-zalgiris-kaunas/E2022/310/). Sertac Sanli was particularly impressive in that fixture, scoring a game-high 17 points off the bench, while reigning EuroLeague MVP Nikola Mirotic had 15 points. Zalgiris head coach Kazys Maksvytis called for a reaction in Game 2, and he got it, but Jan Vesely with 26 points and Mirotic with 22 joined forces to keep Barca on the right track, [89-81](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/fc-barcelona-zalgiris-kaunas/E2022/314/). The series moved to Lithuania for Game 3, but the Blaugrana kept their foot on the gas and came away with a [66-77](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-playoffs-live-blog-game-report-game3-zalgiris-barcelona-tae2223/) victory, thanks to 14 points apiece from Tomas Satoransky and Vesely. With that Game 3 victory at Zalgirio Arena, the venue for this year's Final Four, Barca had an early opportunity to test out the rims ahead of the semifinals and potentially the championship game.

FC Barcelona vs Zalgiris Kaunas - Playoffs Game 1 - Highlights

### Final Four experience

Barca enters the 2023 Final Four with many players who have made it to this point before. In the case of [Mirotic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-mirotic/000796/), [Cory Higgins](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/cory-higgins/006450/), [Alex Abrines](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/alex-abrines/003478/) and [Kyle Kuri](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kyle-kuric/005789/)c, they have all been on the same journey as Coach Jasikevicius by making three straight Final Fours with Barca. Others, like [Nicolas Laprovittola](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nicolas-laprovittola/006435/), [Rokas Jokubaitis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/rokas-jokubaitis/007519/) and [Sanli](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sertac-sanli/002968/), were also part of the team that made it to last year's Final Four. Last summer, the Blaugrana signed a couple of former EuroLeague champions in [Vesely](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/jan-vesely/000925/) and [Nikola Kalinic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-kalinic/004866/), who won the title with Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in 2017 and appeared in five straight Final Fours between 2015 and 2019.

However, one player who will get to taste the Final Four for the first time is guard [Satoransky](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tomas-satoransky/002939/), who returned to the club last summer after a six-year spell in the NBA. Otherwise, the only players on the roster without Final Four experience are those towards the end of the bench, such as [Oscar da Silva](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/oscar-da-silva/011244/) and [Oriol Pauli](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/-oriol-pauli/003204/). Youngsters [James Nnaji](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/james-nnaji/010641/) and [Sergi Martinez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sergi-martinez/006768/) were both on the team last season, but neither player featured in the Final Four.

### Final Four history

Barca can now prepare for its ninth Final Four appearance since 2003-04 and its 17th since the Final Four format was adopted in 1988. In that time, Barca has won two EuroLeague titles – in [2003](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2002-03/fc-barcelona-benetton-treviso/E2002/220/) and [2010](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2009-10/regal-fc-barcelona-olympiacos-piraeus/E2009/188/) – and it has finished as runner-up on five occasions.

On its last two trips under Coach Jasikevicius, the Blaugrana was the runner-up in [2021](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2020-21/fc-barcelona-anadolu-efes-istanbul/E2020/328/), losing to Anadolu Efes Istanbul in the championship game, and the winner of the [third-place game](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2021-22/fc-barcelona-olympiacos-piraeus/E2021/329/) last season, having lost against Real in the semifinals before defeating Olympiacos Piraeus.

Barcelona sweeps into Final Four!

Svyturys's rich history and great popularity make it a natural fit to be the Official Beer of the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Kaunas, Lithuania. Drinking Svyturys and watching sports go hand in hand in Lithuania, and now visitors at this season's Final Four will be fortunate enough to have that opportunity.

As part of Svyturys's sponsorship agreement with Euroleague Basketball, it will supply products to the VIP hospitality areas and media section at the Final Four. Svyturys will also open a beer garden at the Final Four Fan Zone, where it will host watch parties in the giant screen for the Final Four games, too.

"Lithuania's leading brewery supporting the leaders of the basketball world only makes sense," Rolandas Virsilas, the General Director of Svyturys-Utenos alus said. "This ignites more passion and inspiration in our work. When our values and goals are so inseparably connected, it brings us much more joy."

Founded in 1784, Svyturys is the leading brewery in the country and exports more than a dozen types of beers to more than 20 countries all over Europe and as far away as Australia and the United States. For years, Svyturys has fostered the growth of sports in general and basketball in particular in Lithuania, and now it can add being an Official EuroLeague Final Four Partner to its list of contributions to the game that Lithuanians love most.

"Every sports fan who visits Lithuania sees the Svyturys brand and we know that it is a growing company that shares our values," Roser Queralto, Chief Business Officer of Euroleague Basketball, said. "We are delighted to onboard Svyturys into our family of partners and look forward to seeing fans from around the world partaking in their rich beers at Zalgirio Arena and around Kaunas during the games that lead up to the crowning of a new EuroLeague champion."

Svyturys becomes the Official Beer of the 2023 Final Four

The roar of the crowd, the rumble of the seats, the flashes of the cameras, the anticipation of the moment…  All of that contributes to the fan experience at a great sporting event. And for more than a decade, Zalgirio Arena, located on Nemunas Island in the heart of Kaunas, has delivered those experiences as well as any other basketball venue in the world. 

Meet the Final Four co-star: Zalgirio Arena

The roar of the crowd, the rumble of the seats, the flashes of the cameras, the anticipation of the moment…  All of that contributes to the fan experience at a great sporting event. And for more than a decade, Zalgirio Arena, located on Nemunas Island in the heart of Kaunas, has delivered those experiences as well as any other basketball venue in the world. 

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four is headed to Zalgirio Arena in May knowing that the combination of the pinnacle of the European basketball calendar, the magic of the arena itself and Lithuania's passion for the sport will create an atmosphere that is second to none. 

The largest multifunctional arena in the Baltic region, Zalgirio Arena can and has hosted a wide array of events, from handball to volleyball, fitness and ice skating competition, theatrical events, expos and other private functions. However, it is most used for basketball games and concerts. 

Zalgiris Kaunas regularly sells out its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games at the basketball seating capacity of 15,415, though the arena can fit in another 5,000 spectators for concerts. The Zalgirio Arena record for attendance is 20,517 for a concert by Lithuanian pop band SEL in 2015. The arena also has smaller halls, which can accommodate more intimate shows for as few as 400 people. 

Opened in 2011, the management has sought to keep it state-of-the-art in every way by continually maintaining and upgrading all the accoutrements, from lighting and acoustics and LED screens to the bars, bathrooms and lounges.  

Among the chart-topping artists to perform at Zalgirio Arena over the years are Dua Lipa, Robbie Williams, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Queen, Kylie Minogue, Enrique Iglesias, Andrea Bocelli, Lenny Kravitz, Eric Clapton, Rammstein, OneRepublic, Muse, Elton John, Katie Melua, Sting, Bryan Adams, James Blunt and Mariah Carey. The major sporting events to take place at the arena include EuroBasket 2011 and the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup.  

And soon enough, the devotion of the fans at the EuroLeague Final Four will leave its mark on the home of Lithuanian basketball.

Euroleague Basketball is excited to welcome OlyBet to its family of partners by having the sports entertainment brand become part of Europe's marquee basketball event, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four.

 OlyBet becomes Euroleague Basketball partner for the Final Four 

Euroleague Basketball is excited to welcome OlyBet to its family of partners by having the sports entertainment brand become part of Europe's marquee basketball event, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four.

As an official sponsor for the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, OlyBet will have an extensive digital presence with specific branded content as well as visibility in the arena and at the official Fan Zone of the event.

The magnificent Zalgirio Arena in Kaunas, Lithuania, will host the four best teams on the continent in the semifinals on Friday, May 19, as well as in the third-place and championship games on Sunday, May 21.

"We are delighted to welcome OlyBet to the family of Euroleague Basketball partners," Jose Luis Rosa-Medina, Senior Director, Corporate Partnership and Licensing for Euroleague Basketball, said. " OlyBet is a key player in the industry and betting leader in the Baltic region, so having them as partners during the EuroLeague showcase event, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four that will land for the first time in Kaunas, Lithuania, will be fundamental to continue offering the best possible experience to our fans in the region.”

OlyBet is continuing to build partnerships with the most popular brands and events to bring the best that professional sports has to offer closer to its fans, in all the markets Olybet operates in. Partnerships in basketball, a beloved sport across the Baltics, are a great example. Partnering with the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four is one more strategic step towards consolidating the brand's position in the world of sports in the Baltic region.

Corey Plummer, Chairman and CEO of Olympic Entertainment Group and OlyBet Group, expressed his enthusiasm for the new partnership with Euroleague Basketball for the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four event, which is widely popular in the Baltic region:

“We are very excited to partner with Euroleague during this incredible Final Four event in Lithuania. OlyBet is the Baltic leader for sports betting and live entertainment with more than 80 locations for sports fans to play, eat and watch events. This partnership will elevate fan engagement and enhance the thrill of the game moments that world-class basketball delivers."