Top photos 2022 Final Four - Pre-Game Show

The most coveted prize of them all: the EuroLeague trophy on display in the pre-game shows!

Fire and coordination are key ingredients to any pre-game show at the Final Four.

Acrobatic dancing moves take center stage!

More mid-air action during the celebration before the games.

Choreography with light illuminates the Stark Arena.

A DJ comes down from the ceiling to get the party started.

Detail of the light choreography.

General view of the show from the stands. A treat to all fans present at the arena.

The pre-game show is a staple in all Final Fours. It was great to have fans back in the stands to witness it.

The DJ pumps it up from the sky!

The TV production also gets close to the action so viewers at home do not miss a single detail.

The pre-game show comes to an end. It's game time!

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four is the big party of European basketball and as such, it deserves a pre-game show that introduces the games!

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Stark Arena in Belgrade was the host of the 2022 Final Four.

This was the second Final Four held at Stark Arena, after it also hosted the event in 2018.

FC Barcelona practice session.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul locker room.

Stark Arena was packed when Olympiacos Piraeus and Efes tipp off in the first game on Thursday.

Brandon Davies dunks over Vincent Poirier in the semifinals at Stark Arena.

Pre-game show during the Final Four at Stark Arena. 

Olympiacos fans came in huge numbers to Belgrade for the Final Four.

Efes team captain Dogus Balbay during the practice session at Stark Arena.

Tip-off of the third place game.

Efes defended its crown and Vasilije Micic repeated as the Final Four MVP.

Pre-game entertainment during the Final Four at Stark Arena. 

Bryant Dunston lifted the trophy as Efes won back-to-back titles.

Coach Ergin Ataman celebrates with his players during the post-game press conference at Stark Arena.

Stark Arena was the home of the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Belgrade!

Top photos 2022 Final Four - Stark Arena

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FC Barcelona practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Dressing room Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Tip-Off Olympiacos vs Efes - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Brandon Davies - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21-FFS

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Dogus Balbay - Anadolu Efes Istanbul practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

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Press Conference - Anadolu Efes Istanbul champ Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21-FFF

When Anadolu Efes Istanbul successfully defended the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague title, it became one of the few teams to repeat as the continental champion.

A look back at past back-to-back EuroLeague winners 

Efes joined a list of teams that starts with ASK Riga, which won three consecutive EuroLeague titles from 1958 to 1960. Led by Janis Krumins, Maigonis Valmanis, Valdis Muiznieks and coached by Alexander Gomelskiy, ASK defeated Academic Sofia in the 1958 and 1959 finals and Dinamo Tbilisi in 1960. ASK reached a fourth consecutive final where it fell to CSKA Moscow. The only other team to threepeat was Jugoplatika Split, led by Toni Kukoc and Velimir Perasovic and, in its first two championships, Dino Radja and Dusko Ivanovic. Split beat Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 1989 championship game and FC Barcelona in 1990 and 1991. 

The only teams to go back-to-back twice were Real Madrid and Pallacanestro Varese. Real first did so in 1964 and 1965, when it downed Spartak Brno and CSKA, respectively. With the same core of players led by Lolo Sainz, Emiliano Rodriguez, Carlos Sevillano, Clifford Luyk, the later additions of Miles Aiken and Wayne Brabender and coached by Pedro Ferrandiz, Real conquered the 1967 and 1968 EuroLeague crowns. In those finals, it defeated Olimpia Milan and Brno. In the 1970s, Varese made it to 10 consecutive championship games and won five championships. Coach Aza Nikolic helped Varese win the EuroLeague in 1970, 1972 and 1973. Sandro Gamba guided the club to consecutive crowns in 1975 and 1976. Dino Meneghin, Bob Morse, Manuel Raga, Aldo Ossola, Marino Zanatta and Dodo Rusconi were among the stars on that legendary team.

Three different teams defended the EuroLeague title in the 1980s. Pallacanestro Cantu, led by Antonello Riva and Pierluigi Marzorati, beat Maccabi in the 1982 championship game and edged Milan the next year on a last-second block by Jim Brewer. Drazen Petrovic led Cibona to back-to-back EuroLeague championships in 1985 and 1986. Cibona beat Real 87-78 in the 1985 championship game behind 36 points from Petrovic. In 1986, Cibona topped Zalgiris Kaunas 94-82 with Danko Cvjeticanin, Sven Usic and Petrovic combining for 66 points. Behind Meneghin, Bob McAdoo and Mike D'Antoni, Milan repeated as EuroLeague champion in 1987 and 1988. It defeated Maccabi in both finals. 

Efes is the third team to win back-to-back EuroLeague crowns this century. Maccabi was first; it thrashed Fortitudo Bologna 118-74 in the 2004 championship game in Tel Aviv and defeated Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 90-78 in Moscow to claim the 2005 title. Sarunas Jasikevicius, Anthony Parker, Nikola Vujcic, Tal Burstein, Maceo Baston and Derrick Sharp were its main contributors, led by Coach Pini Gershon. Olympiacos Piraeus rallied past CSKA in the 2012 championship game, which the Reds won 62-61 on an iconic last-second shot by Georgios Printezis. A year later, they beat Real 100-88 in London. Vassilis Spanoulis was named Final Four MVP both times while players like Kyle Hines, Kostas Papanikolaou and Acie Law played big roles. Dusan Ivkovic coached the team to the first of those crowns and Georgios Bartzokas to the second. And now, Efes has joined this exclusive group.

### Efes, a low-scoring champ 

Anadolu Efes Istanbul won the title, downing Real Madrid 58-57 in the championship game. It was the lowest-scoring win for any team in the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. The previous lowest-scoring victory came when FC Bayern Munich defeated FC Barcelona 59-52 in Game 4 of the playoffs. It also matched the lowest score by a winning team in the championship game. Kinder Bologna also scored 58 points in the 1998 championship game when it bested AEK Athens 58-44 in Barcelona, Spain to claim its first continental crown. Efes has been critically acclaimed as a high-scoring team but proved it could win championships with strong defense, too. 

### Regular-season champ curse 

Since the EuroLeague's current format was adopted, no team that has finished atop the regular-season standings has been able to lift the EuroLeague trophy. In the first season under the format, 2016-17, Real Madrid finished first with a 23-7 record and went on to reach the championship game where it lost against fifth-ranked Fenerbahce Istanbul. CSKA Moscow (24-6) and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (25-5) lost in the semifinals in 2018 and 2019, respectively. FC Barcelona has topped the regular season in the last two seasons (24-10 in 2020-21, 21-7 in 2021-22) but lost in the 2021 championship game and the 2022 semifinals. 

### Close series, close games 

Barca and Olympiacos Piraeus needed to play all five playoff games to make it to the Final Four. Barca eliminated FC Bayern Munich and Olympiacos ousted AS Monaco in Game 5 of their respective series. Both teams went from very close playoffs series to semifinal thrillers - and both teams lost. Olympiacos tied its game against Efes, 74-74, with 19.5 seconds left. Then Vasilije Micic took matters into his own hands by downing the game-winning three-pointer right in the last second. Barca suffered an 83-86 loss against Real despite leading 54-43 midway through the third quarter. Unlike in the playoffs, small details went the other way for Olympiacos and Barca in the semifinals. 

### Efes protected the boards 

Efes needed just 58 points to beat Real, but that didn't mean it was a slow-paced game. In fact, Efes finished the game with 44 rebounds, the most boards in a non-overtime EuroLeague Championship Game in the Final Four era. Elijah Bryant was its biggest contributor under the boards with 8 rebounds. Four other players - Chris Singleton, Tibor Pleiss, Shane Larkin and Adrien Moerman - grabbed at least 6 rebounds in a true team-oriented effort. Of course, none was more important than Singleton's offensive rebound in the next-to-last minute, which allowed Pleiss to score his team's last basket, which proved to be decisive. 

### Mirotic came close to Final Four record

Nikola Mirotic was chosen as the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP and proved his worth at the Final Four with stellar performances in both games. Despite his team's 83-86 loss in the semifinals, Mirotic led Barca with 26 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and a PIR of 39. He then shined in the Third Place Game against Olympiacos with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and a PIR of 27. He had a combined Final Four MVP of 66, which was the second-highest for any player this century. Shane Larkin had a combined PIR of 67 at the 2019 Final Four; he posted 43 against Fenerbahce in the semifinals and 24 against CSKA in the championship game. 

Nikola Mirotic (26 points) Highlights vs. Real Madrid, 05/19/2022

MVP Mirotic delivers heroic effort in Barcelona defeat

### The 'Clasico' curse lives on 

Real and Barca have faced each other four times in the EuroLeague semifinals - and the winner has never lifted the trophy. In the first-ever Final Four 'Clasico', Barca topped Real 76-66 in the semifinals but lost against Panathinaikos Athens in the championship game, 67-66. Real took the 'Clasico' in the 2013 and 2014 semifinals but went on to lose against Olympiacos and Maccabi Tel Aviv, respectively. This season was no different: Real survived a tough 'Clasico' battle in the semifinals but Efes stood on its way to its 11th EuroLeague crown. The last team to beat a team from its own country in a Final Four and win the title was CSKA in 2016 when it bested Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar in the semifinals. 

### Efes wins with (and without) free throws 

Efes did not need to go to the foul line a lot to win its second EuroLeague title. Efes only attempted 9 free throws and made 6 of them. It is a record for the fewest free throws attempts in a championship game in the Final Four era. Olympiacos had 12 free throw attempts against Fenerbahce in the 2017 championship game. The picture was very different from last season in which Efes took 30 free throw attempts against CSKA in the 2021 championship game. Larkin hit all of his 12 free-throw attempts - twice as many as his entire team a year later!

The 2002 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four provided non-stop drama. Here's a look at some takeaways from the games in Belgrade.

Takeaways from the 2022 Final Four 

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Long-time EuroLeague partner Jacques Lemans, the official timekeeper of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, has gifted an exclusive watch to Final Four MVP Vasilije Micic of Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

Jacques Lemans awarded exclusive watch to Final Four MVP Micic

The watch is the second such prize Micic has received from Jacques Lemans, since he was the 2021 Final Four MVP, too. 

 

Jacques Lemans, which entered its ongoing partnership with Euroleague Basketball in 2009, enjoyed exposure as the competition's official timekeeper with a presence on all the 24-second shot clocks around the baskets at Stark Arena during the Final Four in Belgrade. 

 

The Austrian watchmaker will also release a limited run of sophisticated and stylish Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four watches. Jacques Lemans's exclusive line of EuroLeague watches can be purchased online through Amazon at [the EuroLeague Store](https://www.amazon.es/stores/EuroLeague/JACQUESLEMANS/page/E83844F9-2552-47CC-8DCA-EE796F918117). 

 

The continent's best basketball is always right on time thanks to Jacques Lemans.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul swingman Elijah Bryant has become the second player to win the NBA and the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague titles in consecutive seasons. 

Bryant joined an exclusive list of champs

Anadolu Efes Istanbul won its second consecutive Turkish Airlines EuroLeague title at the 2022 Final Four in Belgrade, Serbia. When it won its first crown in Cologne, Germany, a year ago, Bryant had just joined the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA. Bryant played one regular-season game with Milwaukee in which he scored 16 points. He then took part in 11 playoff games and averaged 1.3 points in helping the team win its first NBA title since 1971. 

By following that NBA ring with a EuroLeague crown, Bryant became just the 11th player to win both the NBA and EuroLeague titles. His teammate Rodrigue Beaubois, an NBA champion with Dallas in 2011 and now a back-to-back EuroLeague winner with Efes, is on that list, too. 

Only two players, however, have won the NBA and EuroLeague titles in consecutive seasons. Jim Brewer was the only player to achieve that until Bryant came along. Brewer helped the Los Angeles Lakers lift the NBA trophy in 1982 and went on to claim the EuroLeague crown with Ford Cantu in 1983. He scored 14 points and had the game-sealing block to lead Cantu to a 69-68 victory in the championship game against Billy Olimpia Milan. 

Elijah Bryant Top Plays from Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Anadolu Efes, 05/19/2022 and Real Madrid vs. Anadolu Efes, 05/21/2022

Bryant plays key role at the 2022 Final Four

Bill Bradley was the first player to win both titles. He led Milan to its first EuroLeague crown in 1966 and helped the New York Knicks win NBA titles in 1970 and 1973. Manu Ginobili won the EuroLeague with Virtus Bologna in 2001 and four EuroLeague titles with the San Antonio Spurs (2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014). Bradley and Ginobili each have won an Olympic Gold Medal, too. Toni Kukoc is the only player to win both titles three times; First, he three-peated with Split in 1989, 1990 and 1991 and then with the Chicago Bulls in 1996, 1997 and 1998. The other player with multiple wins in both competitions is Bob McAdoo with the Lakers (1982, 1985) and Milan (1987, 1988). 

Larry Wright (Washington Bullets 1978, Virtus Roma 1984), Zan Tabak (Split 1989, 1990, 1991; Houston Rockets 1995), Rasho Nesterovic (Virtus Bologna 1998; San Antonio Spurs 2005) and most recently, Josh Powell (Los Angeles Lakers 2009, 2010; Olympiacos Piraeus 2013) complete the list.

Elijah Bryant - Anadolu Efes Istanbul photo shoot - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Anadolu Efes Istanbul celebrated its second consecutive Turkish Airlines EuroLeague title in the press conference room and the locker room. Check out a selection of the best photos from this one-of-a-kind moment?

Top photos 2022 Final Four - Efes Locker Room and Press Conference celebration

Anadolu Efes Istanbul celebrates in the press conference room. Just as last season, players came to throw water at head coach Ergin Ataman and laugh at the situation!

It is already iconic: head coach Ergin Ataman celebrated the title with bost fists in the air. He said he would do it and kept his promise. Coach Ataman is now a two-time EuroLeague champion!

Final Four MVP Vasilije Micic went through the same scene - Anadolu Efes Istanbul teammates and staff members stormed into the press conference room to throw water at him - and he loved it!

Rodrigue Beaubois holds a beer. All players and staff wore commemorative T-shirts in the post-game celebration. Anadolu Efes Istanbul became the first win to win back-to-back EuroLeague titles since 2005!

Vasilije Micic pours beer on Shane Larkin's head minutes after the game. Larkin and Micic have been a dominant duo in the last EuroLeague seasons, leading Anadolu Efes Istanbul to consecutive crowns!

Vasilije Micic is all smiles when he carries the trophy to the locker room. His teammates - and Sarp, Coach Ataman's son - are full of happiness. Anadolu Efes Istanbul did it again!

Shane Larkin, Vasilije Micic and assistant coach Yakup Sekizkok pose for a picture in the middle of the post-game celebration. It is definitely a moment to remember!

Vasilije Micic has the trophy in his hands and the net hanging on his neck - and still can't believe it! He is the fourth player to earn back-to-back Final Four MVP honors!

Head coach Ergin Ataman arrives to the locker room and everyone throws water at him. That's the way most teams celebrate a title, and Anadolu Efes Istanbul is no exception!

Coach Ataman is wet through in the locker room but is loving every moment. He took Anadolu Efes Istanbul back to the Final Four and led to a second consecutive EuroLeague title!

Coach Ataman points to the sky. His team, Anadolu Efes Istanbul, is once again the number one team in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague! Congratulations!

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Rodrigue Beaubois in Locker Room - Anadolu Efes Istanbul champ Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21-FFF

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Ergin Ataman in Locker Room - Anadolu Efes Istanbul champ Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21-FFF

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Anadolu Efes Istanbul went from the worst to the best again, but this time within one season – in points allowed.


Efes's defense went from worst to best in a matter of weeks

It is well-known that Efes went on a journey from the last place in the 2017-18 season to the championship game a season later, followed by back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022. On its way to the EuroLeague crown the team lifted this past weekend in Belgrade, Efes completed another worst-to-first change, but this time with its defense.

After finishing the regular season allowing a league-high 81.0 points per game, Efes completely turned things around defensively. Efes has had the best defense in terms of points allowed since the end of the regular season - and by a wide margin. Efes held opponents to a league-low 64.0 points per game in the playoffs and at the Final Four in Belgrade allowed just 65.5 points. 

"Everybody speaks about our offense," Shane Larkin said after winning the crown in the lowest-scoring EuroLeague Championship Game since the turn of the century. "Everybody talks about how we can make exciting plays, the threes, the alley-oops, the step-backs, all those things. In a game like this, 58-57, we get to sit down on defense, get our own rebounds, dive for loose balls, take charges. It just proves the heart that we have, the character we have, the championship character."

That was not only what Efes did in the championship game, but throughout the postseason during which it has not allowed more than 74 points in any game. 

It was only the second time that the team that allowed the most points in the regular season even made the playoffs, let alone reach the Final Four and win the title. The only team before this season that allowed the most points during the regular season and then reached the playoffs was Asseco Prokom in 2010. But Prokom also played a Top 16 phase during which its defense ranked seventh.

The 16.5-point swing, from 81.0 points in the regular season to 64.5 points in the postseason helped make Efes the first team this century to allow the most points in all games before the playoffs before locking things up on defense and marching to the EuroLeague title.

Rarely, if ever, has Anadolu Efes Istanbul had trouble scoring points under Coach Ergin Ataman like it did in the championship game, but 58 points turned out to be enough to beat Real Madrid.

Efes wins the crown despite its scoring-low

When the final buzzer on the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season sounded, Efes was celebrating its title defense after a 57-58 win over Real. What was unusual about Efes’s victory was that it came in such a low-scoring affair.

For one, Efes under Ataman has not been in this position before because the 58 points marked the fewest Efes has scored in a single game over the last four seasons. It is also tied for the fewest points scored in any game under Coach Ergin Ataman, who began his third stint as the team's head coach in December 2017.

The majority of Efes’s players have been with the team since the start of the 2018-19 season. Ten players who dressed for the season opener that campaign are still on the team and helped Efes win back-to-back titles. 

But over that span of four seasons and 146 games, Efes has scored fewer than 60 points just once before this championship game, when it lost 59-77 at home against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in December 2020.

Moreover, before the start of the 2022 EuroLeague Playoffs, Ataman's Efes had not won a single game when it scored fewer than 69 points. However, two of the team's biggest wins of the season came that way.

First, in Game 1 of the playoffs, Efes downed AX Armani Exchange Milan on the road 48-64. It then edged Real on Saturday night to lift the crown.

"During the season we were one of the best offensive teams. I don't think there were a lot of games where we scored under 80 points. So, it was a special game today,” center Tibor Pleiss said. “In the end, we were lucky."

Efes took the crown despite scoring-low under Ataman

Guerschon Yabusele - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - E21-FFF