A special edition of The Crossover comes your way on the eve of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game as host Joe Arlauckas holds court to talk about everything happening in Belgrade alongside FC Bayern Munich head coach Andrea Trinchieri, former EuroLeague champion David Rivers and local Belgrade journalist Aleksandra Radivojevic of SportKlub. Check out their take on the fanfare of the Final four on the possible outcomes in Saturday’s big game to decide the trophy between Real Madrid and Anadolu Efes Istanbul!

The Crossover at the Final Four!

Check out some insights from the protagonists of the Championship Game in Belgrade!

Championship Game pre-game quotes: Real Madrid

### Sergio Llull, Real Madrid guard 

"This is what we came here for. I am very happy to be in another final, very proud of the team's work yesterday, and very focused on the game tomorrow. I hope we can repeat here and win the title again. In the end, each game and each Final Four is a whole different story. We play against a very good team and will have to do things really well in order to win."

Championship Game pre-game quotes: Adam Hanga, Real Madrid

### Alberto Abalde, Real Madrid forward 

“I think it will probably be a different game than the semifinal because they are a different team, they have a different structure, but it will be the same in terms of intensity and toughness, and that it’s going to be a hard one till the last second, play by play. Many details can be definitive. I think it is clear that their focus is on players that can generate, like Shane Larkin or Vasilije Micic, but they also have \[Elijah\] Bryant and \[Rodrigue\] Beaubois. We will try to be ourselves, throughout defense, trying to make our physicality prevail. Displaying it from the very beginning can help us stop their creation, so we can build from that. What I ask myself is to give everything. Each game is different, and it may require different things from me, to help here or there, but it will depend on what we speak with Coach Laso, but it’s a matter of being ready to be able to help the team.”

Championship Game pre-game quotes: Walter Tavares, Real Madrid

### Gabriel Deck, Real Madrid forward

"It's clear that we need to stay focused, concentrated for the whole game. We need to be prepared and ready to be able to match a great opponent like Efes, which is a great team with a lot of great players who have been playing together for a long time. We hope to be at our maximum. The spotlight is on players like Micic or Larkin, obviously, but we know these two also need the others' contribution to be able to lead the group, so we cannot avoid paying attention to everyone else.” 

Real Madrid v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2022-05-21T17:00:00.000Z)

Walter Tavares - Real Madrid practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

CHeck out some insights about the protagonists of the Championship Game in Belgrade!

Championship Game pre-game quotes: Anadolu Efes Istanbul

### Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes Istanbul guard

“It's going to be a battle, for sure. They are an experienced team. They've been here before, they won the EuroLeague here in Serbia, so I am sure they feel great, like a deja vu. They know exactly what it takes to win, we know what it takes to win. I think it is going to be big for us to get the rebounds. They have a lot of tall, big guys in the paint so I don't think we can rely just on our big guys to pull rebounds against Tavares and Poirier and Yabusele. Even their wings crash the glass, Gabriel Deck, Abalde, Adam Hanga. It will take all of us, a team effort to get the rebounds and focus on the defensive side of the ball.”

Championship Game pre-game quotes: Tibor Pleiss, Anadolu Efes Istanbul

### Rodrigue Beaubois, Anadolu Efes Istanbul guard

“It’s the Final Four. It’s a final, so both teams will play very hard because it’s one game and you need to do everything you can to win the trophy. We know Real Madrid is a very experienced team that has been there before. I played against them before so it’s going to be an intense game and we have to be ready for a fight. They are going to play their game, they are going to play big, and use the size they have. We will try to use our quickness, our speed. I think that whoever is able to control the tempo, to control the speed of the game, will have a chance to win. But it’s one game, so probably there are going to be adjustments. It’s one game and that’s one of the difficulties. It’s one game, you have to give everything and have no regrets. The key is to have no regrets at the end. \[What I ask myself is\] to be the best I can be for my team. I hope all my teammates are on the same page and we can push the team to win the title.”

Championship Game pre-game quotes: Chris Singleton, Anadolu Efes Istanbul

### Bryant Dunston, Anadolu Efes Istanbul center 

"It is really exciting - the opportunity to play for the title, one game. It is 40 minutes, you have to give everything you have and at the end of the day, we hope we will have a really good result. Transition defense is definitely going to be one of the keys. We have to slow them down and try to dictate the pace of the game and do the same that we do in the last game, battle them physically and try to keep them away from the paint. It is a final game and it is always going to be physical. We need to make sure we play physically without fouling so much, like we did in the last game - me and Singleton fouled out. We are going to play strong but need to look out for the fouls. On the rebounds, we have to push them \[Tavares and Poirier\] out as much as we can and have all five guys crash the boards."

Bryant Dunston - Anadolu Efes Istanbul practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

The players from the eight teams at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals learned some critical lessons about life off the court as part of the ANGT Educational Session, which focused on the jump from junior to senior player, dealing with social media and environmental sustainability.

Players learn important off-court lessons at ANGT Educational Session

Current Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade star Nikola Kalinic, EuroLeague Players Association managing director and former star Boki Nachbar, former EuroLeague champion Patrick Femerling and current NBA center Ivica Zubac were on hand to give tips about their experience to the youngsters.

Kalinic and Nachbar addressed the challenges of becoming a professional player.

"It's very hard at that age. I remember at that age, I didn't listen to anybody. I thought I was the smartest and I'm the best. It's normal when you are younger," said Kalinic. "For them, maybe it was boring to listen to some older guys. Let's get it over with and go to the hotel. I think it could help them to listen to the lessons from Boki Nachbar and myself. The faster they learn that they can ask older people for help and learn from them, the faster they're going to become the best version of themselves – basketball-wise and as persons."

The topics Kalinic and Nachbar talked about included listening to important lessons older teammates could give them, what to consider when looking for an agent, how to deal with contracts and getting good-minded people around you.

"This (Educational Session) should be implemented even more. Even more seminars or group meetings," Kalinic said. "These young guys are in for a ride. It's gonna be crazy. It's gonna be a lot of people, a lot of agents, a lot of successes, journalists, girls, everything. They're in for a great ride but they also have to be careful. I think if they talk to older teammates or other older people, they can learn more and go more safely and calmly through all that."

The players were also told about some of the dos and don'ts in the social media world, especially with the message that they themselves create their social media presence and should control the narrative. The third pillar of the Educational Session was sustainability and what players can do to help save the planet.  

adidas organized the event with executives from both adidas and Euroleague joining forces to prepare the presentations. adidas introduced its sustainable products to the players and also presented activations such as the Run for the Oceans program and how the players can figure out their carbon foot print. The players were also given a gift bag including sustainable products. And the evening concluded with an informal barbecue.

When asked what were the biggest lessons he learned from the session, Roi Behar of U18 Maccabi Tel Aviv said: "To fight for what's yours and know your rights and just be polite and be a good person above all."

Behar also appreciated Euroleague Basketball giving him and the other players the chance to experience the event and take in the messages.

"I feel blessed to be here. It's great to experience, these stations, and I hope this continues for others," he said.

Fabrizio Pugliatti of U18 Stellazzurra Rome said the organizers really are doing a great job to try to improve the players' lives. And he took the biggest message from the social media discussion: "Social (media) is important for me and they say control your social. So that was important."

The message about the environment was big for Noam Yaacov of U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, who said: "The sustainability talks showed how important it is to really try to do your best to keep it green."

The guard also was very grateful for the opportunity to learn more about these issues.

"It's great. If every young player could get this it would be amazing, and we're very fortunate that we are here and get to learn from such great people," he added.


Real Madrid scraped by FC Barcelona in the semifinals despite losing starting point guard Nigel Williams-Goss to injury. Now Coach Pablo Laso must add a player to the roster for Saturday night’s main event. 

Coach Laso’s point guard dilemma

We’ll never know exactly what Laso’s plans for the point guard role were at the Final Four because it all changed when Williams-Goss suffered an injury on the team’s first possession. He was helped off the court after play stopped through a foul at the other end and shortly thereafter was taken to the locker room. 

“Nigel is a player who was providing us with a lot of consistency. He played the point guard position and set the tone in defense, he was running the offense well, and losing him is really bad luck,” Laso said on Friday. “It’s a setback, but that’s all, we cannot do anything. We have to make up for that situation somehow, the best we can.” 

Championship game matchups: Real Madrid vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul

### Backcourt

Everything Efes does starts with its backcourt duo of All-EuroLeague guards Vasilije Micic and Shane Larkin. The two, as well as Elijah Bryant, each played more than 31 minutes and combined to score 52 of the team's 77 points on Thursday. Real will miss injured starting point guard Nigel Williams-Goss, and in his absence, veterans Sergio Llull and Fabien Causeur will need to step up with both scoring and playmaking, just as they did in the semifinals.

### Frontcourt

The towering presence of Walter Tavares and Vincent Poirier is arguably Real's greatest strength. The two intimidators inside, along with forwards Guerschon Yabusele and Gabriel Deck - who both started in the semifinals - dominate the glass; each of these four players has averaged at least 4.8 rebounds per game this season. Efes does not lack in size. The reigning champs have a trio of effective big men in Tibor Pleiss, Bryant Dunston and Chris Singleton, with Adrien Moerman to stretch the floor.

### Bench

With Krunoslav Simon injured and Rodrigue Beaubois contributing off the bench in a limited fashion, Efes has a shortened rotation. Dunston and Singleton were the only two players with significant minutes off the bench in the semifinals and their contributions could be key for Efes. For Real, Alberto Abalde provided a backcourt boost after Williams-Goss's injury on Thursday and Llull has thrived in his role off the bench in recent weeks, while Rudy Fernandez and Jeffery Taylor provide solutions on the wings. Real will need all of that on Saturday.

### Coaches

Both coaches have loads of experience in this situation. It is the third consecutive championship game for Ergin Ataman and the fifth overall for Pablo Laso. Both coaches not only know how to deal with the moment and the situation but also know each other well. Coach Ataman says Efes always sticks to its style of play, but warns to expect the unexpected from Coach Laso.

FC Barcelona and Olympiacos Piraeus are looking to bounce back in the Third Place Game. Here are some keys to this game. 

Keys to victory: Barcelona vs. Olympiacos 

For both teams, the psychological aspect is very important. Olympiacos and Barcelona suffered narrow losses in their semifinal games against Anadolu Efes Istanbul and Real Madrid, so bouncing back is the priority. Olympiacos has the vast majority of fans in the stands, which always counts in this situation. Olympiacos fans will want to see their team get a final win in this EuroLeague season and the Reds should be ready to play aggressively and please them with a victory at Stark Arena.

Barca has been in this situation more often and knows the Third Place Game is usually a run-and-gun showdown. Either team can go on a big run easily, and Barca should be ready for that. Barca relies on its shooters - Kyle Kuric, Alex Abrines, Cory Higgins - to make the difference in this game, looking for easy points in transition. Preventing Moustapha Fall from dominating the paint should be important for Coach Sarunas Jasikevicius's team in order to finish its 2021-22 EuroLeague season in style.

FC Barcelona v Olympiacos Piraeus (2022-05-21T14:00:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona and Olympiacos Piraeus will finish their 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague seasons in the Third Place Game at Stark Arena on Saturday afternoon. 

A look back: Barcelona vs. Olympiacos

This is Olympiacos's third appearance in the Third Place Game. The Reds were in this situation for the first time in 1999 and they downed Fortitudo Bologna 74-63 in Munich, Germany. In 2009, the Reds registered a 79-95 loss against Barca. David Andersen led the winners with 20 points. Lynn Greer had 19 points to lead Olympiacos. After that, the Reds won five consecutive semifinals in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2017. 

Barca is in its ninth Third Place Game. It lost its first four - against Aris Thessaloniki in 1989, Panathinaikos Athens in 1994, Efes in 2000 and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2006 before downing Olympiacos in 2009. After that, Barcelona beat Panathinaikos in 2012 and CSKA Moscow in 2014 and lost against CSKA in 2013. Barcelona is 3-5 in the Third Place Game. Only CSKA (11) has played the Third Place Game more times than Barca.

Thomas Walkup - Olympiacos Piraeus - EB21-RS33

Here are some insightful comments about the game from the protagonists themselves.

Pre-game quotes, third place: Barcelona vs. Olympiacos

### Sarunas Jasikevicius, FC Barcelona head coach 

"First of all, we have to know that this is our next goal: finishing third in the competition. We have to compete and get ready for the remainder of the season in the Spanish League playoffs, as well as getting some players back in shape. It is a mix of things. Like I said, winning the Third Place Game is our next goal. We have to play for our fans here, but that goes without saying. We have to give our best and this is our next game. We have to go for it. They are one of the best teams circulating the ball. They are really good at close-out situations. The key is not allowing them to find close-out situations. They have players who can decide a game like Sloukas, Vezenkov, Dorsey and Walkup."

### Rolands Smits, FC Barcelona

“It’s an important game for us, and we must give everything we have to try to win the game. We want to play hard, come out strong and win in order to finish the tournament with good feelings, as much as we can. I think we were good overall, talking about the whole EuroLeague season. Everyone is now disappointed, but now it’s time to stand up and fight hard.”

### Alex Abrines, FC Barcelona guard  

“The challenge \[of this game\] for us is to display our pride. We now have to think and prepare for the next games to come in the domestic competition and playing against Olympiacos, a great team that will be feeling almost at home, is great preparation. The past cannot be undone, so we must come out strong, play hard, and try to win the game to rebuild our confidence. Even though right now it’s not easy to think of positive things, overall, I think we did a good job this season in the EuroLeague. We fell short of playing our second final in a row, something all of us hoped for, but we will try to be back and go further.”

### Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach 

"You know, those games are really difficult for the coaches and the teams, which are very disappointed. Barca and Olympiacos are disappointed because they lost in a tight game, with a different perspective, but we lost. And we have to play now, in a few hours, this game. For Olympiacos, it is important to finish this trip with a win, especially because our fans will be also here tomorrow. Of course, we have to focus on our domestic league; Olympiacos is having an amazing year, we won the Greek Cup and are first in the domestic league, with the playoffs \[home-court\] advantage until the end and we played the Final Four. I can't complain to anybody. This game is very difficult, everybody says that, but it is what it is, we have to play it."

### Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos Piraeus guard

“It’s not about valuing the third-place game but about valuing the game of basketball. We are extremely blessed to be in Olympiacos, playing in the EuroLeague at the Final Four. It would be a shame if we just go out there and don’t take it seriously. That's how each individual has to approach the game. We know there is no significant meaning to the game, but it’s a game of basketball and that’s something I think we must take seriously. Most important is for our fans, they traveled here, they spent money getting here and that means a lot to us. That’s one of the main reasons to take it seriously.”

### Moustapha Fall, Olympiacos Piraeus center

“We just want to finish well, especially for the fans that traveled, although it's a pretty tough game to play. We had a good season, nobody expected us to be so good this year, so we are happy for that, for sure. We are still disappointed about how we finished, but it’s a good step. I think we are building something, and I hope we can keep being successful in the future.”