Here are some interesting facts about the Final Four championship game between Real Madrid and Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

Game Facts, Championship game, Madrid vs. Efes

### Real Madrid

**Streaks**

Guerschon Yabusele has made at least 1 three-point shot in 10 of his last 11 games.

Yabusele has scored in double figures and had double-digit PIRs in nine of his last 10 games.

Sergio Llull has made at least 1 three-point shot in nine of his last 10 games.

Walter Tavares has at least 1 block in seven of his last eight games.

Rudy Fernandez has made at least 1 three-point shot in six consecutive games.

Gabriel Deck has made at least 1 three-point shot in five of his last six appearances.

**Rankings**

Walter Tavares is third in the league this season in average PIR with 18.4 per game.

Tavares ranks second in the league in rebounding with 7.6 per game and leads the league in offensive rebounding with 2.9 per game.

Tavares ranks seventh in two-point shooting at 69.8%.

Tavares leads the league in blocks with 1.7 per game.

Tavares ranks fourth in two-point shots made at 4.4 per game.

Vincent Poirier ranks 11th in rebounding with 5.5 per game and fourth in offensive rebounding with 2.5 per game.

Thomas Heurtel ranks seventh in assists with 4.6 per game.

Fabien Causeur ranks fourth in the league in three-point accuracy at 45.6%.

**Final Four records/Milestones**

Rudy Fernandez is tied for third place on the all-time Final Four charts with 18 steals. CSKA Moscow great J.R. Holden leads the all-time list with 24.

Llull moved into third place all-time in Final Four scoring with 182 points. J.R. Holden is second with 194 and Nikos Galis is the all-time leader with 231.

Llull is tied with Sergio Rodriguez in second place on the all-time Final Four charts with 56 assists. He needs 3 more to catch all-time leader Theo Papaloukas (59).

Llull has made 25 three-pointers in Final Four history, which is fifth-best all-time. Milos Teodosic and Sergio Rodriguez are tied for third with 26. Juan Carlos Navarro leads the rankings with 31 three-pointers.

Llull dished 9 assists against Fenerbahce Istanbul in the 2015 semifinals. That is tied for the fourth-most assists in a Final Four game this century and tied for the seventh-most in a Final Four game ever.

Llull had 8 assists in the 2015 championship game, which is one shy of the championship game record of 9.

Llull scored 28 points in an 84-75 loss against Fenerbahce Istanbul at the 2017 Final Four, which is tied for 10th-most points in a Final Four semifinal.

**Records/Milestones**

Sergio Llull is in fifth place all-time with 3,504 points scored in his career. Georgios Printezis of Olympiacos Piraeus is fourth with 3,599 and counting.

Llull is ranked seventh all-time with 1,254 assists. Dimitris Diamantidis is sixth with 1,255.

Llull ranks 12th all-time with 625 free throws made. Dimitris Diamantidis 11th with 635. 

Llull ranks third all-time with a 2.77-to-1 career assist-to-turnover ratio, and Rudy Fernandez is 15th at 2.38-to-1.

Rudy Fernandez is in second place all-time with 548 three-point shots made. Llull is third all-time with 547 three-point shots made.

Fernandez ranks fourth all-time with 327 steals. Theo Papaloukas is third with 335.

Walter Tavares is ranked third all-time with 283 blocks. Kyle Hines of AX Armani Exchange Milan is second with 286 and counting.

Tavares is second all-time in two-point accuracy at 69.5%.

Tavares ranks 12th all-time with 417 offensive rebounds. Kerem Gonlum is 11th with 421.

Anthony Randolph needs 1 steal to reach 100 for his EuroLeague career.

Randolph needs 2 rebounds to reach 700 for his career.

Game Facts, Third place game, Barcelona vs. Olympiacos

### FC Barcelona

**Streaks**

Nikola Mirotic has scored in double figures and had double-digit PIRs in 12 of his last 13 games.

Mirotic has made at least 1 three-point shot in six of his last seven games.

Nicolas Laprovittola has made at least 1 three-pointer in six straight and 13 of his last 14 games.

Nick Calathes has dished 5 or more assists in 13 of his last 14 games.

**Rankings**

Nikola Mirotic ranks second in the league in scoring this season with 16.9 per game.

Mirotic leads the league in average PIR with 19.9 per game.

Nikola Mirotic ranks third in the league in three-point accuracy at 46.0% and Nicolas Laprovittola is seventh at 44.2%.

Mirotic is eighth in three-point shots made this season with 2.0 and Laprovittola is tied for ninth with 1.97 per game.

Nick Calathes leads the league in assists with 6.1 per game.

Laprovittola ranks second in the league in free-throw accuracy this season with 91.8% and Kyle Kuric is third with 91.2%.

**Final Four records/Milestones**

Calathes had 9 assists in the semifinals against Real Madrid, which is tied for the fourth-most assists in a Final Four game this century,

**Records/Milestones**

Nick Calathes set the EuroLeague single-season record in 2018-19 with 286 total assists.

Calathes is the EuroLeague career leader with 1,698 assists.

Calathes is in second place all-time time with 366 steals; his former Panathinaikos teammate Dimitris Diamantidis is the all-time leader with 434.

Calathes ranks fifth all-time with 236 career starts.

Calathes ranks fourth all-time with a 2.69-to-1 career assist-to-turnover ratio.

Kyle Kuric ranks third all-time in free throw accuracy at 91.2%.

Kuric ranks seventh all-time in three-point accuracy at 45.2%.

Mirotic ranks 10th all-time with 659 free throws made. Jaka Lakovic is ninth with 673.

### Olympiacos Piraeus

**Streaks**

Kostas Sloukas has posted double-digit PIRs in 19 of his last 20 games.

Sloukas has made at least 1 three-point shot in 10 straight games.

Sloukas has scored in double figures in six of his last seven games.

Sasha Vezenkov has made at least 1 three-pointer in 31 of his last 32 games.

Vezenkov has posted a PIR in double figures in 27 of his last 28 games.

Moustapha Fall has recorded PIRs in double figures in 14 of his last 15 games.

Tyler Dorsey has made at least 1 three-point shot in 10 of his last 11 games.

Thomas Walkup has made at least 1 three-pointer in seven straight games.

**Rankings**

Sasha Vezenkov ranks sixth this season in average PIR with 17.5 per game.

Vezenkov ranks ninth in rebounding this season with 5.8 per game.

Moustapha Fall ranks fourth in the league this season in two-point shooting at 70.7% and Vezenkov is ninth at 66.5%.

Fall ranks fourth in blocks with 1.0 per game.

Tyler Dorsey is tied for ninth in three-point shots made with 2.0 per game.

Kostas Sloukas ranks fifth in assists with 4.9 per game.

**Final Four records/Milestones**

Sloukas is in ninth place on all-time Final Four charts with 44 assists. CSKA Moscow greats JR Holden and Victor Khryapa are tied for seventh with 45. 

**Records/Milestones**

Georgios Printezis is the all-time leader in field goals made with 1,428 for his career.

Printezis ranks second all-time in two-point shots made. He has 1,194 for his career. Kyle Hines of AX Armani Exchange Milan is the all-time leader with 1,209.

Printezis ranks sixth all-time with 1,452 career rebounds. Ante Tomic is fifth with 1,545.

Printezis ranks fourth all-time with 3,599 points scored. Nando De Colo of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul is third with 3,825 points. 

Printezis ranks fourth all-time with 1,065 defensive rebounds. Felipe Reyes is third with 1,094.

Printezis ranks 14th all-time with 387 offensive rebounds. Tibor Pleiss of Anadolu Efes Istanbul is 13th with 403 and counting.

Printezis ranks seventh all-time with 3,818 performance index rating points. Jan Vesely is sixth with 3,837.

Kostas Sloukas is in fifth place all-time with 1,303 assists. Thomas Heurtel of Real Madrid is fourth with 1,340 and counting.

Sloukas ranks eighth all-time with 681 free throws made. Marcus Brown is seventh with 690.

Kostas Papanikolaou is in third place all-time with 238 career starts. Printezis is fourth with 237 career starts. Vassilis Spanoulis is second with 254.

Papanikolaou needs 8 points to reach 2,000 for his career.

Papanikolaou needs 2 three-pointers to reach 300 for his career.

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

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.” 

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.” 

Real solved the matter the best it could in the semifinal with Sergio Llull playing 29:10 minutes and contributing 15 points and 3 assists. Adam Hanga and Alberto Abalde, who are both listed as forwards on the Real roster, contributed minutes and fine plays at the ‘1’ as well. Hanga tied Llull for the team lead with 3 assists and also scored 4 points in 14:19. Abalde scored 7 in 12:44. 

If the team wants to improve its playmaking after dishing just 14 assists – 4.2 below its full season average – in the semifinal, it could call upon one of its two point guards who did not dress on Friday. Veteran Thomas Heurtel has been inactive since early April and teenager Juan Nunez has appeared in only 10 games all season. 

Perhaps the biggest issue for the Real backcourt in the championship game will be on defense against Anadolu Efes Istanbul’s All-EuroLeague guards Shane Larkin and Vasa Micic. Hanga is a former EuroLeague Best Defender and may have the speed and the length to stick with Efes’s stars, but without Williams-Goss, perhaps Llull is the only other player with experience guarding an ace playmaker. 

In theory, Heurtel could help fill that role. When asked on Friday about that possibility, Laso answered briefly that it was possible. 

The direction Laso takes with Williams-Goss’s roster spot and how to defend against Larkin and Micic will surely have a major impact on the championship game.

Alberto Abalde - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21-FFS

Get ready for Saturday night's main event! It's a clash for all the glory at Belgrade's Stark Arena. Here’s a look at how Real Madrid and Anadolu Efes Istanbul match up.

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.