The first finalist at the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four will come from the clash between Olympiacos Piraeus and Anadolu Efes Istanbul. Here’s a look at how these teams match up.

Semifinals matchups: Olympiacos vs. Efes

### Backcourt

Olympiacos and Efes rely very heavily on their guards, though the teams’ perimeter attacks are quite different. Defensive ace Thomas Walkup and Tyler Dorsey are the Reds’ starters, while veteran and three-time champ Kostas Sloukas can be counted on to lead the team down the stretch. The Efes tandem of All-EuroLeague guards Shane Larkin and Vasilije Micic is among the best in the league and Rodrigue Beaubois is another offensive dynamo. 

Semifinals matchups: FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

### Backcourt

FC Barcelona counts on one of the most dangerous backcourt pair of the continent with complementary skills. Nick Calathes runs the offense with his classy pass-first mentality, while Nicolas Laprovittola is an offensive dagger both from long range and driving to the basket. Real Madrid used several baccourt configurations this season, even with no "pure" point guards such as Alberto Abalde and Adamn Hanga to use size and deffensive skills to build from it.  

### Frontcourt

Only a few can doubt Real Madrid's power inside the paint. It's noy only that the duo of Walter Tavares and Vincent Poireir combine size, physicality and top-notch intimidation, but Yabusele also adds versatility and outside shot to a remarkably strong body frame. Barcelona will count on Sanli's size to match Real's strength at the center, plus adding mobility, speed and scoring skills with Nikola Mirotic and Brandon Davies. 

### Bench

Veterans like Sergio Llull or Rudy Fernandez can become a big asset for Real, since they have been through a challenge like this several times in the past, achieving  two Euroleague titles each, but many other players can take over for Real coming from the bench as only Walter Tavares has started in all games he played.  Rokas Jokubaitis and Dante Exum are usually used by Barcelona as game-changing tools thanks to their explosiveness and intensity, which they both will have to prove useful in their first experience in a Final Four.

### Coaches

Nobody other than Sarunas Jasikevicius and Pablo Laso knows how to face a game like that, as both have been involved both as a player and as a coach. Pablo Laso has won the Euroleague title twice (2015 and 2018), and knows how it feels to do in Belgrade. Jasikevicius is looking for his first title as a coach, after being crowned champion 3 times as a player (2004, 2005 and 2009). Both are quite passionate head coaches that will bring their energy to the court through their players.

FC Barcelona v Real Madrid (2022-05-19T19:00:00.000Z)

Archrivals FC Barcelona and Real Madrid have played six times already this season. Here’s how their last two EuroLeague games went down.

Earlier this season: Barcelona vs. Real 

In Round 14, Barca claimed a 93-80 victory at Palau Blaugrana. Nikola Mirotic led the winners with 31 points and 10 rebounds for a PIR of 39, which was a new personal best. He was the first Barcelona player to score 30 points in a EuroLeague game since Juan Carlos Navarro in 2006. Brandon Davies and Nicolas Laprovittola added 16 each while Rokas Jokubaitis had 12 for Barca. Fabien Causeur and Thomas Heurtel paced Real with 11 points apiece. 

Barca bested Real 68-86 at WiZink Center in Round 26. Laprovittola led the winners with 20 points on 5-for-5 three-point shooting. Dante Exum added 13 points, Davies 11 and Kyle Kuric and Nick Calathes 10 each for Barcelona. Walter Tavares scored 25 points on 10-of-10 two-point shooting for Real. Barca also won their two Spanish League regular-season games and the Copa del Rey final. Mirotic scored 19 to lead his team to a 59-64 triumph in the latter. Real defeated Barca in the preseason Spanish SuperCup final, 83-88, thanks to 21 points from Sergio Llull.

Pierre Oriola and Sergio Llull - Teams Captains photo session - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Olympiacos Piraeus and Anadolu Efes Istanbul faced each other twice during the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. 

Earlier this season: Olympiacos vs. Efes

Their first meeting was in Round 10 in which Efes defeated Olympiacos 88-69 at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall, limiting the Reds to just 3 fourth-quarter points. Rodrigue Beaubois led the winners with a career-high 29 points on 7-of-10 three-point shooting. Vasiljie Micic added 19 points and Shane Larkin posted 10 points and 6 assists. Sasha Vezenkov led the way for the Reds with 17 points and 8 rebounds for a PIR of 26 and Moustapha Fall finished with 15 points.

Things were different at Peace and Friendship Stadium. Their Round 26 showdown was among the most spectacular games of the season. Olympiacos edged Efes 87-85 in overtime on a game-winning, buzzer-beating three-point shot by Kostas Sloukas. Sloukas led the winners with 24 points and 6 assists. Tyler Dorsey added 19 points, Vezenkov 16 and Fall 10. Tibor Pleiss scored 14 for Efes, which forced overtime with a late fourth-quarter reverse layup by Micic, who finished with 12 points. 

Georgios Printezis and Dogus Balbay - Teams Captains photo session - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Here are some interesting notes about the Final Four semifinal game between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Game Notes, Semifinal, Barcelona vs. Madrid

· The semifinals clash at the 2022 Final Four is the 31st Clasico in the EuroLeague this century. Barcelona leads Real 16-14 and has won their last four EuroLeague matches. 

· Barcelona and Real have met six times already this season. After Real bested Barcelona in the preseason Spanish SuperCup, Barcelona defeated Real five straight times: twice in the EuroLeague, twice in the Spanish League and once in the Spanish Cup final. 

· In Round 26 in Madrid, Barcelona raced to a 68-86 win behind 20 points on 5-for-5 three-point shooting from Nicolas Laprovittola.

· In Round 14, Barcelona beat Real 93-80 behind an outstanding game from Nikola Mirotic who scored a career-high 31 points, tied a club record with 14 made free throws, grabbed 10 rebounds and had a career-high PIR of 39 in earning MVP of the Round honors.

· Barcelona and Real have met in the EuroLeague Final Four Semifinals on three occasions. The first was in 1996 when Barcelona won 76-66 in Paris behind 24 points from Arturas Karnisovas. Real was victorious 67-74 in London in 2013 thanks to 17 points from Felipe Reyes. The following season, Real routed Barcelona 62-100 in Milan, where Sergio Rodriguez starred with 21 points.

· Real Madrid grabbed a club record 24 offensive rebounds against Barcelona in March 2005, a mark it has matched twice since.

· Barcelona matched its club record with 9 blocks against Real Madrid in April 2006.

· In addition to Mirotic this season, Juan Carlos Navarro also made a club record 14 free throws against Real Madrid, in March 2005.

· Barcelona's single-game record for steals is 6; Pepe Sanchez tied it against Real Madrid in January 2008.

· Real's single-game record for two-pointers made by a player is 11, which Ante Tomic set against FC Barcelona in March 2010.

· Mirotic spent five seasons with Real Madrid; he was a two-time EuroLeague Rising Star Trophy winner (2011 and 2012) and a two-time All-EuroLeague selection (2013 and 2014). He helped Real reach the championship game in both 2013 and 2014. Mirotic played under Coach Pablo Laso and was a teammate of current Real players Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Llull.

· Real forward Adam Hanga spent the last four seasons with Barcelona; he helped the team win one domestic league title and three Spanish Cups.

· Real playmaker Thomas Heurtel spent more than three seasons with Barcelona, joining the team ahead of the 2017-18 season and splitting with the team halfway through last season.

· Barcelona playmaker Nicolas Laprovittola arrived this summer from Real Madrid where he spent the last two seasons.

· Real's Gabriel Deck and Laprovittola have been teammates on the Argentine national team.

· Real Madrid center Walter Tavares and Barcelona sharpshooter Kyle Kuric were teammates at Herbalife Gran Canaria during the 2014-15 season. Together they reached the EuroCup Finals.

· Kuric set a career-high with 4 steals in an 86-76 victory for Real in November 2019.

· Barcelona point guard Nick Calathes dished 16 assists to break the EuroLeague Playoffs record playing for Panathinaikos OPAP Athens against Real in Game 1 of the 2018 playoffs.

· Barcelona forward Sergi Martinez grabbed a career-high 9 rebounds in a win against Real in October 2020.

· Real swingman Rudy Fernandez posted his career-high in index rating with 38 for Real Madrid against FC Barcelona in February 2015. It earned him the last of his seven MVP of the Round honors.

· Real guard Sergio Llull posted his career-best performance index rating of 32 in an 85-69 win against Barcelona in March 2017. He earned MVP of Round 27 honors for that performance.

· Real big man Anthony Randolph matched his career-best with 28 points playing for Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar against Barcelona in Game 4 of the 2016 EuroLeague Playoffs. Randolph accumulated a performance index rating of 28 in that game and earned MVP of the Round honors.

· Real Madrid big man Trey Thompkins set a career-high with 4 steals in an 87-75 victory over Barcelona in December 2017.

· Nicolas Laprovittola posted his career-high with 7 rebounds in Round 26 win against Real earlier this season.

· Barcelona center Brandon Davies blocked a career-high 4 shots in a home win against Real in October 2020.

· Davies posted his career-high in scoring with 27 points playing for Zalgiris Kaunas against Real in April 2019.

· Barcelona center Sertac Sanli tied his career-high with 8 rebounds playing for Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Game 1 of the playoffs against Real Madrid last season.

· Barcelona big man Nigel Hayes-Davis collected a career-high 3 steals for Zalgiris Kaunas against Real in February 2021.

Here are some interesting notes about the Final Four semifinal game between Olympiacos Piraeus and Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

Game Notes, Semifinal, Olympiacos vs. Efes

· Efes and Olympiacos are tied at 22-22 in their EuroLeague games this century. 

· They last played in Round 26 when Kostas Sloukas hit a buzzer-beating corner three-pointer to lift Olympiacos to an 87-85 overtime win. Sloukas had 23 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds in that game.

· Before the Round 26 overtime loss, Efes had won five straight games against Efes, including an 88-69 triumph in Round 10 in which Rodrigue Beaubois netted a career-high 29 points on a career-best 7 three-point shots made.

· When the two teams met in Istanbul in March 2020, Shane Larkin earned his record-tying sixth MVP of the Round honor in a single season. In a 91-79 win, Larkin scored 40 points, becoming the first player this century with two 40-point games to his name, while also tying the EuroLeague single-game mark by downing 10 of 15 attempts from long distance. He also collected 5 assists, 3 steals and 3 rebounds, accumulating a performance index rating of 44.

· These teams contested a thrilling playoff series in the 2016-17 season. Efes took a 2-1 lead, but Olympiacos bounced back to win 3-2 and advance to the Final Four. The decisive fifth game saw Vassilis Spanoulis score 22 points in an 87-78 victory.

· Olympiacos and Efes battled for a Final Four spot in the 2013 playoffs, too. Efes had a 15-point lead in do-or-die Game 5, but Olympiacos came back, won the series and went on to lift the trophy.

· The Efes single-game record for blocks is 6, which Marcus Haislip set against Olympiacos Piraeus on January 17, 2007.

· The Efes single-game record for three-pointers made is 10, which Shane Larkin tied against Olympiacos Piraeus on March 6, 2020.

· Last season in Istanbul, Shane Larkin had 21 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds for a PIR 32, which earned him MVP of the Round honors in a 76-53 win over Olympiacos.

· Efes forward Adrien Moerman and Olympiacos forward Sasha Vezenkov were teammates at FC Barcelona during the 2017-18 season.

· Efes big man Bryant Dunston played two seasons at Olympiacos, from 2013 to 2015, and in both seasons was chosen the EuroLeague Best Defender. He was a teammate of current Olympiacos players Georgios Printezis and Kostas Sloukas and played under head coach Georgios Bartzokas.

· Dunston was a teammate of Sloukas also at Aris Thessaloniki during the 2010-11 season.

· Efes forward James Anderson played under Olympiacos head coach Georgios Bartzokas at Khimki Moscow Region during the 2017-18 season.

· Olympiacos guard Tyler Dorsey and Efes's Elijah Bryant were teammates at Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv for two seasons, from 2019 to 2021.

· Efes guard Vasilije Micic dished a career-high 13 assists in an overtime loss against Olympiacos in Round 26 this season.

· Efes guard Elijah Bryant collected a career-high 3 steals in a Round 26 loss against Olympiacos.

· Olympiacos big man Livio Jean-Charles twice tied his career-high with 3 blocks playing for LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne against Efes, first in November 2019, and again in October 2020.

· Olympiacos guard Giannoulis Larentzakis delivered a career-high with 8 assists in a road loss against Efes last February.

· Olympiacos big man Hassan Martin had a career-best 3 blocks in a loss against Efes in October 2020.

· Dunston tied his career-high in offensive rebounds with 8 in Game 4 of the 2017 EuroLeague Playoffs, which Olympiacos won in Istanbul 62-74.

· Krunoslav Simon of Efes had a career-high 4 steals against Olympiacos in December of last season.

· Efes center Tibor Pleiss matched his career-best with 4 blocks playing for Valencia Basket against Olympiacos in November 2017.

Euroleague Basketball partner VRM, which helped bring the EuroLeague Land metaverse to the world, has designed a unique NFT collection to pay tribute to the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion. After the crowning of this season's winner on Saturday, May 21 at Stark Arena in Belgrade, fans and memorabilia collectors will have the opportunity to acquire one-of-a-kind NFTs from the new Trophy & Rings collection.

Euroleague Basketball, VRM to celebrate champion with Trophy & Rings NFT collection

The Trophy & Rings NFT collection is the latest step in Euroleague Basketball's diversified strategy. Said strategy aims to tap the possibilities available to global sports properties in the Web3 space in a safe and enjoyable way for fans to enable them to own a piece of the content produced by the league, clubs and players they love.

"NFTs are the rage among sports fans and collectors of all kinds and we knew that partnering with VRM to release the Trophy & Rings collection would offer our fans a perfect way to celebrate the 2022 champion,” Roser Queralto, Chief Business Officer of Euroleague Basketball, said. "Having already worked with VRM on the EuroLeague Land metaverse, we knew we had a world-class partner we could trust whose values and goals line up with ours."

The Trophy & Rings collection of NFTs will be released at the end of the season, at [ChampionsNFT.euroleague.net](http://ChampionsNFT.euroleague.net). Euroleague Basketball and VRM plan to continue the development of such collectible objects in the future and retroactively so fans across the EuroLeague can create their own collections.

“We can’t be more proud of extending our partnership with the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague," VRM CEO Juan Marí-Guillot said. "It is an amazing property to work with and together we have endless potential to develop amazing digital assets and unique experiences around the competition. We’ve just created a new experiential NFTs category and much more is to come."

The 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four will take place in the Serbian capital on May 19-21. Olympiacos Piraeus and Anadolu Efes Istanbul will meet in the first semifinal followed by a duel between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in the second.

Asked about it, Laso believes having its own identity as a team is critical. "First of all, we try to be recognized as a team. That's the most important thing. For sure, players show you the way. I'll put a stupid example: I cannot have Tavares shooting threes or defending point guards. That's pretty logical and easy to understand. And that's a great part of being a coach; you have to adjust to the players who you have," Laso told us, and went on about his team's continuity. "But at the same time, you have to keep the ideas that you want and that your team is able to do since the first day that you come to Real Madrid as a player. I'm very happy that with different players over these last 10 years, we've been able to reach Final Fours, and play for championships with different players of different characteristics. That speaks very well about the club and the team. And like I always said, this is a very important part of our success; the way you find your players to give the best for the team."

Overall, Real has done a good job of remaining competitive all these years, rebuilding the team with great patience and trusting the players that already know the system. Seven players - Fabien Causeur, Anthony Randolph, Rudy Fernandez, Walter Tavares, Sergio Llull, Trey Thompkins, and Jeffery Taylor - won the EuroLeague title with Real in 2018 and are still with the team. Players come and go, but Real always has a core that has been together for many years. 

Laso believes having some players with experience and others willing to showcase their skills in the biggest scenario in continental basketball is a perfect combination. "If you remember, 6-7 years ago when we won the championship in Madrid [in 2015], the heart of the team was OK: both Sergios [Llull and Rodriguez], Rudy, Felipe [Reyes], Chapu [Andres Nocioni], Slaughter, Jaycee Carroll... Now, only two of those players are still here, Rudy and Sergi. Their experience and what they give to the team are very important to us. But we also have a bunch of new guys who are going to get their first experience at the Final Four, let's say Abalde, Yabusele, Williams-Goss. So we have different players who have to step up and they have to understand from the beginning what playing for Real Madrid means," he said.   


"You have to be ready to give everything for this team because this team wants to win."

"Being in Real Madrid cannot be a case of, 'OK, we have time to make this change and, you know, progress.' We have to keep the winning mentality from the beginning, even understanding that we have young players. They have to step up and win games; let's put it this way," he added "We are missing Alocen because of injury, but these other guys have to be ready somehow to step up. Because when you talk about the championship seven years ago, only two players are staying, Rudy and Sergi. We still love them. We still know that they are very important for us, but we still know that we have a bunch of new players stepping up."

Coach Laso has an advantage in terms of understanding his players. He was a star guard in the 1990s and helped Real make it to the Final Four in 1996. His experience as a player has proved to be just as valuable as his many appearances with Real as head coach. Having Final Four experience with both roles, with the club he currently leads, allows him to guess what's in his players' minds. Above all, Real Madrid is the winningest team in continental basketball and players need to honor that tradition by being ready to keep winning, over and over again. 

"I have been a player in Real Madrid, and a lot of times your goal is that: 'OK, I became a Real Madrid player.' And probably you don't understand that the difficult part starts when you are a Real Madrid player. It's not getting here or being on this team; the important thing is what you're going to do to help this team. Because this team has structure, goals, call it however you want, but you have to be ready to give everything for this team because this team wants to win," he told us. "As we said, there is no time. There is no, OK, take time, we'll wait, they will process, they will grow. No. We have to be ready to win from the first day, understanding situations, but for sure understanding also from the beginning that the Real Madrid culture is to be competitive from the first day that you arrive in this team."

Keeping a winning mentality is not always easy. It is impossible to stay strong all season long, and Real went through a rough couple of months late in the regular season. Los Blancos had a 20-3 start in this EuroLeague campaign but went 2-10 after that to rank fourth at the end of the regular season. Like all winning teams, Real bounced back when the most important games arrived, sweeping Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in the playoffs. Laso believes that despite all the circumstances that all teams went through this season, all the work the team did pay off at the right time. 


Real Madrid Head Coach, Pablo Laso, discusses what it takes to play for Madrid, the winning mentality and lifting trophies.

Final Four Interview: Pablo Laso, Real Madrid

"It was a difficult year with lots of games back-to-back. There were weeks when we played even three or four games a week. So we knew it was going to be important to somehow build what we needed at the right moment," Laso admits. "And I think that Maccabi series was a great moment for us. We understood from the beginning that it was going to be very difficult to beat Maccabi because they were coming on a roll. But it's true that after the Spanish Cup, for us, it was difficult because we had injuries, we had people coming in, coming out. And let's say, not just because we were losing -- but it was true that we were not winning -- but we were not worried just because we were not winning. We were worried because we had our difficulties, but at the same time we were convinced that we could get back and get ready for the playoffs, and that's what we did. Right now, we're in a good situation arriving at the Final Four."

All of a sudden, Real fans went from being a bit worried to feeling extremely confident ahead of the big 'Clasico' against FC Barcelona in the semifinals. Laso, however, believes that his team had to battle hard against Maccabi and that taking one game at a time helped Los Blancos sweep the series. 

"For us, the first game was very important, because Maccabi was on a roll. They won like six in a row. They were playing great so for us, that first game was very important. On the second one, also, we understood that we need to go to Tel Aviv ahead 2-0. And then we wanted to finish the series, and we played a great third game there and we won," Laso recapped. "But that doesn't mean the series was easy. We swept, OK, very good. But I don't think that series was easy because Maccabi was playing great basketball, and we had a lot of respect for them."


"We were convinced that we could get back and get ready for the playoffs, and that's what we did."

Real has faced Barca three times in the Final Four semifinals, and Laso was always there. In 1996, Barca topped Real 76-66 - Laso had 2 points and 3 assists in a losing effort. As head coach, Laso led Real to back-to-back semifinal wins against Barca in 2013 and 2014. Los Blancos rallied from a nine-point deficit in the final 8 minutes to beat Barca 67-74 in 2013 and trashed its archrivals in 2014, 62-100. At the same time, Barcelona has won its last five showdowns against Real this season, including the 2022 Copa del Rey final.

Laso is not hyped up about his Final Four wins or worried about his team's recent losses against Barca. "For me, every game is different. I would be very stupid to think that a basketball game is going to be the same as yesterday. I think we have a great game, a great sport that obliges you to do something different and do it well," he told us. "Talking about 'El Clasico', the easy thing would be to think, OK, it could be like the last game we played together. No. It's going to be different. They're going to make adjustments, we're going to make adjustments, and probably even the players are not going to be on the same form, that's for sure. So, for me every game is different. I'll take the result that we had in the previous 'Clasico' at a Final Four, for sure, but I know it's going to be a different game."

Like all top-class rivals coming from the same country, Barca and Real face each other many times each season. Both teams' recent success adds more value to their already legendary sports rivalry. Above all, Laso believes that having two teams in the Final Four is nothing but good news for Spanish basketball. Real and Barca combine for 27 Final Four appearances, the most - by far - for two teams coming from the same country. Panathinaikos OPAP Athens and Olympiacos Piraeus are a distant second, combining for 21 Final Four appearances.

"I would be very stupid thinking that a basketball game is going to be the same as yesterday."

"First of all, two teams in the Final Four speak very well about Spanish basketball. Barcelona and Real Madrid have been very consistent the whole year. We played the final of the SuperCup, we played the final of the Spanish Cup, and now we're in the Final Four and we're going to play each other again," Laso said. "So that speaks very well about Barcelona and Real Madrid, despite everything, and of basketball in Spain. I think our fans, for sure Barcelona fans, and all the fans in Spain, they're proud of two teams that are going to be in the Final Four and we're very happy to be here in this position."

Last but not least, it is hard to ignore that Real won its 10th EuroLeague title in Belgrade barely four years ago, in 2018. Laso doesn't think that it will play a big role but again, seven of his players know how it feels to lift the EuroLeague trophy at Stark Arena. Laso just hopes to feel just as good as he did when the 2018 Final Four was over and confetti hit the floor with him and his team on top of the podium.

"You always think about karma. And now, let's say it's a fashionable word. And I hope it helps. But I don't know. As I said, it's going to be different games, different situations. But for sure, my thoughts about that weekend in Belgrade before are great, and I wish that my thoughts in the future about this coming weekend, will be the same."

Real Madrid is back to the Final Four for the first time since 2019 and of course, head coach Pablo Laso is back to lead the team. Laso has taken Real to seven Final Four appearances in 11 seasons with the club. Above all, Los Blancos have been loyal to Laso's guidebook, on and off the court, playing with a certain style that honors the team's run-and-gun tradition and keeping a core of players every season. 

Pablo Laso, Real: 'Right now, we're in a good situation arriving to the Final Four'

Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach Ergin Ataman shared his coaching philosophy and how he prepares for big games before traveling to Belgrade to defend the EuroLeague crown at the 2022 Final Four. 

Ergin Ataman, Efes: 'Basketball is a simple game'

Every team in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague is well-stocked with talented players up and down the roster. One of the things that separate the best from the rest is how they work together and, of course, how much their coaches bring out of them. Coach Ergin Ataman is an expert in that area. 

Ataman has his basic coaching principles, which include mastering how to move on the court to maximize spacing and playing strong individual and team defense. Once his players are comfortable in that system, he gives them almost unlimited freedom.

“I never tell my players not to shoot, to not use an early fastbreak… I want them mentally to feel free on the court,” he explained. “This is my philosophy because I don't want that my players when they come to play on the court will think too much about what coach is asking from them. I like to teach them before, in practice, in the preseason. 

"Basketball is a simple game. How much you complicate the game will be more difficult for the players to show their potential in the game."

“When the game starts, he is responsible, the players are responsible. He doesn't think about what I like, what I think, because he knows that and he uses his freedom, of course, with all respect to their friends on the court. Very simple. For me, basketball is a simple game. How much you complicate the game will be more difficult for the players to show their potential in the game.”

Naturally, to get it all to work together, the players must trust each other and work well together. Ataman does not need to get involved in building the chemistry. Instead, he tries to put together a puzzle of players with certain roles and personalities that he thinks will come together on their own. 

“Somebody must work more on defense, somebody will be more responsible to take the rebounds, somebody will be more responsible to play in the open court and fastbreak, somebody will control the game in the five-on-five, in the half-court, somebody must control the locker room of the team. When you build the team, you don't choose only the best players, you must think about everything,” he said. “The character of the players, the players that like to show their capacity inside of the team. I don't like only players who score every game 20 or 25 points, but others are not happy. So okay, maybe in the team you will have some players that score, but everybody must be happy to share the roles on the team. And we build the team, we built for this chemistry.

“It's important that everybody must understand his role and everybody must respect each other. In our team, inside the team, there's the same respect for Shane Larkin and for James Anderson. Same respect for Vasilije Micic or Chris Singleton. Because everybody knows that everybody needs to help his friends.”

Final Four Interview: Ergin Ataman, Anadolu Efes Istanbul

The core of the team that Ataman leads to Belgrade has been together for four years now and making club history at every step of the way. The next challenge is to repeat as EuroLeague champions, but that is not the way Ataman is framing it in his mind.

“We will try to win. We'll try to win one more time the title,” he explained. “Only two games to reach the EuroLeague title against a team that during the season once we beat Olympiacos, once we beat Real Madrid, only we lost two games against Barcelona. But now it's a Final Four we'll see the players’ performance, health, shape. I don't think too much about back the back. I think only about winning the title.”

To go all the way, the next hurdle will be Olympiacos, which Efes split two games against during the regular season. After winning big at home, Efes fell to the Reds in Piraeus on a game-winning three by Kostas Sloukas in overtime. However, Ataman does not think that those results will have a major impact on the semifinal. 

“Every game is different. Every game you have a different performance from your players,” he said. “Olympiacos is a great team, great coach, they have had an excellent season this season. It will be a tough game for sure. We know their system, they know our system. I don't know which performance the players will show on the court. In these practices, we will try to prepare our players to show their best.”

The team’s preparation begins with scouting the opponent. The assistant coaches all have their responsibilities, though Ataman has a preferred method of watching the games to take in ideas, too. 

“I like more to scout the games that we played against them. But, of course, we will scout also the playoffs that Olympiacos played. Some big games that they played excellent and some games that they were in trouble to find the correct strategy for the game… I believe I will watch for sure our two games and maybe two or three more other games from the playoffs and maybe from another big game that they played,” he explained. 

"It's important that everybody must understand his role and everybody must respect each other... because everybody knows that everybody needs to help his friends." 

“I watch actually quarter-by-quarter. I watch one quarter in half an hour, thinking about it. Then I give 10 minutes rest. I go out then I come back and I watch the second quarter. And in that period, I analyze, I think. That is my philosophy, my work when I'm making a scouting report, but of course, my assistants do a great job. They watched six or seven games, they prepare everything. They prepare highlights. And then finally I watch that at the end. But I like to watch full games, minimum three-four games thinking about the game.” 

Ataman said he is confident in his team rising up in Belgrade, in part because they already faced early-season struggles. 

“Actually, for us, it was the most difficult year because after we won the title, a little bit maybe we lost our motivation to reach the big goal because last year we reached the goal. This year we started slowly, maybe a lot of confidence to think about winning everything. Maybe the other teams that we played against had great motivation. Honestly, in that period, it was a difficult time for us,” he said. 

Now thanks to the players he has assembled, their chemistry, Ataman’s playing principles, the coaching staff’s scouting reports and much more, Efes will head to the Final Four confident in its chances.  

“My team mentally will be ready,” Ataman summed up. “We have a great team, great players and we will be motivated a hundred percent to win one more time.”