### CSKA, Olympiacos survive low-scoring semis

The 2012 Final Four was staged at Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul and Friday’s semifinals saw a pair of closely-contested, low-scoring battles. In the opening game, CSKA Moscow got out to a slow start and fell behind 15-29 against Panathinaikos Athens. But the Muscovites battled back by limiting the Greens to just 5 points in the second quarter and eventually took the lead for good with a long two-pointer from Milos Teodosic in the last minute to win 66-64. Andrei Kirilenki led the way with 17 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks.

That thriller was followed by another as Olympiacos Piraeus overcame FC Barcelona 68-64, sealing the win with a basket from Joey Dorsey 16 seconds from the end. Vassilis Spanoulis paced the winners with 21 points and 6 assists.

### The Miracle of Istanbul

For a long time, the championship game appeared to be heading towards a routine victory for pre-game favorite CSKA, which leaned on strong defense to establish a 53-34 lead with just 12 minutes remaining. But then came a stunning finale which no fan of European basketball will ever forget, as Olympiacos gave itself hope by scoring the last 6 points of the third quarter and then cut the gap to 5 by scoring the first 8 points of the fourth.

CSKA managed to stay in front until the final play of the game, which saw Spanoulis feed Georgios Printezis for one of the most iconic shots in EuroLeague history with 0.7 seconds on the clock. Coach Dusan Ivkovic was later named EuroLeague Alexander Gomelskiy Coach of the Year as Olympiacos celebrated its second continental crown in truly unbelievable fashion.

### [Game Info](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2011-12/cska-moscow-olympiacos-piraeus/E2011/188/)