The 2023 Final Four championship game had all the drama one can imagine, with Real Madrid rallying late to edge Olympiacos Piraeus [78-79](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/olympiacos-piraeus-real-madrid/E2022/330/#info) on Sunday in Kaunas. The game hero was Sergio Llull, whose only basket of the night – a high-arching mid-range jumper over Moustapha Fall with 3.1  seconds left – secured the title after Real had trailed for the previous 16 minutes. It was good for Los Blancos' record 11th trophy as the continental champion.

In addition to the drama, this game was one for the ages due to the many milestones and records that players and teams reached during the 40-minute thriller.

Llull's jumper [put him up to 198 points](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/key-stats-players/?size=25&misc=&category=Score&seasonMode=All&sortDirection=descending&aggregate=accumulated&phase=FF), the most in Final Fours since 2002, even as he lost the all-time Final Four lead in assists, overtaken by his teammate [Sergio "Chacho" Rodriguez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sergio-rodriguez/cvm/).

Rodriguez ran Real's offense masterfully, with 9 assists that tied a championship game record belonging to Ariel McDonald, Dimitris Diamantidis and Jeremy Pargo. Rodriguez [now has 70 assists](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/key-stats-players/?size=25&misc=&category=Assistances&seasonMode=All&sortDirection=descending&aggregate=accumulated&phase=FF), the all-time high, across his 16 Final Four games.

Sergio Rodriguez tied championship record with 9 assists

Final Four MVP [Walter Tavares](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/walter-tavares/005791/) pulled down 10 rebounds, giving him 25 for the weekend, a modern-era Final Four record. With his 13 points and 10 rebounds, he became the first player this century with three double-doubles in Final Four games.

On the losing end, EuroLeague MVP [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) had 29 points, tying the championship-game scoring mark that Shane Larkin set in 2019. Vezenkov's PIR of 34 also tied a championship game record, matching Anthony Parker's from 2004 and Manuel Ginobili's from 2002. Interestingly, only Parker among the four won the championship game in which his record was set or tied.  Vezenkov's 9 two-pointers made tied another championship game record.

Sasha Vezenkov tied championship game records with 29 points and 9 two-pointers

Olympiacos guard [Isaiah Canaan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/isaiah-canaan/010612/) finished 5-for-6 on three-pointers, which tied a championship game modern-era record for three-point shots made. Three players who previously hit 5 threes in the championship game were Vassilis Spanoulis in 2013, Rodriguez in 2014 and Ali Muhammed in 2016.

Then, there were the two teams. Both Real and Olympiacos played offensive-minded basketball, showcasing all their talents in the most consequential game of the season.

Tied at 45-45 at halftime, Olympiacos and Real Madrid combined for the most points in the first half of any Final Four game this century. In addition, their 15 combined first-half three-pointers – with Olympiacos making 8 and Real Madrid 7 – were the most by two teams in any half of a championship game since 2008. Their 24 triples combined each at game's end, 12 apiece, ranked second for a title game since 2002.

Title game was filled with records, milestones

Olympiacos Piraeus v Real Madrid (2023-05-21T17:00:00.000Z)

Real Madrid beats Olympiacos to win its 11th EuroLeague title!


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Final Four MVP Walter "Edy" Tavares only had thoughts for one man as he reflected on Real Madrid’s title triumph: his coach Chus Mateo. 

Edy Tavares on Coach Mateo: 'Without him, we wouldn’t be here'

Final Four MVP Walter "Edy" Tavares only had thoughts for one man as he reflected on Real Madrid’s title triumph: his coach Chus Mateo. 

Sitting alongside Mateo at the official postgame press conference, Tavares said: "The only thing I want to say is to congratulate this man here with me. He suffered more than us to put everything together for us to fight for this club.  

"All the credit for him because for every coach or every player, the first year is always hard. At Real Madrid it’s super-hard to be the head coach, so I think we’re here because of him. We’re here because he believed in us.  

"The people from the outside didn’t believe in us, didn’t believe in him, that he could do it. But he has so much confidence in himself, and what he can bring to the table, what he can put us through. And I think he deserves it. You guys \[the media\] should apologize to him because there was a lot of criticism, and a lot of doubt on him."

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Incredible scenes in the press conference: Real Madrid coach Chus Mateo broke into tears hearing the praise of Final Four MVP Edy Tavares for him.<br><br>&quot;You guys should apologize to him. Lots of criticism, doubt... <br><br>He deserves this more than anybody. One of the best people I met&quot; <a href="https://t.co/snhvQOTKPR">pic.twitter.com/snhvQOTKPR</a></p>&mdash; Antonis Stroggylakis (@AStroggylakis) <a href="https://twitter.com/AStroggylakis/status/1660383691498029081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Tavares even reduced Mateo to tears as he continued, arguing that his coach should receive much more recognition as he said: "I always see everybody names a lot of coaches of different teams but never him. They only mention Madrid. But Madrid has a boss. He is the boss, so we’ve got to mention Madrid and him every time.  

"All the credit for him because without him, we wouldn’t be here. He was the one who gave us belief, he believed in us from August. He deserves it more than anybody because he's one of the best people I've ever met in my life. You should give him all the credit because we’ve got so many alphas on the team and you’ve got to manage everybody, so he deserves everything."

Game News


### Reds, Real soared in the semis

Olympiacos Piraeus enjoyed one of the most dominant quarters in Final Four history to roar back from a 12-point halftime deficit and trounce AS Monaco 76-62 in the first semifinal at the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four at Zalgirio Arena in Kaunas. Freshly-crowned EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov led the way with 19 points and 6 rebounds and Kostas Papanikolaou shined with 15 points and 8 boards for the winners.

Later Friday, Real Madrid beat FC Barcelona in the semifinals for the second year in succession. *Los Blancos* won 66-78 after once again finding an extra gear in the latter stages of the game to come out with the victory. Walter Tavares was the man of the evening for Real, pairing 20 points with 15 rebounds. He also had 4 blocks, including one in the closing minutes of the contest to prevent a late Barca fightback. Mario Hezonja was also key in the win, scoring 14 points and grabbing 9 rebounds.

A pair of Goliaths from European basketball battle for continental glory as the Reds and Los Blancos square off at Žalgirio arena. These teams boast some of the top players in the competition, but whose talents will come to the fore and secure the ultimate prize?

Olympiacos Piraeus vs Real Madrid - Championship Game - Replay

### An 11th crown for Real Madrid

Real Madrid held on 78-79 to win one of the most exciting championship games in EuroLeague history. *Los Blancos* trailed for most of the game, but relied on the old guard to snatch the win in the closing seconds. Sergio Rodriguez nailed a clutch three to bring Real with 1 and Sergio Llull netted the go-ahead jumper with 3.1 seconds remaining. Olympiacos, which did not score in the game’s final 2 minutes, had one last shot, but Kostas Sloukas missed at the buzzer.

Rodriguez finished with 15 points and 9 assists, while Final Four MVP Walter Tavares posted 15 points and 10 rebounds for Real. Sasha Vezenkov tied the championship game record with 29 points and also grabbed 9 rebounds in defeat.

[Game info](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/olympiacos-piraeus-real-madrid/E2022/330/)

Final Four 2023 Kaunas

 Sasha Vezenkov: 'It will be a tough night'

The season MVP played like one and then some in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game, but at the conclusion of the most intense and competitive season many fans can remember, even that was not enough for Sasha Vezenkov and Olympiacos Piraeus.

After being heartbroken in the semifinals in Belgrade on the game's last shot, the same thing happened in the championship game this time. The 2022-23 season EuroLeague Most Valuable Player feels even more frustrated this time.

"Last year was frustrating, this year is even more," Vezenkov said after scoring 29 points and grabbing 9 rebounds for a performance index rating of 34 in the 78-79 loss to Real Madrid on Sergio Llull's game-winner with 3.1 seconds left. "We have to face it. It will be a tough night and some tough moments.

Vezenkov's scoring tied the championship game record alongside Shane Larkin of Anadolu Efes Pilsen in 2019. His PIR of 34 also tied a championship game record, matching Manuel Ginobili's 34 from 2002 for Kinder Bologna in another losing effort and Anthony Parker's 34 for Maccabi Tel Aviv in a blowout victory in 2004 for the title.

Olympiacos lost in last year's semis on a buzzer-beater by Anadolu Efes Istanbul star Vasilije Micic. This time around, Llull made his only shot of the game before a chance to steal the title back for Olympiacos was missed at the buzzer by Kostas Sloukas.

Sasha Vezenkov scored 29 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and dished 4 assists as Olympiacos Piraeus lost 78-79 to Real Madrid in the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game.

Sasha Vezenkov's EuroLeague Championship Game highlights

"We lost a game, that's all," Vezenkov said calmly.

Olympiacos had taken a six-point lead, 78-72, with 2:13 minutes left but could not close it out.

"We lost our mind on offense in the last two or three minutes," Vezenkov said. "We made some early offenses. We made some turnovers. We lost some defenses. We needed to finish the game early in the fourth quarter and we lost it. But that's it. That's basketball.

"We worked hard and played really good basketball but in the end we didn't win the championship."

The MVP said the only choice for the team now is to move on.

"We have to have a short memory," Vezenkov concluded.

Sasha Vezenkov: 'It will be a tough night'

After seeing his team overcome all the odds to be crowned Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champions, Real Madrid Head Coach Chus Mateo argued that a never say die mentality was the key factor behind the latest of Los Blancos’ record 11 continental crowns. 

Mateo hails spirit and togetherness of triumphant Real 

After seeing his team overcome all the odds to be crowned Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champions, Real Madrid Head Coach Chus Mateo argued that a never say die mentality was the key factor behind the latest of *Los Blancos*’ record 11 continental crowns. 

Real looked dead and buried after two games of its playoffs series against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, facing the daunting task of winning twice in Belgrade. That was duly achieved and Mateo’s men became the first team ever to recover from a 0-2 series deficit to advance into the Final Four.  

Then Friday's semifinal against FC Barcelona saw Real fall 9 points behind shortly before halftime, but then roar back to overcome its old archrival in the second half. And the road to glory concluded as Sunday’s title decider against Olympiacos Piraeus saw yet another comeback act, with Real overturning a 12-point deficit to take victory through a dramatic game-winner from Sergio Llull. 

Mateo said he believes that his team's wild series of triumphs in the face of adversity was only possible because of the togetherness shown by his players, saying: "We knew it was going to be very tough, it was not going to be easy, but we believed, we believed until the end. 

"We never retreat. Everybody was ready to react. When problems came, we reacted. It was good to see how the players all joined together. It’s unbelievable what we did. It was a very tough season, but with a very happy ending."

That happiest of endings ultimately came after a 0-7 run in the final 2 minutes of the title decider, and Mateo emphasized his team’s refusal to be beaten as he said: "I’m very proud of the spirit of the guys because they stuck together when things were going bad. They always believe they can win, they never surrender. 

"When bad things happened – injuries, defeats – the team joined more and more and more. And when things were getting worse, we fought even more. We stayed together, we were alive until the end, and in the last game, we were able to beat a basketball machine like Olympiacos on the last shot with the only 2 points that Sergio Llull scored. It’s like a dream. 

"I’m fortunate to be in charge of a very united group, and for me, that’s the most important thing. We live together like a family. We had a very tough path but we were able to fight until the end."

And for the rookie EuroLeague coach, who took over at Real last summer after a long stint as assistant to Pablo Laso, the achievement of becoming continental champion in his first season in charge was clearly a very emotional experience. 

"It’s not easy to talk right now,” he said, "\[The game\] was up and down with emotions. I just want to live in the moment and enjoy tonight. One more beer... maybe two today!  

"In the locker room after the game, there were lots of hugs and tears, because all the emotions exploded in this moment. An unbelievable moment, and right now I only want to hug my people."

In the wake of an incredible series of comebacks, we can be pretty sure that Mateo’s people will be very happy to hug him back.  

Game Videos

Real Madrid edged Olympiacos 78-79 and Nigel Williams-Goss finished the game with 9 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in less than 19 minutes. 

A year after heartbreak, Nigel Williams-Goss is a champion

Nigel Williams-Goss will not remember his first Turkish Airlines EuroLeague appearance with a lot of excitement. He made sure that his second time at the Final Four was definitely one to remember. 

In 2022, Williams-Goss started in his team's EuroLeague semifinal against FC Barcelona. Just 52 seconds after the tip-off, Dante Exum accidentally stepped on his ankle and Williams-Goss left the game. He wasn't able to return for the championship game against Anadolu Efes Istanbul. In fact, Williams-Goss was sidelined until November. 

Things were different for Real and Williams-Goss at Zalgirio Arena. Real edged Olympiacos 78-79 and he finished the game with 9 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in less than 19 minutes. 

Nigel Williams-Goss of Real Madrid is now a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion!

EuroLeague Final Four highlights: Nigel Williams-Goss, Real Madrid

"I told my teammates that I owed them one. And obviously, Sergio \[Llull\] is the one who brought it home for us," Williams-Goss said. "But just to be out here and compete for my guys and be the EuroLeague champion, it's unbelievable."

Real trailed 78-72 with 2 minutes remaining but finished the game with a 0-7 run to claim its 11th EuroLeague crown. Never giving up is Real's trademark and Williams-Goss wanted to stress it out after the game. 

"It's the Madrid way. We've been finding ways the last five games to pull it out somehow, some way," Williams-Goss said. "Obviously the veterans were here, Llull, 'Chacho', Rudy: you brought it home. But there is something about that in the Madrid water!"

Of course, none of that would have happened if Llull's high-arching jumper did not fall in with 3.1 seconds left but as Williams-Goss said, that's what he does. 

"I mean, he's just done this for so long, man. No one's surprised anymore. It's just another legendary play for a legendary player with a legendary career," he said. "I'll never forget this."

The main word Isaiah Canaan used to describe Olympiacos Piraeus’s heart-breaking 78-79 loss in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game was “tough” - a difficult way to lose a game and end a dream. 

Isaiah Canaan: 'To go out like that … is just tough'

The main word Isaiah Canaan used to describe Olympiacos Piraeus’s heart-breaking 78-79 loss in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game was “tough” - a difficult way to lose a game and end a dream.

“It’s tough. To go out like that… on a last-second shot after battling the whole game. It’s tough. It’s just tough," said Canaan, who scored a season-high 21 points in the loss, including a championship-game tying 5 three-pointers.

Canaan scored the last basket of the game for the Reds to give the team a 78-72 lead with 2:13 minutes left. Olympiacos failed to finish off the game and leaves Kaunas wondering what if.

"It’s frustrating but it’s part of the game. There is always one winner. Tonight, unfortunately, it wasn’t us."

Isaiah Canaan (21 points) Highlights vs. Real Madrid, 05/21/2023

Isaiah Canaan scored 21 points in the championship game

When asked for his thoughts about Sergio Llull’s game-winning basket with 3.1 seconds left, Canaan said: "People might say it was a lucky shot. But you look at Llull’s career and he makes crazy shots like that a lot. He didn’t score a basket until that last shot. It’s just crazy."

Llull hitting the shot ruined Canaan’s hopes to celebrate his 32nd birthday in style.

"I wanted to go out on top. It’s just part of life. At the end of the day, I’m thankful and blessed to be here another year. To be able to play this game at a high level. I’m okay with playing in a high-quality championship game and be able to play in front of these fans and my family back at home watching. I’m thankful," he said.

Canaan was one of the additions Olympiacos made this off-season after being beaten in the Final Four semifinals in 2022. He thinks the club definitely took another step forward.

“We have taken the steps in the right direction, but we still have some work to do. We battled all season long and to go out on a last-second shot like that, it’s just tough."

There it is again, that word tough.

Real Madrid swingman Adam Hanga had to wait until the 255th game of his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague career to claim his first title in Europe's premier club basketball competition. He was also playing in his third consecutive championship game, following narrow losses with FC Barcelona in 2021 and Los Blancos in 2022. 

Third time's a charm for Adam Hanga

Real Madrid swingman Adam Hanga had to wait until the 255th game of his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague career to claim his first title in Europe's premier club basketball competition. He was also playing in his third consecutive championship game, following narrow losses with FC Barcelona in 2021 and Los Blancos in 2022.

 

Hanga was ecstatic after the game and stated that becoming a EuroLeague champion had been worth it, as EuroLeague Basketball spoke with him on the floor right after the game.

 

"Oh, my God! I have been waiting for this for so, so long," Hanga said. "I have been in the EuroLeague for 10-11 years and it was my third final in a row – and after so many disappointments and failures, let's say. But this team is something different. I cannot explain how we did it today."

 

In fact, Hanga is the only player in EuroLeague history to reach the Final Four with Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Barca and Real. Not many players had to wait over 250 games to lift the trophy, too. James Gist leads this list with 297 games, followed by Ante Tomic (283), Edgaras Ulanovas (272), Arturas Milaknis (265), Lukas Lekavicius (263) and Ioannis Papapetrou (257). Hanga was seventh, but not anymore.

Real Madrid forward

"I've been waiting for this for my whole life!"

He believes that after losing last season's EuroLeague Championship Game by 1 point, fate had to do a little bit with what happened at Zalgirio Arena.

 

"If you look back, you always think that, in the past, things happen for a reason," Hanga noted. "Maybe we had to lose that game. Maybe we had to be down 0-2 against Partizan \[Mozzart Bet Belgrade\] to have this moment. But this is amazing. Amazing! I've been waiting for this for my whole life."

 

Hanga ended up contributing 2 points and 3 rebounds in 11 minutes as a starter, and his defense against Kostas Papanikolaou was one of the keys to the game. Papanikolaou had 15 points in Olympiacos's semifinal win against AS Monaco, yet just 6 in the championship game.

"It would have been hard to lose three in a row"

His grandfather, [Gyorgy Szep](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/adam-hanga-my-grandpas-biggest-lesson-appreciate-what-you-have/), who raised him as a father, passed away in 2019 and Hanga has been waiting ever since to dedicate the EuroLeague title to him. This time, Hanga finally managed to do so.

 

"This is especially for him, and for all the people that believed in me," Hanga added. "I received so many messages today that today is going to be my day. It would have been hard to lose three in a row, and that is why I was so excited on the bench. We got it!"