Name: ‘Everyone here knows what this means’: Tarik Biberovic, Fenerbahce
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

“Who wants it more” will be a major factor in the outcome of Friday’s first semifinal, Tarik Biberovic of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul said of his team’s clash against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens.

‘Everyone here knows what this means’: Tarik Biberovic, Fenerbahce

Feel the action with the bodycams technology

The fans wanted it and here they have it: MindFly returns for the Final Four

Following on from the successful collaboration between Euroleague Basketball and MindFly during the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, the partnership is ready to go to another level at the 2024 EuroLeague Final Four in Berlin, Germany.

At the Final Four, two referees per game will be using MindFly’s cutting-edge technology for the EuroLeague Semifinals and the EuroLeague Championship Game, as ultralight AI powered bodycams which record video and audio capture conversations between players and officials. This will offer fans unprecedented access to the biggest games in the EuroLeague calendar.

EuroLeague fans were able to get a peek behind the curtain for some of the biggest derbies of the season thanks to MindFly’s equipment, with six derbies being featured in the 2023-24 campaign: [Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/experience-el-clasico-like-never-before/); [AS Monaco vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/go-right-on-court-with-monaco-and-asvel/); [Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/join-virtus-bologna-olimpia-milano-on-the-floor-euroleague-derby-ditalia/); [Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/mindfly-referee-cams-went-inside-the-istanbul-derby/); [Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/go-inside-the-belgrade-derby-with-mindflys-referee-cams/); and [Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/the-greek-derby-like-youve-never-seen-it-before/).

Later in the regular season, two FC Bayern Munich players wore the technology during [a regular-season contest against Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/see-the-euroleague-action-with-first-ever-mindfly-player-cams/), as fans could see how Niels Giffey and Isaac Bonga move and interact with both their teammates and opposition players on the court.

MindFly and Euroleague Basketball have already broken new ground with this type of technology, with fans loving this type of content, but on the Final Four stage – with so many eyeballs on the event – new streaming records are almost guaranteed to be achieved.

At the end of the landmark season during which he became the EuroLeague all-time scoring leader, Mike James has also been voted as the 2023-24 EuroLeague MVP. James's next goal is that the club's and his personal success continue. 

Mike James, Monaco: 'I want Monaco and Mike James to coincide' 

At the end of the landmark season during which he became the EuroLeague all-time scoring leader, Mike James has also been voted as the 2023-24 EuroLeague MVP. James's next goal is that the club's and his personal success continue.

Mike James, Monaco: 'I want Monaco and Mike James to coincide'

2023-24 EB ANGT Finals Berlin Round 1 Highlights: U18 FC Barcelona-U18 ALBA Berlin

U18 FC Barcelona v U18 ALBA Berlin (2024-05-23T11:30:00.000Z)

[Kasparas Jakucionis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/kasparas-jakucionis/012197/) made ANGT history for Barcelona as the point guard dished out 17 assists in his team’s 118-46 win over ALBA Berlin. Jakucionis’ 17th assist - a pass to Abdrahmane Kone - passed the previous mark of 16 held by two fellow Lithuanians playing for Zalgiris Kaunas: Marius Grigonis in 2011-12 and Arnas Velicka in 2015-16. 

“I am thankful the coach put me back in to break the record,” said Jakucionis, who also topped the previous ANGT Finals mark of 13 assists, done three times, most recently by Andrej Musicki in of Mega MIS Belgrade in 2022-23.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kasparas Jakucionis from <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCBbasket</a> U18s set a new ANGT all-time record with 17 assists in today&#39;s Round 1 game of the Berlin <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AdidasNGT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AdidasNGT</a> Finals👏 <a href="https://t.co/UJiJaMhatx">pic.twitter.com/UJiJaMhatx</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1793639402637512812?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Kasparas Jakucionis sets new assists record

Let's take a look at the players who stood out in a 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season during which records were broken and legends were made.

2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague: Awards recap

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The Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals is off and running at Uber Eats Music Hall in Berlin. Catch all the games live on YouTube and follow commentary from international junior basketball expert David Hein on EuroLeague.net throughout the weekend!

ANGT Finals: U18 PFBB INSEP Paris 85-69 U18 Overtime Elite

U18 PFBB INSEP Paris v U18 Overtime Elite (2024-05-23T13:45:00.000Z)

2024 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four Opening Press Conference

The first official act of the 2024 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four was the opening Press Conference, which was held in the grand lobby at Uber Arena in the German capital. Coach Chus Mateo and Walter Tavares represented defending champion Real Madrid, Coach Georgios Bartzokas and Kostas Papanikolaou were there from Olympiacos Piraeus, Coach Ergin Ataman and Kostas Sloukas from Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, and Coach Sarunas Jasikevicius and Nigel Hayes-Davis from Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. Here are the moments basketball fans need to be aware of from the hour-long event. 

The best of the opening press conference

The first official act of the 2024 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four was the opening Press Conference, which was held in the grand lobby at Uber Arena in the German capital. Coach Chus Mateo and Walter Tavares represented defending champion Real Madrid, Coach Georgios Bartzokas and Kostas Papanikolaou were there from Olympiacos Piraeus, Coach Ergin Ataman and Kostas Sloukas from Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, and Coach Sarunas Jasikevicius and Nigel Hayes-Davis from Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. Here are the moments basketball fans need to be aware of from the hour-long event. 

### The coaches trade compliments, not jabs

Mutual respect was on display from the very beginning as all four head coaches made sure to play nicely against their opponents. In his opening statement, Mateo said that Olympiacos has “the heart of a champion” and that the Reds are “gentlemen on the court and on the bench. We respect them a lot.” Bartzokas later called Real “a winning machine.”

### Keep an eye out for Nigel’s kicks

Earlier this season, Hayes-Davis adopted a pet cat named Sly that was found in the VIP Room of Ulker Sports and Event Hall and he was asked about whether Sly was with him in Berlin. Though he answered in the negative, the Fenerbahce forward shared some news that fans will have to watch for: “I do have some custom shoes dedicated to her that I’ll be wearing.”

### It’s about the little things… and luck 

“It’s a matter of which team will be in the best shape, on the best day, small details and a bit of luck, because luck is part of sports.  This is what defines who is going to be the final winner,” said Papanikolaou.

Sloukas agreed. “In these kinds of games, tactics in one hand, but most important is how much you want to win. Talking about rebounds, small things, steals, easy baskets, how to use fouls. These are the most important things in these kinds of games,” the Panathinaikos guard continued. “Luck is part of the game, especially in a 40-minute game, and I hope luck will be with us.” 

“These games come down to the details,” Hayes-Davis added. “The rebounds, loose balls. Those are the plays that when you go to sleep after losing, or a year or two from now, when you think about why you lost the game, you think about that rebound that you should have got if you had taken an extra step or were in the right spot.”

### There are no favorites

“Coach Bartzokas said that we are four of the best teams in the EuroLeague and none of us are undefeated, which means that anyone can be beaten on any night,” Hayes Davis said in his opening statement. 

“There is always pressure when you come to play in the Final Four. When you get so close to the trophy, it is normal,” added Papanikolaou. “Media usually is the one who represents who is the favorite or not. I don’t believe in that. I believe that each team that is here has the same percentage. It is two games to win the trophy.”

### Memories from 2009

One of the lightest moments of the press conference came when Jasikevicius was asked about his memories of winning the EuroLeague as a Panathinaikos player in 2009. He started off by calling it “the best Final Four in terms of quality, the best Final Four in terms of games coming down to the last shot.” One of those games was the semifinals between the two Greek clubs when Kostas Sloukas played for Olympiacos. 

“Kostas \[Sloukas\] told me on the way to the stage that he was left out of the 12 for the semifinal. I didn’t know that,” Jasikevicius said before pivoting to Ataman with some advice. “By the way, Ergin, you should think about this strategy for tomorrow… Maybe think about it.”

Ataman replied: “You know, when we beat you in OAKA this year, Kostas was injured and out of the team!”

And Jasikevicius told him: “So don’t change what is working!”

### Doing it for Rudy

Three-time champion Rudy Fernandez has announced that this will be his final season and the Real Madrid representatives spoke glowingly of the veteran. 

“He is extra motivated, probably for this reason, Mateo said of Fernandez. “We all know that he is going to leave professional basketball from the summer probably and we will try to gift him the last trophy for him. This is one of the reasons we are fighting.”

Tavares added: “That is one of my motivations. As a fan he is one of my favorite players. What he does on the court, what he does off the court… For me, one of the biggest motivations is to help him win the EuroLeague in his last season.”  

Real Madrid v Olympiacos Piraeus (2024-05-24T19:00:00.000Z)

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2024-05-24T16:00:00.000Z)

2023-24 EB ANGT Finals Berlin Round 1 Highlights: U18 ratiopharm Ulm-U18 Mega MIS Belgrade 

U18 ratiopharm Ulm v U18 Mega MIS Belgrade (2024-05-23T09:15:00.000Z)

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ANGT Finals: U18 FC Barcelona 118-46 U18 ALBA Berlin

2023-24 EB ANGT Finals Berlin Round 1 Highlights: U18 Real Madrid-U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 

U18 Real Madrid v U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2024-05-23T07:00:00.000Z)

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ANGT Finals: U18 ratiopharm Ulm 70-101 U18 Mega MIS Belgrade

Check out the 2024 Final Four Magazine!

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four Magazine is ready and available to be downloaded at <https://publications.euroleague.net/en/berlin2024>. You can get all the information about what’s happening this weekend as Berlin becomes the global sporting capital with events on and off the court in and around Uber Arena, plus all the info recapping the season, profiles of the Final Four teams, impactful quotes and much, much more. Be sure to download a copy to enhance your Final Four experience!

After these two teams met in last season's gran finale, Real Madrid and Olympiacos Piraeus will duel for one ticket to this season's championship game in second semifinal on Friday at the EuroLeague Final Four at Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany.

Championship game rematch, Real Madrid vs. Olympiacos, in second semifinal

[Rosters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/real-madrid-olympiacos-piraeus/E2023/330/#roster) | [Facts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en//news/tae2324-ff-sf-a-game-facts-mad-oly/euroleague) | [Notes ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/tae2324-ff-sf-a-game-notes-mad-oly/)| [Quotes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/tae2324-ff-sf-a-pregame-quotes-mad-oly/)

The second semifinal is a rematch of last season’s championship game, which came down to the final shot before Real Madrid triumphed. *Los Blancos* finished atop the regular season standings and swept Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in the playoffs. Olympiacos was placed fifth at the end of the regular season and then overcame a 2-1 deficit to take down FC Barcelona in a grueling playoff duel. Both teams are making their third straight Final Four appearances.

The protagonists in the first Euroleague Basketball game of the modern era, on October 16, 2000, Real Madrid and Olympiacos have a rich history together. In addition to last season’s final, Real bested Olympiacos in the 1995 championship game in Zaragoza, Spain; the Reds triumphed in the 2013 title game in London and two years later in Madrid, the locals celebrated at Olympiacos’s expense. They’ve also met in the 1996, 2009 and 2014 playoffs.

On the floor, this game is the ultimate clash of styles and tempo. Real Madrid led the league this season in scoring, rebounds, assists and PIR. Olympiacos boasted the top-ranked defense both in terms of points and PIR allowed. It should be a treat!

[Real Madrid Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/real-madrid/statistics/mad/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases) | [Olympiacos Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/statistics/oly/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases)

Facu Campazzo vs. Thomas Walkup: An offensive whiz facing a defensive master

Game Videos

Game News

After these two teams met in last season's gran finale, 'Los Blancos' and the Reds will duel for one ticket to this season's championship game

Panathinaikos BC and Fenerbahce Istanbul clash in the first semifinal at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four at Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany.

Panathinaikos and Fenerbahce clash in the first semifinal

[Rosters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/panathinaikos-aktor-athens-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/E2023/331/#roster) | [Facts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/tae2324-ff-sf-b-game-facts-pan-ulk/) | [Notes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/tae2324-ff-sf-b-game-notes-pan-ulk/) | [Quotes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/tae2324-ff-sf-b-pregame-quotes-pan-ulk/)

Two teams making their Final Four returns after many years away will also face off at the European basketball showcase for the first time. After finishing the regular season in second place, Panathinaikos survived a five-game playoff thriller against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv to reach its first Final Four since 2012.

Fenerbahce was sixth at the end of the regular season and then upset AS Monaco in the playoffs. This will be Fenerbahce’s first Final Four since 2019. Their only previous postseason meetings came when Fenerbahce swept the Greens in the 2017 playoffs en route to the club’s only EuroLeague crown. In the teams’ two games this season, each won at home by a double-digit margin.

Of note, Panathinaikos’s head coach Ergin Ataman is also the head coach of the Turkish national team. Fenerbahce head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius, point guard [Nick Calathes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nick-calathes/001932/) and center [Georgios Papagiannis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/georgios-papagiannis/005844/) are all former Panathinaikos players.

[Panathinaikos Stats ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/statistics/pan/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases)| [Fenerbahce Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/statistics/ulk/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases)

Kostas Sloukas vs. Nick Calathes: Veteran point guards seeking glory

The 2024 EuroLeague Final Four in Berlin tips off with this duel between high-powered contenders 

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ANGT Finals: U18 Real Madrid 92-67 U18 Milan 

Jerian Grant, Panathinaikos: 'The Final Four is something special'

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens guard Jerian Grant is about to experience the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four for the first time and he said he is excited for it. After arriving at the headquarters hotel on Wednesday night, Grant stopped by the interview station to share his thoughts. His team faces Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in the first semifinal on Friday.