2018 EuroLeague Final Four

2018 EuroLeague Final Four
The official logo was unveiled on 13 February 2018[1]
Season2017–18 EuroLeague
Tournament details
ArenaŠtark Arena
Belgrade, Serbia
Dates18–20 May 2018
Final positions
ChampionsSpain Real Madrid (10th title)
Runners-upTurkey Fenerbahçe Doğuş
Third placeLithuania Žalgiris
Fourth placeRussia CSKA Moscow
Awards and statistics
MVPSlovenia Luka Dončić
2017
2019

The 2018 EuroLeague Final Four was the concluding EuroLeague Final Four tournament of the 2017–18 EuroLeague season, the 61st season of Europe's premier club basketball tournament, and the 18th season since it was organised by Euroleague Basketball. It was the 31st Final Four of the modern EuroLeague Final Four era (1988–present), and the 33rd time overall that the competition had concluded with a final four format. The Final Four was played at the Štark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia, on 18 and 20 May 2018.[2]

Venue

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On 26 October 2016 Euroleague Basketball announced that the Final Four would be held in the Štark Arena in Belgrade.[2] It is designed as a universal hall for sports, cultural events and other programs. It was the first time the EuroLeague Final Four was hosted in Belgrade, or in the country of Serbia. The Arena's total floor area is 48,000 square metres. For sports, it has a regular seating capacity for fans of 18,386, and also has 70 luxury boxes, which include a total of 860 seats.[3] The arena's cost was estimated at 70 million.[4] Štark Arena is a member of the European Arenas Association (EAA).[5]

Belgrade
2018 EuroLeague Final Four (Europe)
Štark Arena
Capacity: 18,386

Background

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CSKA Moscow

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CSKA Moscow finished the regular season as the number one seed, after having a 24–6 record. In the quarter-finals, the team played another Russian side in Khimki. CSKA won the series 3–1 over Khimki, after a controversial 88–89 win in Game 4.[6] In the United League season, CSKA was in second place while battling for the first seed.

Fenerbahçe Doğuş

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Fenerbahçe finished second in the regular season and defeated Kirolbet Baskonia in the quarter-finals. Fenerbahçe reached the Final Four for a fourth straight year. Head coach Željko Obradović had the opportunity to win his tenth EuroLeague title, a record for most titles by a coach.

Real Madrid

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Madrid battled injuries during the regular season, as Sergio Llull, Ognjen Kuzmić and Rudy Fernández missed most of the games. As a five-seed, the team beat Panathinaikos in a controversial quarterfinal series, 1–3. The star player for Madrid during the season was Luka Dončić, who led the league in Performance Index Rating (PIR), and was later a top-three pick in the 2018 NBA draft. Dončić's games during the Final Four were televised in the United States, by NBA TV.

In the 2017–18 ACB season, Real Madrid was the number one seed.

Žalgiris

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In the regular season, Žalgiris qualified as the sixth seed. Žalgiris won the series over favored Olympiacos, 3–1. For EuroLeague Legend Šarūnas Jasikevičius, this was his first visit to the Final Four as a head coach and also for the club since 1999. In its domestic LKL season, the club dominated as well, as it was in a secure first seed.

Bracket

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SemifinalsChampionship game
 
      
 
18 May
 
 
Russia CSKA Moscow 83
 
20 May
 
Spain Real Madrid 92
 
Spain Real Madrid 85
 
18 May
 
Turkey Fenerbahçe Doğuş 80
 
Turkey Fenerbahçe Doğuş 76
 
 
Lithuania Žalgiris 67
 
Third place game
 
 
20 May
 
 
Russia CSKA Moscow 77
 
 
Lithuania Žalgiris 79

Semifinals

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Semifinal A

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Russian champions CSKA Moscow returned to the Final Four to make it their seventh consecutive semi-final appearance. CSKA guard Sergio Rodríguez would play the semi-final against his former club, which he won the EuroLeague title with in 2015, as well as the EuroLeague MVP award in 2014.

Real Madrid would play its fourth Final Four in five years. The match would be a re-match of the 2017 third-place game. During the regular season, both teams won their respective games at home, with this game being considered a Real Madrid home game.

18 May 2018 CSKA Moscow Russia 83–92 Spain Real Madrid Belgrade, Serbia
21:00 UTC+02:00 Scoring by quarter: 30–20, 16–27, 10–16, 27–29
Pts: De Colo 20
Rebs: Hines 9
Asts: Rodríguez 6
PIR: Hines 23
Boxscore Pts: Dončić, Llull 16
Rebs: Ayón 11
Asts: Llull 5
PIR: three players 18
Arena: Štark Arena
Attendance: 15,232
Referees: Luigi Lamonica (ITA), Robert Lottermoser (GER), Matej Boltauzer (SLO)


Starters: Pts Reb Ast
PG 13 Spain Sergio Rodríguez 5 2 6
SG 22 United States Cory Higgins 15 2 3
SF 41 Russia Nikita Kurbanov 7 1 0
PF 11 Russia Semyon Antonov 0 0 0
C 44 United States Othello Hunter 4 7 0
Reserves:
PG 1 France Nando de Colo 20 1 1
C 3 United States Victor Rudd 0 0 0
SG 7 Russia Vitaly Fridzon 0 0 0
PF 20 Russia Andrey Vorontsevich 0 1 1
SF 21 United States Will Clyburn 16 7 2
PF 31 Russia Victor Khryapa 0 1 0
C 42 United States Kyle Hines 16 9 1
Head coach:
Greece Dimitrios Itoudis
CSKA Moscow jersey
Team colours
CSKA Moscow
Real Madrid jersey
Team colours
Real Madrid

0

CSKA Statistics R.Madrid
18/44 (40.9%) 2-pt field goals 17/34 (50%)
10/24 (41.7%) 3-pt field goals 12/27 (44.4%)
17/19 (89.5%) Free throws 22/36 (61.1%)
13 Offensive rebounds 14
25 Defensive rebounds 29
38 Total rebounds 43
14 Assists 20
13 Turnovers 13
4 Steals 6
3 Blocks 5
29 Fouls 22
Starters: Pts Reb Ast
PG 11 Argentina Facundo Campazzo 0 1 1
SG 7 Slovenia Luka Dončić 16 7 2
SF 44 Sweden Jeffery Taylor 3 1 0
PF 9 Spain Felipe Reyes 5 2 0
C 14 Mexico Gustavo Ayón 12 11 1
Reserves:
SG 1 France Fabien Causeur 6 2 3
PF 3 Slovenia Anthony Randolph 2 2 2
SF 5 Spain Rudy Fernández 6 2 2
SG 20 Azerbaijan Jaycee Carroll 9 2 3
C 22 Cape Verde Edy Tavares 5 0 0
PG 23 Spain Sergio Llull 16 0 5
PF 33 United States Trey Thompkins 12 6 1
Head coach:
Spain Pablo Laso

Semifinal B

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Defending champions Fenerbahçe Doğuş returned to the Final Four to make it their third straight appearance. Led by head coach Željko Obradović, the all-time record holder for most EuroLeague championships won by a head coach, it defeated Kirolbet Baskonia 1–3 in the quarter-finals, to clinch a semi-final spot.

Žalgiris Kaunas qualified for its first Final Four in 20 years, as the last time the team participated was in 1999, where it claimed the championship as well. The club beat Olympiacos 3–1 in the play-offs, despite not having home court advantage.

18 May 2018 Fenerbahçe Doğuş Turkey 76–67 Lithuania Žalgiris Kaunas Belgrade, Serbia
18:00 UTC+02:00 Scoring by quarter: 19–13, 20–20, 15–17, 22–17
Pts: Muhammed 19
Rebs: Düverioğlu 5
Asts: Melli 6
PIR: Muhammed 18
Boxscore Pts: Pangos 16
Rebs: Davies 11
Asts: Micić, Pangos 4
PIR: Davies 21
Arena: Štark Arena
Attendance: 16,967
Referees: Daniel Hierrezuelo (ESP), Sreten Radović (CRO), Oļegs Latiševs (LAT)


Starters: Pts Reb Ast
PG 11 United States Brad Wanamaker 9 1 3
SG 23 Serbia Marko Gudurić 0 0 1
SF 33 Serbia Nikola Kalinić 2 1 2
PF 24 Czech Republic Jan Veselý 8 3 0
C 44 Jordan Ahmet Düverioğlu 4 5 0
Reserves:
PF 1 United States Jason Thompson 0 2 0
PF 4 Italy Nicolò Melli 4 3 6
SG 10 Turkey Melih Mahmutoğlu DNP
PG 16 Greece Kostas Sloukas 14 1 3
SF 21 United States James Nunnally 0 0 1
PG 35 Turkey Ali Muhammed 19 1 0
SF 70 Italy Luigi Datome 16 2 0
Head coach:
Serbia Željko Obradović
Fenerbahçe jersey
Team colours
Fenerbahçe
Žalgiris jersey
Team colours
Žalgiris

0

Fenerbahçe Statistics Žalgiris
24/42 (57.1%) 2-pt field goals 21/40 (52.5%)
7/18 (38.9%) 3-pt field goals 2/10 (20%)
7/11 (63.6%) Free throws 19/27 (70.4%)
9 Offensive rebounds 16
13 Defensive rebounds 21
22 Total rebounds 37
16 Assists 13
10 Turnovers 20
13 Steals 5
3 Blocks 2
27 Fouls 19
Starters: Pts Reb Ast
PG 3 Canada Kevin Pangos 16 5 4
SG 92 Lithuania Edgaras Ulanovas 7 3 0
SF 6 France Axel Toupane 6 1 1
PF 13 Lithuania Paulius Jankūnas 4 4 0
C 0 United States Brandon Davies 12 11 2
Reserves:
PG 9 Slovenia Beno Udrih 2 1 0
C 19 Lithuania Martynas Sajus DNP
SG 21 Lithuania Artūras Milaknis 0 0 1
SG 22 Serbia Vasilije Micić 5 1 4
PF 30 United States Aaron White 10 6 0
C 44 Lithuania Antanas Kavaliauskas 5 2 1
PG 66 Lithuania Paulius Valinskas DNP
Head coach:
Lithuania Šarūnas Jasikevičius

Third place game

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20 May 2018 CSKA Moscow Russia 77–79 Lithuania Žalgiris Kaunas Belgrade
17:00 UTC+02:00 Scoring by quarter: 19–22, 16–19, 13–28, 29–10
Pts: Kulagin, Hunter 14
Rebs: Hunter 8
Asts: three players 3
PIR: Hunter 25
Boxscore Pts: Jankūnas, Micić 15
Rebs: White 7
Asts: Pangos, Micić 4
PIR: Jankūnas 17
Arena: Štark Arena
Attendance: 14,548
Referees: Daniel Hierrezuelo (ESP), Elias Koromilas (GRE), Robert Lottermoser (GER)


Starters: Pts Reb Ast
PG 13 Spain Sergio Rodríguez 9 1 3
SG 22 United States Cory Higgins 12 3 0
SF 41 Russia Nikita Kurbanov 0 0 3
PF 11 Russia Semyon Antonov 0 0 1
C 44 United States Othello Hunter 14 8 0
Reserves:
PG 1 France Nando de Colo 5 1 2
C 3 United States Victor Rudd 7 1 1
SG 7 Russia Vitaly Fridzon 5 0 0
SF 21 United States Will Clyburn 2 3 1
PG 30 Russia Mikhail Kulagin 14 2 1
PF 31 Russia Victor Khryapa 3 1 0
C 42 United States Kyle Hines 6 3 3
Head coach:
Greece Dimitrios Itoudis
CSKA Moscow jersey
Team colours
CSKA Moscow
Žalgiris jersey
Team colours
Žalgiris

0

CSKA Statistics Žalgiris
14/37 (37.8%) 2-pt field goals 25/43 (58.1%)
12/29 (41.4%) 3-pt field goals 5/11 (45.5%)
13/24 (54.2%) Free throws 14/21 (66.7%)
13 Offensive rebounds 10
18 Defensive rebounds 27
31 Total rebounds 37
15 Assists 16
9 Turnovers 19
8 Steals 1
5 Blocks 1
23 Fouls 25
Starters: Pts Reb Ast
PG 3 Canada Kevin Pangos 9 1 4
SG 92 Lithuania Edgaras Ulanovas 14 1 0
SF 6 France Axel Toupane 6 4 0
PF 13 Lithuania Paulius Jankūnas 15 5 2
C 0 United States Brandon Davies 2 4 1
Reserves:
PG 9 Slovenia Beno Udrih 2 2 2
PF 20 Lithuania Gytis Masiulis DNP
SG 21 Lithuania Artūras Milaknis 3 3 1
SG 22 Serbia Vasilije Micić 15 4 4
PF 30 United States Aaron White 4 7 2
C 44 Lithuania Antanas Kavaliauskas 9 5 0
PG 66 Lithuania Paulius Valinskas DNP
Head coach:
Lithuania Šarūnas Jasikevičius

Championship game

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20 May 2018 Real Madrid Spain 85–80 Turkey Fenerbahçe Doğuş Belgrade
20:00 UTC+02:00 Scoring by quarter: 21–17, 17–23, 25–15, 22–25
Pts: Causeur 17
Rebs: three players 5
Asts: Dončić 4
PIR: Causeur 21
Boxscore Pts: Melli 28
Rebs: Melli 6
Asts: Wanamaker 5
PIR: Melli 27
Arena: Štark Arena
Attendance: 16,967
Referees: Luigi Lamonica (ITA), Borys Ryzhyk (UKR), Oļegs Latiševs (LAT)


Starters: Pts Reb Ast
PG 11 Argentina Facundo Campazzo 0 1 0
SG 7 Slovenia Luka Dončić 15 3 4
SF 1 France Fabien Causeur 17 2 2
PF 9 Spain Felipe Reyes 6 3 0
C 14 Mexico Gustavo Ayón 4 2 1
Reserves:
PF 3 Slovenia Anthony Randolph 3 1 0
SF 5 Spain Rudy Fernández 5 5 3
SG 20 Azerbaijan Jaycee Carroll 9 0 0
C 22 Cape Verde Edy Tavares 8 5 2
PG 23 Spain Sergio Llull 5 0 2
PF 33 United States Trey Thompkins 10 5 1
SF 44 Sweden Jeffery Taylor 3 3 1
Head coach:
Spain Pablo Laso
Real Madrid jersey
Team colours
Real Madrid
Fenerbahçe jersey
Team colours
Fenerbahçe

0

R.Madrid Statistics Fenerbahçe
16/32 (50%) 2-pt field goals 21/39 (53.8%)
9/21 (42.9%) 3-pt field goals 7/20 (35%)
26/34 (76.5%) Free throws 17/20 (85%)
13 Offensive rebounds 10
24 Defensive rebounds 19
37 Total rebounds 29
16 Assists 17
12 Turnovers 12
8 Steals 4
3 Blocks 2
26 Fouls 27


2017–18 EuroLeague champions
Spain
Real Madrid
10th title
Starters: Pts Reb Ast
PG 11 United States Brad Wanamaker 14 5 5
SG 23 Serbia Marko Gudurić 0 1 2
SF 33 Serbia Nikola Kalinić 7 3 1
PF 24 Czech Republic Jan Veselý 3 5 2
C 44 Jordan Ahmet Düverioğlu 8 1 0
Reserves:
PF 1 United States Jason Thompson 0 0 0
PF 4 Italy Nicolò Melli 28 6 1
SG 10 Turkey Melih Mahmutoğlu DNP
PG 16 Greece Kostas Sloukas 7 1 4
SF 21 United States James Nunnally 0 0 1
PG 35 Turkey Ali Muhammed 7 2 1
SF 70 Italy Luigi Datome 6 2 0
Head coach:
Serbia Željko Obradović

References

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  1. ^ "Logo for 2018 Final Four Belgrade unveiled". Euroleague.net. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b "The Final Four goes to Belgrade in 2018!". Euroleague Basketball. 26 October 2016. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  3. ^ "Kombank Arena - Kombank Arena Profile". kombankarena.rs. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  4. ^ "Najskuplja kad je - prazna" (in Serbian). Novosti.rs. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  5. ^ "EUROPEAN ARENAS ASSOCIATION". EAA. Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  6. ^ The controversial finale of Khimki – CSKA
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