Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four preview
The showpiece of European Basketball is here, with the 2017 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four tipping off on Friday (May 19). There is plenty of domestic hoops to be decided this season, but this is where it is at for the biggest games on the continent.
In this preview of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, we will look at the remaining clubs, how they reached this stage, and their chances of winning the title. Certainly, it is one of the most hotly contested Final Four’s in years. CSKA Moscow, Real Madrid, Olympiacos Piraeus, and Fenerbahce Istanbul are all capable of winning the title.
Indeed, the Final Four features the last two winners of the competition, (current champions) CSKA Moscow, and 2015 victors Real Madrid. Olympiacos won the 2012 and 2013 editions of the competition and are in resurgent mood. Then there is Fenerbahce, the sole club in this season’s event not to previously win the EuroLeague.
CSKA Moscow
It is probably best to start with the current champs. CSKA Moscow may not have won the Regular Season (2nd with a 22-8 record), but the club has looked impressive throughout the campaign. It is worth noting that the Russian giant has also strolled in the VTB League this season and is on course for a sixth straight domestic crown.
CSKA is on a massive historic march that stretches back over a decade. The Army Men is making its 14th EuroLeague Final Four appearance in 15 years, the kind of run that correctly assumes the club is at the top of European hoops. The champs also have the virtuoso exploits of Nando De Colo and Milos Teodosic to call on for offensive forays. Those two are arguably the best attacking pair in Europe and mean CSKA is firmly in the title picture.
Real Madrid
The same can be said for Real Madrid, the Spanish champions are equal favourites alongside CSKA. Los Blancos won the Regular Season with a 23-7 record, has already claimed the Spanish Cup, and is on course in the ACB. This could be another historic season for the EuroLeague’s winningest club. The team rallied past a tricky Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul in the Play-Offs, relying on road victories to make the cut.
After a 15 year (1996-2011) spell out of the Final Four picture, Real Madrid has been back in the groove in recent years. The club has played four of the last six season ending tournaments and won the title in 2015. While CSKA has the explosive individual talent, Madrid is all about the team effort. A well drilled and efficient offence combined with a sturdy well-oiled defence has made Los Blancos a formidable proposition.
Olympiacos
Three-time EuroLeague winners Olympiacos missed out on the Final Four last season, but never went as far as hitting a transition period. The Piraeus club is back in the running this campaign and closed the Regular Season in third place with a 19-11 record. Domestically this season, the club is on course for another Greek A1 showdown with great rival, Panathinaikos Athens.
In the Final Four, Olympiacos will likely value its position as outside favourite behind CSKA Moscow and Real Madrid. Noted for its strong determination, the team fought off a bullish Anadolu Efes in a do-or-die clash in Greece. Work ethic behind the world-class defence will be the name of the game this weekend. Olympiacos allowed its opponents the lowest average performance index rating and two-point shooting accuracy, fewest assists and second-fewest points this season.
Fenerbahce Istanbul
Fenerbahce will be desperate to end the peculiar Basketball oddity that has seen no Turkish club ever win the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. While an outsider in the title elite, progress over the last few seasons means the current Turkish champions are certainly now among the best teams on the continent. To get here, the club finished fifth on an 18-12 record before sweeping aside Panathinaikos in the Play-Offs.
It is worth remembering that Fenerbahce has been to the last two Final Four events (including runner-up last year) so is no stranger to the big occasion. There is also the not so small fact that this season’s Final Four is being held in Istanbul’s Sinan Erdem Dome. No, this is not Fener’s home floor, but it was previously and being in its home city could help the club.