All out for 'la Undécima'
Real Madrid go in search of the Euroleague title this evening against Olympiacos (7:00pm CEST).
Just one last effort to in the quest for glory. Real Madrid will be looking to lift their eleventh European Cup at the Zalgirio Arena in Kaunas and continue to add to the best trophy cabinet in the competition. They face Olympiacos for the fourth time in a final of the top continental competition and will try to repeat the victories of 1995 and 2015 to be crowned as the best team in Europe once again.
Madrid are back in the title race just one year later. In Belgrade they came within a point in a final in which they were unlucky in the final seconds. But our team does not give up and its winning mentality has led it to another chance to lift the Euroleague. We are in one of the best moments of the season, with a streak of eight consecutive victories since 30 April. Since then, we have had a perfect May. We could not face a tougher opponent: Olympiacos, who finished first in the Regular Season and is the most competitive team in Europe next to ours.
Madrid are back in the title race just one year later. In Belgrade they came within a point in a final in which they were unlucky in the final seconds. But our team does not give up and its winning mentality has led it to another chance to lift the Euroleague. We are in one of the best moments of the season, with a streak of eight consecutive victories since 30 April. Since then, we have had a perfect May. We could not face a tougher opponent: Olympiacos, who finished first in the Regular Season and is the most competitive team in Europe next to ours.
It will be Madrid's 20th final in the competition; the sixth in the last 10 years with two titles to their name Madrid 2015 and Belgrade 2018. We already know what it's like to beat the Greek side in a big game for the title. As we have done it twice already: in 1995 in Zaragoza, with Sabonis at the helm 73-61, and in Madrid 2015 78-59, with that legendary team that ended up making history by winning the trophy. For Olympiacos, it will be their ninth appearance in a final, having won three of them 1997, 2012 and 2013. The last one, precisely against us in London 100-88.
Final Four in Kaunas
The Greeks were the first finalists after beating Monaco 76-62. But it was not easy for them, as they had to come back from a 12-point deficit in the second half. Papanikolaou and Euroleague MVP Vezenkov led their team. They are a very balanced team, with a lot of physical strength and they play at the pace set by Walkup and Sloukas. We beat Barça in the other semi-final in a game in which we outplayed them once again. We also came back from nine points down with a 42-24 run in the second half, with Tavares at his most dominant. The Cape Verdean had a phenomenal game tallying 20 points, 15 rebounds, 4 blocks and 39 in index rating, the best performance ever by a Madrid player in a Final Four game.
Some big names
But we have more than just our centre. This group of players, led by Llull, Sergio Rodríguez and Rudy, knows no limits and the greater the adversity, the more they grow. Today will be the big test. Forty minutes separate us from continuing to make history. As Chus Mateo said before the game: "We are going to do our utmost to be champions." Of that there is no doubt.
Final Four in Kaunas
The Greeks were the first finalists after beating Monaco 76-62. But it was not easy for them, as they had to come back from a 12-point deficit in the second half. Papanikolaou and Euroleague MVP Vezenkov led their team. They are a very balanced team, with a lot of physical strength and they play at the pace set by Walkup and Sloukas. We beat Barça in the other semi-final in a game in which we outplayed them once again. We also came back from nine points down with a 42-24 run in the second half, with Tavares at his most dominant. The Cape Verdean had a phenomenal game tallying 20 points, 15 rebounds, 4 blocks and 39 in index rating, the best performance ever by a Madrid player in a Final Four game.
Some big names
But we have more than just our centre. This group of players, led by Llull, Sergio Rodríguez and Rudy, knows no limits and the greater the adversity, the more they grow. Today will be the big test. Forty minutes separate us from continuing to make history. As Chus Mateo said before the game: "We are going to do our utmost to be champions." Of that there is no doubt.