FC Barcelona, Armani Milano, Anadolu Efes clinch spot in the 2021 EuroLeague Final Four
FC Barcelona, Armani Milano and Anadolu Efes won their respective series and joined CSKA Moscow in the 2021 EuroLeague Final Four.
The Catalans were unstoppable in Game 5 against Zenit Saint Petersburg and dominated the Russians (79-53).
Leading from start to finish, FC Barcelona cruised to an easy home win and returns to the EuroLeague Final Four for the first time since 2014.
“A club like Barcelona has to be there more times, and this is what we will try to do. We will try to build something here and hopefully, we can make it more years in a row,” head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius told reporters afterwards.
In the first semi-final of the EuroLeague Final Four, FC Barcelona will battle Armani Milano.
Armani survived a late thriller over Bayern Munich and will play in the EuroLeague Final Four for the first time in 29 years (1992).
The Italians led by as many as 17 points in the game, while they had a 12-point lead, with 78 seconds to go (91-79). Yet, the Bavarians fought until the end and had the chance to ”steal” the game (91-89).
But, Kyle Hines blocked Wade Baldwin, Paul Zipser missed the game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer and the hosts stood tall to advance to the EuroLeague Final Four (92-89).
“We’re all super happy. This is what we came here for: to bring a Final Four to Milan. The job’s not finished. We’ve got two more to go, and we’re going to give it our best,” Shavon Shields, who had a EuroLeague career-high 34 points for Armani, said.
Anadolu Efes stood tall at Sinan Erdem Dome and edged Real Madrid at home (88-83) to secure its spot in the 2021 EuroLeague Final Four.
The “Whites” came back from a 12-point deficit (57-45) to tie the game at 80, with a minute to go.
Krunoslav Simon broke the tie with a desperation three-pointer, with 38.6 seconds remaining, and Sergio Llull missed from downtown on the next possession.
Chris Singleton, who tied his career high with 26 points and eight rebounds, sealed the deal for the hosts from the free-throw line.
“We will fight for the title that we think we deserved the last two years. Now we will see what is going on in the Final Four, but I am very happy, very proud of my players that we will have this chance to fight one more time in the Final Four for the title,” Efes head coach Ergin Ataman said, via the official website of the EuroLeague.
Efes will now face CSKA Moscow, which has already advanced to the EuroLeague Final Four. This will be a rematch of the 2019 EuroLeague Championship Game in Vitoria.