Real Madrid became the first team to punch its ticket for the Final-4 in Belgrade, which will take place between 19th and 21st of May. Madrid dominated the quarter-final best-of-five series vs Maccabi Tel Aviv despite entering the postseason with several issues.
Los Blancos will seek their 11th EuroLeague title and their first since 2018, when a team led by Luka Doncic won it all. The Spanish giants used their size to suffocate Maccabi, which was one of the best offensive teams in the league.
In three games, Maccabi never scored over 80 points, while Madrid was the top team in rebounding and assists in every game. Los Blancos outrebounded Maccabi 38-27. They started by grabbing 10 boards in the first quarter against its opponent’s 3.
They also out-assisted the Israeli giants finishing Tuesday’s contest with 25 assists, dishing 18 of them in the first half. After sweeping Maccabi, Real will play at the Final Four for the 12th time since the format was adopted in 1988.
They will tie their quarter-final opponents for the third-most Final Four appearances in competition history. They have participated in the 8 of the last nine Final-Four of the competition.
“I think defense was the key in the series. I think we were able to shut down Wilbekin and Nunnally, probably their most important players. We knew they are very dangerous,” Pablo Lasso told reporters after Game 3 victory.
Sergio Llull said that he’s happy to see his team achieving one of its goals.
“We are really happy to reach one of our goals at the beginning of the season. The atmosphere was just crazy, it’s amazing to play basketball in this arena,” Llull stated.
“I think we did a great job on offense and on defense. Everybody was really concentrated, so we are really happy.”
Efes sets shooting record in crucial Game 3 victory
Anadolu Efes is known for its ability to dominate its opponents through its incredible offensive talent. They did exactly that in Game 3 to a commanding 2-1 lead in the series vs Olimpia Milano.
The reigning champions shot 80 percent in two-pointers with Micic leading his team with seven makes. The previous record for two-point shooting in a playoff game was set by PAF Bologna against Real Madrid in March 2001. Bologna shot 24 for 31 (77.4%).
Efes was 9 for 27 on threes (33.3%) and did not miss from the foul line in 10 attempts. Milan was 16 for 31 on twos (51.6%), 8 for 29 on threes (27.6%). Vasilije Micic, Shane Larkin and Timbor Pleiss scored more than 16 points in the game.
The Turkish giants will need one more win to clinch their place in the 2022 Final-4 in Belgrade.
“My teammates are all great players;,” Shane Larkin said after Efes win. “We have a bunch of talent on this team. So you have to let them make the plays sometimes. They did a great job today. Big team win. We’re one more away from going back to the Final Four.”
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