By Lefteris Moutis / moutis@eurohoops.net
Gran Canaria and Khimki advanced to the Eurocup finals confirming once again the history of the institution that dictates that this title is usually a Spanish-Russian affair. The Turks didn’t make it this year either!
From the start of the season Khimki was one of the favorites in the competition to make it through all the way to the end of the road. Just like UNICS, who didn’t make it. Just like Lokomotiv Kuban who got knocked out early on, despite having set high standards for themselves… Do all these teams have something in common? They’re all from Russia! The nation that has celebrated three out of the four last Eurocup titles and that was again represented in the final last year.
Something similar is happening with Spain too, who celebrated the cup last year with Valencia, while the three years before that her teams reached the final. This year, then, will be the fifth consecutive season where we are going to see a final with two teams from these two particular countries. In previous years the situation was a bit different but it was still the Spaniards and the Russians who dominated.
What are the reasons for this? But of course the money that is invested in these two countries and from teams that are not established powers but compete regularly in the Euroleague.
What’s strange though, is that Turkey is missing from the list, since no team from this particular country has even competed in the competition’s final since 2002-03 onwards, when they established themselves.
This year Banvit got close but didn’t make it. Just like Galatasaray and Besiktas these past years. However, this wound for Turkey remains open, because it is through this route that they could earn yet another spot in the groups of the Euroleague.
All the participations until last season
| Country | Titles | Finalists | In total |
| Spain | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| Russia | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Lithuania | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Israel | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Greece | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Slovenia | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Germany | 0 | 1 | 1 |