By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Game 1 of the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup Finals is in the books with Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv taking advantage of home-court advantage to beat Gran Canaria 74-65 and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.
Gran Canaria will now fight in a do-or-die battle at home this Friday night to force a return to Samokov, Bulgaria and a Game 3. Hapoel, on the other hand, has a chance to finish the series on the road and celebrate not only the first EuroCup title in club history but also book a precious spot in the 2025-26 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.
Ahead of this big clash, we’ve taken a look at some of the most memorable games in the history of the EuroCup Finals.
ALBA Berlin vs. Valencia, 95-92 in overtime: Game 2 of the 2019 Finals
In a series that was a rematch of the 2010 championship game, ALBA Berlin hosted Valencia and was down 0-1 in the series after suffering an 89-75 defeat in Spain.
Game 2 was a very close and tight battle for the large part of the game. After trailing for most of the second half, Valencia took a 66-71 lead with four minutes remaining.
ALBA was 81-83 behind with 11 seconds left but on the next offense, Peyton Siva drove to the basket to force overtime. His team opened the extra period with a 6-0 run and remained ahead to tie the series.
Valencia vs. ALBA Berlin, 89-63: Game 3 of the 2019 Finals
As thrilling as Game 2 of the series was, Valencia’s dominance in Game 3 couldn’t be denied. Las Taronjas imposed their will with a 29-15 second quarter to take a 46-33 lead into halftime. From there, they never looked back as they cruised to the win and lifted their fourth EuroCup title.
It was a particularly strong offensive performance for Valencia, which went 13 for 25 on three-pointers and dished 25 assists, operating with machine-like efficiency.
Gran Canaria vs. Khimki Moscow, 66-91: Game 1 of the 2015 two-legged Finals
Khimki Moscow was widely considered to be the favorite entering the 2015 Finals against Gran Canaria, but perhaps even their most optimistic fans couldn’t have expected this.
In one of the most phenomenal fourth-quarter performances in the history of the EuroCup Finals, Khimki outscored Gran Canaria 32-12 in the last 10 minutes to not only get the win but to dominate and turn Game 2 into pretty much a formality. The final 25-point advantage was a testament to the superiority of the squad led by Tyrese Rice, Petteri Koponen, Paul Davis and co., who also prevailed easily 83-64 at home to claim the title.
Finals MVP Rice celebrated his second consecutive European championship after winning the 2014 EuroLeague with Maccabi Tel Aviv and being the Final Four MVP.
UNICS Kazan vs. AS Monaco, 83-86: Game 2 of the 2021 best-of-three Finals
AS Monaco had taken a narrow 89-87 victory in Game 1 thanks to three free throws by Marcos Knight and Rob Gray in the last minute. UNICS rightfully felt that it would have things under control at home and that it had shown that it has the capacity to win in the Principality.
Game 2 was even more of a rollercoaster with some ups and downs for both teams, multiple runs and several lead changes. Season MVP Jamar Smith drained the long-range jumper to put UNICS 83-81 ahead with 15 seconds remaining, but J.J. O’ Brien responded with a tough three-point play and Knight then increased Monaco’s advantage to 83-86.
A doubled-teamed Smith was off target with his contested three-point attempt at the buzzer, which allowed Monaco to make history by claiming its first-ever continental title.
Galatasaray vs. Strasbourg, 78-67: Game 2 of the 2016 two-legged Finals
Both Galatasaray and Strasbourg were making history entering the 2016 EuroCup Finals since neither of them had previously made it that far in the competition.
Strasbourg, widely considered to be the underdog in the series, managed to edge Galatasaray 66-62 in Game 1. While Turkish side seemed to be erasing that margin from the get-go in Game 2, leading 27-16 in the first quarter, Strasbourg came back and showed it wouldn’t go down that easily.
With the score 61-56 in the beginning of the fourth period and everything open, Errick McCollum and Stephane Lasme took over by putting Galatasaray 73-60 ahead with four minutes remaining. This lead proved to be decisive as the hosts went on to claim the title and coach Ergin Ataman plentifully displayed his iconic raised fists inside Abdi Ipekci Arena.
Valencia vs. Unicaja Malaga, 58-63: Game 3 of the 2017 best-of-three Finals
Valencia may have had overall the best record going into the 2017 Finals, including a 6-0 spree in the Top 16 with a sweep over Unicaja Malaga. Yet the Andalusian side was a stout and battle-hardened team, having beaten FC Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals and Lokomotiv Kuban in the semifinals despite lacking home-court advantage.
This mettle and ability to win on the road proved to be a prelude for greater things to come.
Unicaja was trailing 56-43 early in the fourth period but went on to absolutely dismantle Valencia with a crazy 18-0 run in less than eight minutes, turning everything upside down. Joan Plaza’s side held on in crunch time to get the win and the title.
The image of Plaza with the EuroCup trophy by his side in the Unicaja locker room became one of the most iconic photos in the history of the competition.