By Kostas Giataganas/ info@eurohoops.net
Anadolu Efes and FC Barcelona Lassa will square off on Wednesday at Istanbul for a spot in the 2019 EuroLeague Final Four. The last game of the current postseason will be the tenth Game 5 of Europe’s premier competition during the past ten years. Eurohoops takes a stroll down the memory lane and reminds that the home side won all of the nine previous Game 5 contests.
2008/2009
Barcelona – Tau Ceramica 78-62
Barcelona started off with the home-court advantage, but lost it and Game 1 and regained it in Game 4. Xavi Pascual’s side finished off Tau Ceramica in Game 5 with a 78-62 victory. Juan Carlos Navarro and Ersan Ilyasova dropped 19 points apiece leading their team to the Berlin Final Four.
2010/2011
Real Madrid – Valencia 66-58
The exciting series between Real Madrid and Valencia started with the Whites going up 1-0. After suffering defeat at home, Real retook the lead winning Game 3, but eventually everything came down to the deciding Game 5. A 66-58 win behind Carlos Suarez’s and Clay Tucker’s 12 points was enough for the return to the Final Four after a long 15 years.
2011/2012
Panathinaikos – Maccabi Tel Aviv 86-85
The European Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers matchup was in top form in 2012 with the best-of-five series between Panathinaikos and Maccabi Tel Aviv. The Greens went up 1-0 at home, lost Game 2 in overtime and fell behind 2-1, before knotting the series at two a piece with an overtime victory. Dimitris Diamantidis poured 25 points in Game 5 leading his team to the 86-85 win and to its last Final Four appearance.
2012/2013
Olympiacos – Anadolu Efes 82-72
Coming off its second EuroLeague championship, Olympiacos needed five matches to eliminate Anadolu Efes and secure a Final Four spot. The Reds won the two first contests at home and lost the next two at Turkey. Game 5 extended the home teams’ absolute domination with an 82-72 victory. Vassilis Spanoulis scored 19 points and Giorgos Printezis added 15, before their side completed the back-to-back at London.
2012/2013
Barcelona – Panathinaikos 64-53
The thrilling 2013 series between Barcelona and Panathinaikos began with a tough win for the Spanish side. The Greek team emerged victorious in Game 2 and later went up 2-1, but Barca drew back home-court advantage winning Game 4. Juan Carlos Navarro dropped 15 points in Game 5 leading his team to the 64-53 victory.
2013/2014
Real Madrid – Olympiacos 83-69
A tough 2014 series between Real Madrid and Olympiacos started off with a pair of home victories for the Spanish side, before the Reds responded with two wins of their own. An 83-69 Game 5 win sent the Whites to the Final Four with Sergio Llull scoring 20 points and Rudy Fernandez and Felipe Reyes adding 15 each.
2013/2014
CSKA Moscow – Panathinaikos 74-44
CSKA Moscow needed overtime in Game 1 and ultimately a 74-44 Game 5 win against Panathinaikos to advance to the Final Four in 2014. The Russian club went up 2-0, but dropped Game 3 and Game 4 at Athens. The comfortable victory in Game 5 made the difference in its favor with Sasha Kaun scoring 18 points.