February 10, 2012
Wednesday, April 29, 2009


Nikola Pekovic - Panathinaikos arrives to Berlin - Final Four Berlin 2009After the champions from CSKA came a day early, the other three Final Four teams landed in Berlin in quick succession on Wednesday night. Olympiacos was first, arriving early in the evening to its hotel as all the players climbed off the bus wearing special new Final Four warmups the team had made for the event. For the three players who have been to previous Final Fours and won a few between them - Nikola Vujcic, Theo Papaloukas and Yotam Halperin - it was a little different in that they were wearing new team colors and their team is staying in its own hotel this time. They were all smiles and handshakes. "It's good to be here again," Vujcic said. "It's always fun." Panathinaikos, which arrived from Athens shortly after, was also at its own hotel, and made a quick group check-in before settling in for the weekend. Last but not least, Regal FC Barcelona came at almost midnight, but looked not the least bit tired as the players joked among themselves while heading straight into a team meal. The weekend will be busy for all four teams, starting early on Thursday, when a several players from each team make a hospital visit to cancer-stricken children in Berlin. Soon after, the official press conference brings together the head coaches of each team and stars Papaloukas, Juan Carlos Navarro of Barcelona, Ramunas Siskauskas of CSKA and Sarunas Jasikevicius of Panathinaikos. Then, later Thursday, every team will take in official practices at o2 World, the shining new Final Four venue.

POSTED BY: FRANK LAWLOR, Berlin on Wednesday, April 30 @ 0:10 am


EB4LIFEThe very first official event of the 2009 Final Four is among the most special of them all this weekend. A dozen Euroleague players, including at least two from each Final Four team, will take time out from their preparations for Friday's semifinals to brighten the day for some of the neediest young people in Germany. As part of the Euroleague for Life, the community responsibility program of Euroleague Basketball, the star players will visit the Children's Cancer Station at Virchow Hospital in Berlin on Thursday morning. They will be joined also by a pair of local legends, Ademola Okulaja and Patrick Femerling of Alba Berlin. The visit to the children at Virchow Hospital is particularly special for Okulaja, himself is a cancer patient who has made his own effort to help the Children's Cancer Station. Thursday's visit continues an ongoing tradition of Euroleague stars making community connections part of the Final Four experience. Their enthusiastic cooperation brought smiles to children at an Athens hospital two years ago and to wheelchair basketball players last spring in Madrid, and they will surely do the same on Thursday. With the help of Nike, which will distribute gifts to the children, the Euroleague clubs and players will make Euroleague for Life the most appropriate calling card to start a weekend full of fellowship in the European basketball family.

POSTED BY: FRANKIE SACHS, Berlin on Wednesday, April 29 @ 20:10 pm



NIKE INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR TOURNAMENTOne of the main events around the Final Four is of course the Euroleague Basketball Nike International Junior Tournament. A long name for a great event that Euroleague Basketball has organized at every Final Four since 2003. Everything is ready at the Velodrom in Berlin for what already is a signature event in European basketball. Six of the teams - including defending champion FMP - advanced to the event through qualifying tournaments while two others - Union Olimpija and Alba Berlin - received wild cards to participate. All the teams are here in Berlin already except for Olimpija and La Caja de Canarias Gran Canaria, who will land later Wednesday. The big news so far is that Lietuvos Rytas - arguably one of the Nike IJT favorites - made a couple of last-minute additions, Giedrius Staniulis and Saulius Kulvietis, from rival Zalgiris of all places! One of the youngest players in the competition, Nenad Miljenovic, is the matter of a friendly bet between our man Vladimir Stankovic - arguably the biggest expert in Serbian basketball - and legendary coach Dusan Ivkovic. Vlady says that Miljenovic, who turned 16 last month and will play at the Nike IJT despite being a cadet, will play at the 2012 Olympic Games with Serbia. Ivkovic, currently the Serbian national team head coach, says otherwise. Time will tell. Scouts from all over the world will attend the tournament and we of course will cover the event inside out!

POSTED BY: JAVIER GANCEDO, Berlin on Wednesday, April 29 @ 18:29 pm



Preparations at O2 World, Video Wall - Final Four Berlin 2009
On Wednesday afternoon with one team already in Berlin and the other three hours from landing, a fifth major player in the 2009 Euroleague Basketball Final Four was also getting its game face on. The state-of-the-art o2 World, host of this Final Four, had the finishing touches put on it Wednesday in anticipation of the first full day of action inside on Thursday. From the laying of the Euroleague logos on the court to the final programming and hoisting above of the scoreboard inside to the final security checks outside, everything at the o2 World was checked and double checked to help make sure that this Final Four is smooth behind the scenes to allow for great basketball action on the court. On Thursday the arena will already be at center stage with the opening press conference and practice sessions for all four teams.

POSTED BY: FRANKIE SACHS, Berlin on Thursday, April 29 @ 16:33 pm

Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Euroleague.net
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SCHEDULE
SEMIFINALS, May 1:
Regal FCB 78-82 CSKA Moscow
Olympiacos 82-84 Panathinaikos
3RD PLACE, May 3:
Olympiacos 79-95 Regal FCB
FINAL, May 3:
Panathinaikos 73-71 CSKA Moscow

FINAL FOUR TEAMS

DEVOTION

2008-09 ALL-EL TEAM, MVP
Jordi Bertomeu, Juan Carlos Navarro

FINAL FOUR SLIDE SHOW
Vassilis Spanoulis - Panathinaikos - Final Four Berlin 2009