MACCABI ELITE 77-91 CSKA MOSCOW
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CSKA Moscow wrote another chapter in its illustrious Euroleague Basketball history by defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv 77-91 on Sunday night for the 2008 Euroleague title – its sixth continental championship crown and second in the past three years. CSKA's victory over Maccabi at the Community of Madrid Sports Palace in the Spanish capital moves the Russian powerhouse into second place on the all-time list behind only Real Madrid's eight crowns. Trajan Langdon was named Final Four MVP after posting 21 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting and 7 rebounds to lead six CSKA scorers in double figures in victory. J.R. Holden added 14 points, Matjaz Smodis, David Andersen and freshly crowned Euroleague MVP Ramunas Siskauskas scored 13 points apiece and Theo Papaloukas added 12 to give the Russian champs another title to add to their trophies from 1961, 1963, 1969, 1971 and 2006. CSKA also defeated Maccabi in the 2006 final in Prague. Head coach Ettore Messina, who before the game announced that he had re-signed for another season in Moscow, won his fourth Euroleague title, moving into a tie for second place all-time with legends Pedro Ferrandiz, Alexander Gomelskiy and Bozidar Maljkovic, all of whom trail only Zeljko Obradovic of Panathinaikos. The game was a close affair for the first half, which ended with CSKA ahead only 41-42. CSKA started to pull away thanks to its defense in the third quarter and a 0-10 charge to start the fourth settled things early. Will Bynum paced Maccabi with 23 points, Esteban Batista added 14 and Terence Morris 13 in defeat.

His basketball journey began in one famous land of the north, Alaska, and has found glory in another, the Russian capital of Moscow. In between, CSKA Moscow guard Trajan Langdon has played the sport at the highest levels possible. His professional career hit a peak on May 4 with CSKA's second Euroleague title in three seasons after a Final Four in which he was voted MVP and named to the All-Euroleague First Team. Langdon, who turns 32 this week, has found his niche on the other side of the world from where he started, although on occasion, as he says in this Euroleague.net interview, he has gotten closer to home than even he expected. "Vladivostok is on the water, and looking out across it I realized that Alaska was probably a two- or three-hour flight away, which is a crazy way to come all around the world," Langdon told Euroleague.net "And it did enter my mind that some of the experiences I have had, using basketball as a tool and as a guide, are really unbelievable...If I would have stayed in the NBA, there is no way I would have been able to experience the things I have been able to. Coming to Europe has been an eye-opener and will always be an experience I will never forget."

Trajan, just a few days removed from winning it, what sticks out in your mind about CSKA's second Euroleague title in three years?

"I'd say that the title we won a couple of years ago was unexpected by a lot of people. I think we were the only ones in Europe who believed we could win the Final Four in Prague. Especially after David Andersen was hurt early that season, a lot of people counted us out. We snuck up on people because they didn't expect our team to stay strong without him. This year, by comparison, we were one of the favorites the whole year, and that takes more of a toll sometimes. That kind of pressure, combined with some injures we had, meant we had to really come together as a team. We had some ups and downs, but to be able to stick with it and win in the end has been a great feeling."

One of the reasons you guys won is a kind of team confidence with supreme confidence, but did you ever have a doubt at any step along the way this season?

"Obviously, there are times in any season when you have ups and downs and as a team do not play your best basketball. But we knew that if we stayed together and played good team basketball, we'd have the chance to beat anyone. We just tried do that, stay together as team, and all of us believed that by doing that we would have that chance to win in it all. And we were able to accomplish that as the season went along."

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