For Barcelona and coach Jasikevicius, this will be the third EuroLeague Final Four in a row. Up to this point, Barca has been almost perfect and showed impressive consistency. Will this be the right year for the Catalan club to finally win the EuroLeague title?
In May 2010, when FC Barcelona won their last EuroLeague title, Juan Carlos Navarro, currently the sporting director of the Catalan side, was the star of the team coached by Xavi Pascual.
It was during that Paris Final Four that Barcelona celebrated their second EuroLeague title ever after winning the first one in 2003 against Benetton Treviso.
Since that 2010 victory, many things have changed. Barcelona returned to the Final Four five other times but never won another EuroLeague title.
Sarunas Jasikevicius, the current head coach of Barcelona, joined the club in 2020 and, since his arrival, has led his team to three straight EuroLeague Final Four.
This year, he'll have the opportunity to win his first EuroLeague title as a coach in his hometown, Kaunas. A special feeling for the head coach, who has always remained extremely connected to the city of Kaunas and Zalgiris.
In 2021, Barcelona lost in the final against Anadolu Efes, and the following year, in Belgrade, they surrendered to Real Madrid in the semifinal.
In both seasons, Barcelona finished the regular season in the first place. This season they finished the regular season in second place and were the only team in the playoffs to win the series without giving up a single game.
Over the weekend, Jasikevicius' team also secured first place in the ACB, knowing they'll have the home-court advantage for the entire post-season.
Entering Final Four week seems the right time to see if this could be the year for Barcelona's return to victory.
One of the first things to notice in Barcelona this season is
