53-year-old Joan Penarroya is expected to take over the Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz head coaching position after this season, sources say BasketNews.

Anadolu Efes players stormed the official EuroLeague press conference and showered their coach Ergin Ataman and the consecutive Final Four MVP Vasilije Micic.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul defended their champion's title, becoming the third EuroLeague team to win the back-to-back titles.

One EuroLeague final participant might reach a very rare milestone in today's basketball.

Will we witness The Last Dance for Anadolu Efes in the upcoming EuroLeague final? Ergin Ataman and Vasilije Micic discussed the future of the Istanbul powerhouse with BasketNews.

Vasilije Micic is on a mission in Belgrade. But Anadolu Efes point guard's game-winner in the semifinal drama again kept us wondering how long the EuroLeague fans will enjoy his talent in Europe.

Vincent Poirier gave BasketNews a French language lesson after an incredible Final Four win against Barcelona.

At the same time, three Frenchmen delivered an excellent basketball lecture for Barcelona and all the EuroLeague fans that night.

The passion, intensity, clutchness, and character were focal points of that class, which took Real Madrid to the EuroLeague final 86-83.

"Venez, on leur marche dessus!" In French, it means something like, "Come on, let's walk them over!"

That probably was said when Real started a remarkable EuroLeague title theft.

Barcelona were up by 11 with 5:19 to play in the third quarter (54-43). But Fabien Causeur scored 5 points in a row and sparked the Royal club to a 17-2 run. An experienced guard put his team in front before the decisive quarter, 60-56.

Three French players, Fabien Causeur, Vincent Poirier, and Guerschon Yabusele, scored or assisted in all 17 Real points in that stretch.

Causeur scored seven during that run, 9 in total for the third quarter, to turn the game around.

"We lost Nigel Williams-Goss very early, so I knew that our rotation would be limited. Adam Hanga got quick fouls in the third too, so I told myself I have to be aggressive," Causeur explained.

"I wasn't aggressive enough in the first half. I watched how the game would go, and if [the moment] would come, I'd start going. But it wasn't coming, so I had to get it," he continued.

Yabusele joined him, matching his career-high four 3-pointers to go for 18 points. And these were really tough shots, that required skill and guts.

Vincent Poirier brought his signature energy on the court, which translated into blocks, offensive rebounds, putbacks, and two powerful dunks that destroyed Barca's confidence in the last minutes of the game.

He went scoreless in the first half and finished the game with 6 points, five rebounds (2 ORB), and three blocks.

And when Barcelona returned to the game behind a couple of Nicolas Laprovittola threes with 2:43 to play (75-75), the unofficial 2018 Final Four MVP showed up.

FC Barcelona head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius didn't hide his disappointment after the Final Four loss to Real Madrid 83-86.

Ergin Ataman continues dreaming, leading Anadolu Efes to the third consecutive EuroLeague final.

This time he made it to the title game in front of the NBA legend Gregg Popovich, beating Olympiacos Piraeus 77-74.

The reigning champions' coach used this chance to make a joke about his NBA career opportunities.

"For me, it's a great pleasure that he's here and watching the games. He's a legend of our basketball history," Ataman started.

"Maybe after three consecutive final appearances, he thinks that let's take one European coach to the NBA and help me go to the NBA," Ataman laughed.

"He's a good friend of mine. He helped me a lot four years ago when I went to San Antonio. I stayed ten days with him. He's an amazing person," Ataman concluded.

Vasilije Micic was clearly in pain after every shot he made during the EuroLeague semifinal against Olympiacos.

He wasn't 100% ready for the final due to an ankle injury, and Shaquille McKissic hit early in the game didn't help either.

But that was Micic who left all Olympiacos family in pain with his game-winner 77-74.

Micic finished the game with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists and boosted Anadolu Efes Istanbul to the third consecutive EuroLeague final.

"I repeat many times the same story, and I'm pleased to repeat it once again. In this case, it is a beautiful story that we won today in front of an amazing atmosphere. An amazing achievement for us considering all the problems that we had, including injuries," the hero of the game said.

"I'm very happy for my teammates because we didn't give up until the last second, we stayed calm and finished the game," Micic added.

Real Madrid combo guard Fabien Causeur smiled when asked if he ever had a conversation with Luka Doncic that he owes him the MVP award.

"It's not that! But we joked about it," one of the best French guards said.

In the 2018 EuroLeague final, Causeur led Real in scoring (17 PTS) and efficiency (21 PIR) to beat Fenerbahce Istanbul 85-80.

However, the EuroLeague media decided to give the MVP award to a teenager who had just turned 19 two months before the title game. Doncic had 15 points, four assists, and 17 PIR that night.

"Of course, he played a great tournament, and I played a great tournament. But I was so happy just to get the title as a team. It's not about individual awards. If you get the MVP award, it's a cherry on the cake. But we just joked about it, and he deserved it," Causeur continued.

They had plenty of opportunities to joke about it since Causeur and Doncic were roommates that year.

They also shared the same room in Belgrade before the last EuroLeague game for Luka Doncic.

Causeur was a six-year EuroLeague veteran at the age of 30 back then. But he still couldn't calm down before the big game against Fenerbahce.

"Before the final, I couldn't sleep. It was 2:00 at night, and I couldn't sleep," Causeur told a funny story to BasketNews. "But Luka was sleeping all the time. He was snoring on the side like there was no pressure at all."

"For him, it was just another game. The kid was special, I'm telling you," Causeur added.

One of the essential pieces of the last year's Anadolu Efes title run, Krunoslav Simon, won't be able to help to retain the title on the court. Apparently, he played his last game for Anadolu Efes.

A 36-year-old Croatian confirmed to BasketNews that he injured his knee in the last practice before Belgrade and won't be able to return to the floor this season.

"I'm out for the season. This is the late part of the season, so it's impossible to come back in less than one month," Simon confirmed.

"It was a season with lots of ups and downs. We had a lot of problems. I had a lot of problems. I wasn't injured for 19 years, so all these injuries came in the same year," Simon, who averaged 6.9 points this year, told BasketNews.

"I found myself in this situation for the first time. It's uncomfortable, but it's sports. You have to be prepared for that. I'm here to support my team to help win the title," Simon added.

Simon, who's on an expiring contract, also confirmed he's returning home after this season.

"It's 90% that I will be back home after this season," Simon said to BasketNews.

"I'm homesick, and my kids will start school. Even after these injuries, I think I have a few more years, and I will continue to play. It's too early to say where, but I think I will play a few more years," Kruno explained.

According to BasketNews sources, Cibona Zagreb is one of the likely career destinations for Simon.

The veteran also confirmed that he's not thinking about coaching after his career.

"This is not my ambition. I don't want to continue with all these trips and the life I'm going through now. I hope I will stay in sports, but not in a coaching position," Simon added.

In 2014 Olympiacos fans required Georgios Bartzokas' resignation next to Peace and Friendship Stadium after a domestic cup loss to Panathinaikos.

Olympiacos were on a bad stretch, and fans blamed their head coach.

Bartzokas, a die-hard Olympiacos fan since childhood, didn't want to hurt his team and left.

Eight years later, he's in the Final Four with Olympiacos and the best coach of the year award in his hands, waiting for the army of Reds fans to boost them for the title race.

His peers selected Georgios Bartzokas as the best coach of the 2021-22 EuroLeague season on the eve of the Final Four.

Asked by BasketNews about his journey through hate and love in Piraeus, Bartzokas emphasized the team effort first.

"Honestly, I don't want to talk about myself. It's a team effort. We're here all together. Our fans, our presidents. We represent our city and our club. We're all together fighting for this goal," Bartzokas said in the official Final Four press conference.

"Everybody knows in Greece that I'm an Olympiacos fan, and I know exactly what Olympiacos means. It means passion, but sometimes extreme feelings in a good or a bad way," Bartzokas smiled. "Right now, we're in a good way, but you never know what life brings to us. I'm just happy for the moment."

When Pablo Laso won the EuroLeague last time, he had Luka Doncic at his disposal.

Laso is in Belgrade with Real Madrid again to win his first EuroLeague title in four years.

But the difference is that Doncic is on a different campaign now, fighting for the NBA title with the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals.

NBA people doubted Doncic despite winning the EuroLeague season and Final Four MVP awards in 2018.

But once again, his former coach in Madrid Pablo Laso said he didn't have any doubts on Luka's success in the NBA.

He also explained what made Luka so good.

"Luka has been a great player since he came to Madrid at age of 13. But he was a great person from that day. That makes him so big," Laso started.

"When people talk about NBA and how he was going to play there, I didn't have any doubts. No doubts that he's going to play good. Probably the best thing that he has as a person and as a player is that he's able to adjust to any situation. That's something you have as a person. And Luka has it. I'm very happy for him. I wish him luck for sure."

EuroLeague Final Four participants are finally here in Belgrade. BasketNews share the most thrilling moments of team arrivals on Tuesday night.

"We've arrived in a thunderstorm. We will depart with the cup in a thunderstorm," Ergin Ataman threw another bold statement entering the hotel in Belgrade that hosts all Final Four participants.

Ataman, who had his son Sarp in the hotel next to him, was more reserved giving an interview to EuroLeague TV.

"Now it's time to be calm. So far, we played great, and I made great announcements," Ataman smiled. "Four, three, now two, but we have to think about Olympiacos now with all the respect."

"Ajde, Doncic," the Nikola Tesla's airport staff member made way for BasketNews daily editor when he noticed him wearing Luka Doncic jerseys.

On his way to the Final Four city, Edvinas Jablonskis saluted Doncic's spectacle in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals vs. the Phoenix Suns, where Luka went off for another remarkable 35-point performance.

But Doncic's name also has another meaning for the upcoming EuroLeague fiesta in the Serbian capital.

Apparently, Doncic played his last EuroLeague game in the previous Final Four that Belgrade hosted in 2018.

He left the EuroLeague floor in style as the EuroLeague champion, the Final Four MVP, and the season 2017-18 MVP.

On top of that, he made history, becoming the youngest EuroLeague season and Final Four MVP at the age of 19.

If you still want to experience the Final Four in Belgrade, prepare to pony up some cash.

"The prices are even higher than for the New Year's Eve," the Airbnb host told the BasketNews crew during the check-in.

In some particular cases, one night's stay for the standard Saturday night compared to the Final Four weekend could rise from €88 to €647. In most cases, the prices go up 4-7 times.

Most of the hotels offer the last available rooms for this week.

Moreover, the upcoming EuroLeague Final Four in Belgrade affected the ABA League playoffs in a way no one expected.

The pricing alone is not the only problem for ABA League teams - there are simply no physical rooms or hotels left where visiting teams could stay.

That's mainly because the entire Belgrade is packed with EuroLeague representatives and fans who came for the biggest event of the European basketball season.

Buducnost Podgorica and Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana forced ABA League Game 3 against Partizan and Crvena Zvezda in the best of three series.

These do-or-die games are expected to be played after the EuroLeague Final Four, sources say BasketNews.

According to sources, Partizan is expected to host Buducnost Podgorica on Sunday, and Crvena Zvezda should host Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana on Monday.

Belgrade will be colored in red this week. 

According to Giorgos Kyriakidis, Olympiacos Piraeus could see up to 10,000 - or even more- of their fans cheer for them in the Stark Arena, where the allowed capacity will be around 15,500.

One of the top names of the upcoming EuroLeague free agency Tornike Shengelia is seeking the NBA return, sources say BasketNews.

Shengelia was linked with FC Barcelona and Virtus Bologna in the last couple of months.

But according to sources, all the talks and interest from several EuroLeague clubs are on hold since his main goal is the NBA.

Shengelia, 30, was the No. 54 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. 

In 45 games with the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls from 2012 to 2014, Shengelia averaged 1.3 points and 0.9 rebounds in 5.5 minutes.

In March, 2.06 m Shengelia signed with Virtus Bologna until the end of the season.

In 8 EuroCup games, Shengelia averaged 8.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 12 PIR.

Shengelia became the EuroCup champion last week. His 15-point performance boosted Virtus to a decisive semifinal victory vs. Valencia 83-73.

Previously, Shengelia averaged 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 14.1 PIR for CSKA Moscow this EuroLeague season.