Fresh off Belgrade, Real Madrid took a step in overcoming the frustration from the lost Final Four final to Anadolu Efes by taking down BAXI Manresa 93-76 (21-14, 27-15, 23-20, 22-27) in the first game for the Spanish ACB playoff quarter-finals. 

One of the strangest and most awkward situations in the recent history of Real Madrid  has finally been clarified, as Jaycee Carroll is retiring and the Spanish club will pay him a tribute on a date yet to be determined.

Real Madrid have reached an agreement with Mario Hezonja, according to Marca.

Real Madrid guard Sergio Llull became the all-time leader in assists at the EuroLeague Final Four over the weekend in Belgrade.

According to El Mundo Deportivo, 35-year-old point guard Sergio Rodriguez will sign a 1+1 contract with Real Madrid, where he played for six years, from 2010 until 2016.

Real Madrid's decision not to make a foul in order for them to have the last possession is a dominating topic after EuroLeague's final game.

Real Madrid missed the opportunity to raise the EuroLeague trophy for the 11th time during the club's history, as they bowed down to defending champs Anadolu Efes Istanbul, 57-58.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul won a clash for all the EuroLeague glory at Belgrade's Stark Arena and got their back-to-back title by taking down Real Madrid, 58-57 (14-15, 15-19, 11-8, 18-15).

After helping his team defeat its arch-rival FC Barcelona in the EuroLeague semifinal, Sergio Llull has a chance to go down in history books in the final.

Real Madrid have the chance to further cement their legendary status as the winningest club in Europe.

Although Real Madrid won a clutch game against FC Barcelona in the EuroLeague semifinal, the team lost one of its main players along the way.

FC Barcelona squandered the chance to win the EuroLeague second year in a row after losing against Real Madrid in the semifinal.

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.

Nigel Williams-Goss suffered an injury in the first minute of the game, Real Madrid were trailing by 11 points at halftime in the semifinal game against their fierce rival FC Barcelona, and things were looking pretty grim for Los Blancos.

Fabien Causeur was also far from his best, scoring only 2 points and accumulating 2 PIR throughout the first two quarters.

However, the 34-year-old Frenchmen shone the brightest when everyone expected the least. He scored 9 points in the third quarter, becoming the major part in turning Real's 13-point deficit into a 4-point lead before the decisive fourth quarter.

However, Causeur didn't stop there. With 4:34 remaining, Real Madrid were leading 73-66, but then the momentum started to switch. Barcelona answered with a 9-2 run, and after Nikola Mirotic's lay-up, the score became tied at 75-75 with 2:43 left.

That's when Causeur's moment to shine came.

Going into the semifinal against FC Barcelona, Real Madrid had a 5-losing streak against their fierce rivals, but that poor run ended when it mattered the most and punched the ticket into the final.

Real won the nail-biting thriller 86-83, and head coach Pablo Laso was proud of his team and how his players stepped up in a difficult situation.

Real Madrid made their first EuroLeague final since 2018, and despite having most of the players from the 2017-18 season, the Spanish powerhouse will be missing its brightest star Luka Doncic.

Despite that, Laso emphasized the importance of the whole team, not just one player.

"As I said, in that game, I was coaching Real Madrid, not Luka," Laso said in a press conference. "Luka was one of my players, and I'm very happy to watch Luka the way he's playing now."

Real Madrid interrupted this season's FC Barcelona curse by taking down their archrivals, 86-83 (19-19, 15-26, 26-11, 26-27), and advancing to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague final. Ergin Ataman's Anadolu Efes await Real in the ultimate match of the competition.

Real bested Barca in the pre-season Spanish SuperCup, but then lost five straight times: twice in the EuroLeague, twice in the Spanish League, and once in the Spanish Cup final.

It will be the fifth EuroLeague final for Pablo Lasso since 2013. He will seek his third title during this period.

After a superb third quarter, Real did not stop in the decisive tally. Yabusele made a tough three-pointer and Real had plus 7 (73-66) with 4:30 to go. However, Laprovittola drained two triples in a row to cut Barca's deficit to only 2 points (73-75). That was not the end as Mirotic grabbed an offensive board and tied the game at 75 with 2:40 to play.

Though, Causeur drained a three-pointer, stole the ball, converted a fast-break layup and Real were up by 5 (80-75). After a timeout, Calathes and Davies brought Barca within one (79-80) with 1:18 to go.

Although 10 years have passed since he wore the Real Madrid jersey, the legendary Serbian player Novica Velickovic is still a big fan of Los Blancos.

After becoming EuroLeague Rising Star, Velickovic left Partizan Belgrade for Madrid, where he played from 2009 to 2012.

Today, the 35-year-old is retired from professional basketball, and Velickovic expressed his expectations for the EuroLeague Final Four in his homeland.

"It's great for us that F4 is in Belgrade, the city full of basketball fans and tourists. It's a great thing for Serbia," began Velickovic.

Then he referred to the first semifinal, which starts at 18:00 CEST, where Olympiacos Piraeus will meet the reigning EuroLeague champions Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

"Efes have shown how strong they are in the last few years. They started slowly this season, but they have great talent, especially when it comes to attacking. I'm not sure anyone can stop Larkin and Micic. They are a top-class duo in the EuroLeague.

On the other hand, Olympiacos have shown that they play smart team basketball, so anything is possible in one game. However, I give preference to Anadolu Efes, since they know how to win titles," said Velickovic, who then commented on awaiting El Clasico (21:00 CEST).

"If you look at the whole season, Barcelona may be the favorite. I believe the fans think so too. However, Real Madrid is Real Madrid. They have been dominant for decades, I give my vote to Real."

Real Madrid started the current campaign strongly, collecting back-to-back wins that rendered them as one of the candidates to get the first spot both in the EuroLeague and the Spanish ACB League regular season.

However, some major setbacks were to appear. Los Blancos gave the impressions of a satiated ensemble, a squad well past their prime. Then, discipline issues were noted, in addition to the ongoing lack of a scorer in the backcourt, especially since Jaycee Carroll never came back to the team for another year.

For the first time in a decade, rumors regarding Pablo Laso's uncertain future started to surface. Those were the ingredients of a losing streak that is considered impermissible at a club of this magnitude. And it's not just the losses. In some cases, it's also the way they came and the negative records that were broken.

Real Madrid lost to the two of EuroLeague's weakest teams (Panathinaikos OPAP Athens and Zalgiris Kaunas), scoring only 47 points against the Lithuanian side and another 51 at Fenerbahce.

Zoran Savic will be one of the hosts of the upcoming Final Four in Belgrade. The current Partizan's General Manager, former FC Barcelona, and Real Madrid player has been interviewed by Diario AS.

Savic played in two different periods at Barcelona. From 1991 to 1993 and one season at the beginning of this century (2000-01). In between, he moved to Real Madrid, where he replaced Arvydas Sabonis in 1995, losing the European semifinals against Barcelona in Paris. 

Throughout his successful career, Savic has been on the same roster with Pablo Laso and Sarunas Jasikevicius, two of the great European masterminds that will clash on Thursday. 

Savic talked about them, praising their capabilities. 

"Both are top, great," he said. "I have always thought that Saras made a mistake. He should have retired earlier. We have lost three or four seasons from him as a coach," the Serbian added. 

"When someone aims to be a head coach, he must begin as soon as possible. I love the way he led the team. He is talented and ambitious. He does not let the team to relax, that's why Palau is always packed," Savic followed in his statement about Jasikevicius. 

"Laso was one of the best assistants in Europe. He had personality and loved basketball, which is the most important thing about becoming a coach. He has been at Madrid for eleven years, winning titles and managing a deep roster. It's not easy at all," recognized Savic. 

During the interview, Savic admitted this Final Four is one of the most exciting and unexpected in recent years. 

"I can't tell you who is the favorite," he said. "I see more equal teams in each game. There are great players on each team, and I hope to see good games."

Asked about the competitiveness of the European clubs compared with the NBA franchises and how the young players leave their teams to play in the United States, Savic gave a deep vision of young players' mentality. 

"In the short term, there is nothing to do, but we can think in the future. We need to improve our facilities and build good places for youngsters to practice and study. 

Players now can easily move to Madrid to grow up before joining Partizan. There is no other way than to bet on them and explain it will be better to have success here in Europe and then go overseas being 24 or 25 years old, ready and mature enough," he stated. 

"They want to achieve things quickly. They have personal trainers as if they were tennis players. The best way to work in the summer is playing with the national teams, but no one sees this in Serbia. 

Those who succeed here will also do it in the NBA. I can't see a better place to improve than being coached by Zeljko Obradovic. Every practice is a clinic," he concluded. 

Zoran Savic will be in the Stark Arena to watch both EuroLeague semifinals. 

Olympiacos Piraeus and Anadolu Efes will open the Final Four at 6 pm CET. Afterward, another edition of El Clasico will take place at 9 pm CET.

Belgrade brings back good memories for Real Madrid. 2018 was the last time Real Madrid won the EuroLeague, and now they return for another title hunt.

However, they will try to do that without one of the biggest EuroLeague stars Luka Doncic, who's now breaking records in the NBA.

Doncic left Europe after completely conquering it. Being 19 years old, Doncic has won EuroBasket, EuroLeague title, EuroLeague regular season MVP, EuroLeague Final Four MVP, three Spanish ACB League titles, and two Spanish Cup titles.

Now, the Slovenian superstar is trying to bring glory to Dallas, where his led Mavericks just started the Western Conference series against the Golden State Warriors.

The beginning wasn't easy as Mavericks lost Game 1 87-112, while Doncic scored 20 points on 6/18 shooting from the field.

However, his performance in the series against the Suns left many people stunned. In a decisive Game 7, Doncic accumulated 35 points (6/8 2PT, 6/11 3PT, 5/5 FT), ten rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two turnovers.

In his fourth year in the NBA and his third playoffs, the 23-year-old Slovenian has already played four elimination games. He averages 38.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists. 

38 points per elimination game is by far the best result. In the second place is legendary Michael Jordan, who played 13 such games throughout his career and averaged 31.3 points per duel.

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.

EuroLeague Final Four will tip off on Thursday evening, and BasketNews asked its experts' opinion on which teams will advance to the grand final and win it all.

For those who missed, FC Barcelona will meet Real Madrid, while Anadolu Efes Istanbul will face Olympiacos Piraeus in the EuroLeague semifinals.

BasketNews members see a clear favorite in Belgrade's Final Four that has received more than three times as many votes as all three other teams combined.

How will the EuroLeague Final Four unfold? For your attention, the guesses of BasketNews experts.

FC Barcelona (1) vs. Real Madrid (4)

• Uygar Karaca: Real
• Lukas Katilius: Barcelona
• Pijus Sapetka: Barcelona
• Giorgos Kyriakidis: Barcelona
• Jonas Leksas: Real
• Orazio Cauchi: Real
• Edvinas Jablonskis: Barcelona
• Lukas Malinauskas: Barcelona
• Mindaugas Bertys: Real
• Miguel Lois Vidal: Barcelona
• Gustavas Klikna: Barcelona
• Jonas Miklovas: Barcelona
• Karolis Tiskevicius: Barcelona
• Martynas Ziurys: Barcelona
• Florian Kurth: Barcelona
• Tomas Vanagas: Barcelona
• Donatas Urbonas: Barcelona
• Deividas Silanskas: Barcelona

Final tally: Barcelona 14, Real 4.

"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.

Real Madrid will play against Barcelona in one of the most anticipated versions of 'El Clasico' in the EuroLeague semifinal in Belgrade. Yesterday, Real Madrid forward Gabriel Deck spoke to Radio Marca and talked about his feelings for this Final Four. 

"I'm calm and I'm just waiting for the games", Deck said. "We have enjoyed the previous days, personally I'm happy to be in another Final Four, now it's time to enjoy and give it all when it'll be the time". 

Deck also talked about the previous games against Barcelona during the season. Los Blancos lost both regular-season games against the Catalan side but the Argentinian forward is sure that the next one will be a very different game. 

"I think everyone learned from the mistakes of the past games, it'll serve as experience for this game", Deck explained. "This is of course where we wanted to be, we know how dangerous they are, but it's not only about one player, it's not only Mirotic, he's surrounded by very good players, we have to work together to stop them". 

"This is the best part of the season", Deck continued. "The players love these moments because are unique, It's everyone's dream and desire to raise the cup. We know that we have to play with the same mentality that we had in the playoffs". 

Pablo Laso will be in his 7th EuroLeague Final Four as Real Madrid's head coach. No other coach has been it more times in the last decade.

The Spanish mastermind attended the media in the press conference ahead of Belgrade, some hours before the Blancos took off to the Serbian capital.

Laso confirmed that only Carlos Alocen will be sidelined at the event, but he will travel with the team too. 

"I see my team prepared for the Final Four. Everyone is ready except Alocen," Laso said.

Real Madrid struggled as never before during March, downgrading from 2nd seed to 4th in the EuroLeague regular season. An unexpected streak that turned on all the alarms in the Casa Blanca.

Far from sinking, Madrid bounced back as they used to, improving the offensive fluency. They will face FC Barcelona in the semifinals with a nine-game winning streak. More than a month without a loss.

"I understand that a month ago no one believed in us. I did. I don't think we were that bad, but it's also true that in the last month we have competed very well and that the series against Maccabi gave us confidence," Laso admitted.

The last round of the regular season in the Spanish ACB League, known as Liga Endesa, was played on Saturday, and all eight teams that will be fighting for the prestigious title are now clear.

The Teams

FC Barcelona captured the top stop in the standings with 27 wins and only 7 losses during the year. Led by Nikola Mirotic and Brandon Davies, the Catalan club ensured the first place in the regular season several weeks before the final round.

Real Madrid were comfortably second, winning 25 matches out of the possible 34. They lost both games against the first-placed Barcelona by a combined margin of 21 points. Led by a big man duo of Edy Tavares and Vincent Poirier, the royal club finished the regular season with 6 wins in a row.

Next, we have the EuroCup semifinalists Valencia Basket and fellow EuroCup competitors Joventut Badalona who sensationally lost to ratiopharm Ulm in the Round of 16 in the European competition.

The fifth spot was captured by the Basketball Champions League winners Lenovo Tenerife who beat MoraBanc Andorra in the last round, sending the opponents to the relegation. The team that battled Tenerife in the BCL final, BAXI Manresa, finished the season in 7th place.

Real Madrid (25-9) were ahead during their entire game against Gran Canaria (17-17), cruising to an easy 91-83 (23-17, 26-22, 21-18, 21-26) victory in the ACB regular season finale. 

Los Blancos finished in second place, behind leaders FC Barcelona, and will face seventh-placed Manresa in the first round of the playoffs, after their participation in the upcoming Belgrade Final Four. 

On the other hand, Gran Canaria ended up eighth and will face FC Barcelona.

Guerschon Yabusele led Real Madrid with 13 points, while Anthony Randolph added 12. For Gran Canaria, Dylan Ennis did everything on the offensive end (24 points), but no one else followed. 

The basketball world and the Real Madrid organisation have been saddened by the sudden news of Rodolfo Fernandez, the father of Rudy Fernandez, passing away late Thursday night.

"Real Madrid would like to express its condolences and its love and affection for his wife, Maite, his children Rudy and Marta, and all his relatives and loved ones," the club's official statement announces.

According to Diario de Mallorca, Rodolfo was diagnosed with a glioblastoma in the brain a few years ago. Rudy Fernandez even had thoughts at that time of quitting basketball, but it was his father who encouraged him to keep playing.

Rodolfo Fernandez was a member of the Real Madrid family, having previously played in several Spanish clubs and being a part of the administrative staff during his post-playing years.

Rudy Fernandez always considered his father as his example. "He is a fighter, like my sister and my mother. If I have to choose who to idolize, it is always him," he has explained in different interviews.