David Pick | Euroleague Final Four
Panathinaikos are Euroleague Champions for the 7th time in the Greek Club’s history and I have some interesting stories collected to sum up Europe’s grand finale event in Berlin.
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Kostas Sloukas. What an incredibly deserving MVP. Fans might have forgotten but Sloukas actually won not one, not two .. but THREE EuroLeague titles before. The difference is, back then he was another guy. Now he is THE guy. Sloukas won two championships with Olympiacos and another with Fenerbahce, but he was in the shadows of Vasilios Spanoulis and Bogdan Bogdanovic. Now it’s Sloukas’ turn. It’s his time to shine. Sloukas had been through a year of turmoil. He missed the biggest shot of his life last season to hand the EuroLeague trophy over to Real Madrid. In the offseason he left Olympiacos to join their biggest nemesis and arch-rivals Panathinaikos. From RED to GREEN. Players have done that before, it’s not rare, but a superstar like Sloukas dealt with life threats of treason and betrayals…Well, he did it, and man did he go out with a BANG. Sloukas finished the Finals with 24 points and nothing short of an incredible 14-15 FG shooting performance.
Dimitris Itoudis. Do you remember that Panathinaikos won the EuroLeague in Berlin in 2009? Guess who else was there: Itoudis. Guess who won the 2016 EuroLeague title in Berlin for CSKA Moscow? Itoudis. The former Pao Assistant Coach, and ex-Greek National Team tactician, began his 2nd season with Fenerbahce, but was let go and replaced by Sarunas Jasikevicius. Where do you think Itoudis spent the Final Four weekend? That’s correct; in Berlin sitting courtside observing the Greek club he once worked for, and the Turkish team he assembled.
Itoudis wasn’t the only star in attendance. German hero Dennis Schroder was in the house. Former EuroLeague winner and current NBA PG Vasilije Micic made a celebrity appearance; and none other than former NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo traveled to support his younger brother, Kostas, win the family’s first-ever EuroLeague gold. But wait, there’s more: Michael Jordan was there too. Well, not in the flesh but surely in spirit. NBA legend Scottie Pippen, who played with MJ for the Chicago Bulls; and Bill Murray, who starred alongside the “GOAT” (Greatest of all Time) in the original hit movie “Space Jam” were also in attendance in Berlin.
Eli Ndiaye. I’m not sure what the exact role of Eli Ndiaye is for Real Madrid. He played over 200 minutes in the regular season and started over 10 games. The 20-year-old lengthy forward never stood out on the court. He scored a career high 10 points against Red Star Belgrade somewhere in December 2023, which was the ONLY time he cracked double-digits this season. Eli started for Madrid in the semifinals vs Olympiacos and clearly there was no evidence pointing at him starting again in the championship game against Panathinaikos just 48H later. Why? Eli played 10 minutes vs Oly and went scoreless. In fact, he didn’t even put up a shot. None of that mattered and Eli found himself again starting in the Finals. But this time, he was incredible. The Spanish youngster connected on all of his three FG attempts and doubled the amount of rebounds he grabbed just two days prior. It was truly inspirational. He was then subbed out and never returned. Chus Mateo, I need answers. While I’m waiting on my answer, take a look at this ridiculous stat. Madrid scored 36 points in the 1st quarter, and just 44 points over the next 30 minutes. How?!
Rudy Fernandez. We have likely seen the last of Rudy on a EuroLeague floor. It was a great ride, I enjoyed almost every moment. Watching Rudy bid farewell to the fans as he walked off the floor tearing, without scoring a single point, took me on an emotional ride down memory lane with Rudy Fernandez. My most vivid memory of him was his dunk on Dwight Howard in the Olympics. I’m sure we all have our own special “Rudy moment”. Thanks, Rudy.
From one Spanish to another. Juancho Hernangomez for sure feels awkward taking down the Spanish empire and many of his longtime National Team teammates. It’s tough playing against a team from your own country, and Juancho surely didn’t have some crazy game, but he still has the last laugh.
Kendrick Nunn was a starter in the NBA Finals. Let that sink in for a moment. Kendrik Nunn was a starter in the NBA Finals. Let that sink in for a moment. However, Nunn is a one dimensional scorer who plays very little defense, if any at all. Many of these types of players usually get lost in the NBA and find themselves overseas. Most times than not, it doesn’t work out. The reality for most of Nunn’s season in Athens was that it wasn’t really working out for him there either. The dynamics of the relationship with Ergin Ataman and Nunn’s level of performances didn’t meet eye to eye. But then, at some points during the Finals, Nunn figured it out and said to his mates “give me the ball”. The rest is history.
