This year marks the sixth edition of the final four Fiba Champions League. After two seasons dominated by the San Pablo Burgos, this year we will get a new champion. Manresa, Hapoel Holon, Ludwigsburg, and Tenerife will take part in this year’s final four, which is being held in Bilbao. In a city that is extremely sporty and famous for the famous Guggenheim Museum, the mentioned teams will try to reach the prestigious trophy. The matches will be played in Bilbao Arena, which can accommodate 10,000 fans.
Manresa
Baxi Manresa advanced to the final four after eliminating Unicaja after two matches. In the first game, Manresa gained a 29-4 advantage in the first quarter. Unicaja did not score a single basket from the game in that quarter. This has never happened in the history of the FIBA Champions League. The mentioned team is playing really great this season, both in the domestic championship and internationally. Thus, this is one of the most successful seasons in the history of the club, which could be crowned with winning trophies in this competition. The team is led by Pedro Martinez and in the past, players like Serge Ibaka and Andres Nocioni have played for this team.
In addition to the legendary Rafa Martinez, the team is led by several great foreign players such as Chima Moneke, Sylvain Francisco, and Joe Tomasson… The mentioned coach has already led this team once and returned to the club three seasons ago. This team is characterized by a great team game with a lot of assists. According to this parameter, Manresa is the leader in the FIBA Champions League. Fans of both teams had been eagerly awaiting this Pavellion Nou Congost derby and were doing their best to outshout their opponents. Due to that, Manresa recorded only one defeat at home. They are expected to create a homely atmosphere in Bilbao, which is not far away.
Hapoel Holon
Hapoel Holon is popularly called the Lakers of Israel because of the purple color of the jerseys. They used to wear red and white jerseys, but one Lakers fan donated jerseys in the colors of that team. Since then, players who play for this team wear jerseys similar to those worn by one of the most trophy-winning franchises in the NBA. Hapoel Holon reached the final four after eliminating Strasbourg in the quarterfinals. The team from the bench is led by Guy Goodes. As for the players, several Americans stand out. Team leaders are Joe Ragland, Adam Smith, and Tyrus McGee. According to the number of assists, Hapoel is right behind Manresa. This team has a great realization under the basket, but also great shooting potential.
Like Manresa, this team reached the final four after two games. In Israel, Hapoel achieved a convincing victory against Strasbourg. We watched a much more exciting match in France. Holon celebrated with a point advantage and the deciding basket was scored by Joe Ragland 11 seconds before the end. He is a player who had the opportunity to play in the Euroleague and is the true leader of this team. Hapoel Holon has not had great success in their history so far. They won only one title, Israel, without significant results on the international scene. This team has great fans who will also come in large numbers to support their beloved team.
Tenerife
Hapoel Holon’s opponent in the semifinals will be Lenovo Tenerife. This team managed to win the title in the first edition of this competition. Then they were better than Banvit in the final. Two years later, they performed again in the final when they were defeated by Virtus Bologna. This will be a great opportunity to see them in the FIBA Champions League final for the third time. This team does not have a rich tradition because it was founded only a little less than three decades ago. The greatest successes in history so far have just been achieved in the FIBA Champions League. This team has also won the FIBA International Cup in 2018 and 2020 twice. The coach of this team, Txus Vidorreta, has the most victories in this competition.
Tenerife have the best percentage of shots in the league, and they stand out especially in the shot for three points, according to which they are also in the first place. This team reached the final four after eliminating Tofas in the quarterfinals. They only needed two games to come to Bilbao. At first glance, it seems that they secured a place in the Final Four quite easily, but that was not the case. We had the opportunity to watch two very uncertain matches. Led by the great Shermadini, Salin, Huertas, and Wiltjer Tenerife advanced to the Final Four. They will try to win another title, and since the Final Four is in Bilbao, there will be a lot of their fans.
Ludwigsburg
For the second time in the Final Four, we will have the opportunity to watch this German team. Athens managed to do that for the first time, but then the team was injured. This team is characterized by great physique and excellent defense with pressure on the entire field, which is being forced by coach John Patrick. As expected, the defense of this team is the best in the league. They have a fantastic realization under the basket, which is also the best in the league. Also, this team steals by far the most balls on average, and they are the leaders in the number of blocks. Opponents always have a huge number of lost balls when playing against Ludwigsburg. Their only drawback is a rather modest percentage of shots for three points.
Ludwigsburg had the most trouble securing a place in the Final Four. Only their quarterfinal against Cluj lasted three games. The mentioned team from Romania had a historic season, which is why 10,000 fans cheered on that team in both games on their field. Despite that fact, the German team managed to survive that hell and qualify for the Final Four in Bilbao. Simon, Radebaugh, Bartolo, and Happ, who are the best players of this team, helped them the most. Against Manresa, they will try to play in the final of this competition for the first time in history. That would be the greatest success in the history of this club.