CSKA Moscow and Anadolu Efes will clash in the 2019 EuroLeague Championship Game at the Fernando Buesa Arena on Sunday (19/05).
The Muscovites defeated Real Madrid (95-90) in the semi-final on Friday (17/05), coming back from a double-digit deficit in the third quarter (50-61).
They will compete in their 14th Championship Game and seventh in the last 13 years and will attempt to claim their eighth EuroLeague title.
The Russians will want to control the tempo of the game and run in transition, while they will try to grab the offensive rebounds and score many second-chance points.
Head coach Dimitris Itoudis will rely on his backcourt line (Daniel Hackett, Sergio Rodriguez, Nando De Colo and Cory Higgins) to make the difference offensively, while forward Will Clyburn could be a game-changer for the Muscovites.
Great on-ball defenders Hackett and Nikita Kurbanov will attempt to stop Shane Larkin and Vasilije Micic.
On the other hand, Anadolu Efes will play in the Championship Game for the first time in its history. Last season, the Turkish team ranked 16th in the standings (7-23 record), but turned things around this year and reached the Final.
Efes decimated rivals Fenerbahce in the first-ever all-Turkish semi-final (73-92), playing excellent on both ends.
Larkin (30 points) and Micic (25 points) combined for 55 points for the winners and their performance will be of utmost importance on Sunday (19/05).
Efes will attempt to impose a run’n’gun playing style and take the upper hand from the beginning of the game.
The match will tip-off at 20.30pm (CEST) at the sold-out Fernando Buesa Arena in Vitoria-Gasteiz.
