The unexpected heroes of the Final 4: From Lazarus to Andics

In America there is a saying that says:Not all heroes wear capes». In Greek translation it means:Not all heroes wear capes». In free translation this phrase is used when the hero of the moment is not the known or the famous and the obvious. So, it is about the unsung heroes and the www.sport-fm.gr will deal with five such from the Final 4 of the Euroleague.

To reach their final destination, which is of course the top four, the teams run a marathon quite strenuous and difficult. Usually, the biggest… paddle is pulled by the protagonists them and to be considered contenders the players are stars and of a very high level. They are the ones who take the… chestnuts out of the “fire” and everyone is waiting for them to speak in the critical.

However, because the Final 4 is not a long process like a championship or a regular season, but just two games, it can be defined by just a few moments. To them five “heroes from nowhere” have all the grounds to include the Lazaros Papadopouloswith the excellent Final Four with Panathinaikos in Bologna in 2002. O Pero Andits and the pivotal role he played in London for Olympiakos in 2013. The decisive one David Bluthenthal for the epic victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2014 in Milan. THE Victor Hriapa with the great offensive rebound on behalf of CSKA Moscow in the 2016 final against Fenerbahce and finally the Trey Tompkins (with a bit of Fabian Coser) in the cup that Real Madrid lifted in 2018, in Belgrade.

Lazarus who… resurrected Panathinaikos in Bologna

In 2002 the Panathinaikos he qualified for the Final 4 in Bologna and based on the names of his opponents he was not among the favorites. In the semi-final, the “greens” faced the mighty Maccabi Tel Aviv. After they managed to pass the… goal of the “people’s team”, the final awaited them the hostess Kinder Bologna by Ettore Messina. The first half does not go well for the “clover” of Zeljko Obradovic. The Italians with Ginobili, Andersen, Smodis, Yarich, Rigondeaux and others were constantly ahead.

However, in the second part he comes from the bench Lazaros Papadopoulos. “Made”, then, in Zots’s famous saying: “Come in and show everyone who the best center in Europe is“, “Lazos” enters the floor and makes … a mess of Kinder’s front line. Messina didn’t have the antidote, with Panathinaikos doing the overturning and with Ibrahim Kutluai and Dejan Bodiroga coming into the equation for good… he takes the victory 89-83 and conquers the valuable trophy in Bologna. The Greek center finished that match with 12 points and 5 rebounds.

The three points… a sign of Addic in London

London 2013. O Olympic he went to the capital in England as European champion, after the … epic of Istanbul a year earlier. Naturally, the… lights for the “red and white” were on them Vassilis Spanoulis and Giorgos Printezis and… a bit on Kyle Hines and Issy Lo. However, the “X factor” of the Piraeus team in the Final Four was Pero Andits. It started in the semi-final against CSKA Moscow, where the Skopje forward was one of Olympiakos’ leading scorers with 13 points in a comprehensive 69-52 victory to advance to the final.



The next opponent was Real Madrid. The final went “wrong” early for the “red and whites”, as the “queen” reached +17 (10-27) at the beginning of the second period. But, there was the moment to “speak”. Pero Andits. It started with a terrific 3-pointer, followed by a personal defense and then an assist to Hines. At that point, the Piraeus team entered the game for good and the rest was written in history…

David Blue, from retirement to decisive contribution in Milan

A year after London, the 2014 EuroLeague Final Four was hosted in Milan. As in the previous two with Olympiakos, the underdog won this trophy as well. This time, therefore, it was the Maccabi Tel Aviv. In that event, the one most people remember was Tyrese Rice. And not without reason, of course, since the American guard scored the winning basket in the semi-final against CSKA Moscow, while in the final against Real Madrid he was… unstoppable with 26 points and thus was named MVP.



But the man who made a huge contribution to that Maccabi victory and paved the way for Rice’s terrific recital was David Blue! In fact, the great American-Israeli forward retired from active action in 2012 to complete his studies in the USA and returned to the “people’s team” in the summer of 2013, to become its hero in Milan! At 19.2” before the end of the semi-final with CSKA Moscow, the case seemed lost for Maccabi, as Sonny Weems’ basket sent the Russians to +4 (67-63). There, it was Blue’s turn to take matters into his own hands. It started with a big 3-pointer with 13.5 minutes left, followed by a steal on the next defense (on a tragic mistake by Victor Hriapa) and the pass to Rice for the game-winning basket and the complete upset of David Blatt’s Israelis.

The one from the machine… Victor Hriapa for CSKA in Berlin

The CSKA Moscow and Fenerbahce or even the Dimitris Itoudis and Zeliko Obradovich they offered one of the most thrilling finals in EuroLeague history, based on how the match unfolded. It was the one in Berlin in 2016, which was decided in extra time. The two teams had then offered a great “Clash of the Titans”. In the first half, the Russians were storming, going to the locker room with +20 (50-30). In the third quarter, Zots’ team made the first reaction and managed to reduce to -16 (69-53). However, in the fourth period the Turks caught fire and not only reduced, but took the lead (81-83) with the shots of Kostas Sloukasat 21” before the end.



In the five of CSKA in the last attack were the Nando De Colo, Milos Teodosic, Corey Higgins, Kyle Hines and Victor Hriapa. And yet, of all of them, the one who scored the big basket was the Russian forward! After a good save by Bobby Dixon, Teodosic lost the ball, which ended up in De Colo. He made a “killed” three-pointer, which was wrong. But, out of… almost nowhere, Victor Hriapa grabbed the offensive rebound and scored to make it 83-83 in regulation time, sending the match into overtime. In the extra five minutes, Itoudis’ team was more effective and captured the trophy, taking the final victory 101-96. She was the atonement of Chriapas for his mistake in the 2014 semi-final.

The French… key Kozer and Tompkins with the crucial offensive rebound

Belgrade 2018. In the final was Real Madrid with the Fenerbahce. Zeljko Obradovic’s team played as European champions against the “queen”, aiming for back to back victories, but in the end it was the Spaniards who conquered it, winning 85-80. In that Final Four, his star and talent “shine”. Luka Doncicwhile Pablo Lasso still had players like Yule, Rudy, Tavares, Ayyon, Reyes on the roster… And yet, Real’s heroes in that game were Fabian Coser and Trey Tompkins.



The French guard was the top scorer for the “queen” with 17 points. However, in the final seconds it almost became fatal. At 18.8” before the end and while the Spaniards were +3 (81-78) Kozer makes 0/2 from the free throw line. But then it was Tompkins’ turn to put his own… signature, as well as one decisive offensive rebound he made the crucial follow-up and gave his team a five-point boost, essentially deciding the final…