Panathinaikos Athens became the 2009 Euroleague Basketball champion for 2009 and lifted its second crown in three years by beating CSKA 73-71 in a thrilling final at o2 World in Berlin. One of the most exciting basketball title games in history wasn’t decided until Ramunas Siskauskas’s attempted three at the buzzer bounced out. Only then, Panathinaikos head coach Zeljko Obradovic, the winningest head coach in Euroleague history, was able to celebrate his seventh title. Vassilis Spanoulis was named Final Four MVP after scoring 13, including a clutch triple with less than three minutes to play. Panathinaikos had 10-0 runs in both the first and second quarters and had got its biggest lead at 56-33 but a 0-17 run brought CSKA back to life. CSKA would narrow the gap to 1 in the closing seconds, but couldn’t complete the comeback. Antonis Fotsis added 13 points and 8 rebounds for the winners while Sarunas Jasikevicius and Dimitris Diamantidis scored 10 each. J.R. Holden paced CSKA with 14 points and Trajan Langdon and Siskauskas each scored 13.

Regal FC Barcelona finished the 2008-09 Euroleague Basketball season in third place after cruising to a 79-95 victory over Olympiacos Piraeus at o2 World in Berlin. In a fast-paced and entertaining game, Barcelona led from start to finish, pulling away with a 0-15 charge that bridged the first and second periods, as it held the Reds without a basket for nearly seven minutes. David Andersen scored 20 to pace Barca, which finished the season with 18 wins - more than any team in the Euroleague this season. Juan Carlos Navarro and Jaka Lakovic added 14 apiece for the winners and Daniel Santiago scored 10. Lakovic also dished 5 steals. Lynn Greer led Olympiacos with 19 points, Ioannis Bourousis posted 17 points and 9 rebounds, Nikola Vujcic finished with 12 and Zoran Erceg had 11.

Panathinaikos bested archrival Olympiacos Piraeus 82-84 in a memorable second semifinal of the 2009 Euroleague Basketball Final Four at the o2 World in Berlin. The Greens advance to face defending champion CSKA Moscow in a rematch of the 2007 title game. In front of an electric crowd, the game lived up to all its billing and came down to the final shot but Ioannis Bourousis missed in the final seconds and Josh Childress couldn’t hit the follow-up as the Greens celebrated a big win. Panathinaikos enjoyed a well-balanced attack led by Nikola Pekovic with 20 points. Mike Batiste added 19, while Vassilis Spanoulis and Sarunas Jasikevicius netted 18 apiece. Meanwhile Olympiacos, that would face Regal FC Barcelona in the third-place game, got 18 points from Lynn Greer, 14 from Nikola Vujcic, 11 from Childress and 10 from Bourousis. Pekovic scored the go-ahead basket, allowing the Greens to celebrate a memorable victory and berth in the title game.

CSKA Moscow advanced to its fourth consecutive Euroleague final by knocking off Regal FC Barcelona 78-82 in the opening game of the 2009 Euroleague Basketball Final Four at the o2 World in Berlin. Ramunas Siskauskas was the hero after scoring 18 of his career-high 29 points in the fourth quarter - including all the points in a 0-11 run that gave CSKA its first lead. CSKA earned the right to become the seventh club to win back-to-back Euroleague crowns, a feat last accomplished by Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2004-05. Barcelona led by double figures already in the opening quarter, but CSKA never folded and saved its best for last. Trajan Langdon added 15 for the champs and Viktor Khryapa posted 9 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals. Former CSKA star David Andersen paced Barcelona with 24 points and Jaka Lakovic and Juan Carlos Navarro netted 13 apiece in defeat. Navarro brought Barcelona within 74-76 but a fallaway jumper by Siskauskas and free throws by Langdon sealed the outcome.