Just about everyone expected 2011 to be FC Barcelona Regal's year to repeat as champion in front of its hometown fans. Those expectations were not unusual, especially considering how dominant Barcelona had been the previous season and for most of this one. However, It took a historic Euroleague team, Panathinaikos, to prevent any hope of that happening by eliminating Barcelona in the playoffs.

In the end, we were treated to another classic finals matchup between Maccabi Electra and Panathinaikos – the two most successful Euroleague team since the turn of the century. Maccabi played an exciting brand of basketball under Coach David Blatt that season. I cannot recall any team that was so focused and capable of blowing their opponents out and not letting up at all in the manner that the Israeli champs did that season. They fought and battled for every single possession.

Maccabi pressured and aggressively trapped the ball all over the court with electrifying guards Jeremy Pargo and Doron Perkins leading the way. It was an entertaining team to watch as it played uptempo and had the powerful All-Euroleague center Sofoklis Schortsanitis under the basket playing the best ball of his career. Chuck Eidson was the glue that held everything together as he really did do... more

It was a privilege to be able to sit courtside and broadcast the 2010 Final Four games for ELTV. Sitting so close to the court enabled us to fully appreciate the impressive speed, strength and athleticism of these players. All four games were incredible, so much so that Partizan and its fans really left a lasting impression on all of us, even though they finished in fourth place. Partizan came in as the underdog and lost two heartbreaking games in overtime. It was Bo McCalebb's first time on the big stage and there were times that he absolutely dominated the action by finishing incredible drives to the basket through traffic as well as scoring from long range. Jan Vesely was also spectacular for Partizan. CSKA, which was appearing in its record eighth straight Final Four, challenged Barca early before losing in the fourth quarter of the other semifinal.

The title game was a very interesting matchup between FC Regal Barcelona and Olympiacos. Barcelona finally faced a team that was not afraid to play an uptempo game. Most teams that season attempted to slow the pace of the game because Barcelona was simply too good in the open court. Olympiacos had little to fear since it was loaded with talent. Linas Klieza, who was that season’s Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy winner, and Josh... more

I have great memories from the 2009 Final Four in Berlin. I was fortunate to be able to work alongside Frank Lawlor and George Zidek to provide coverage and analysis for Euroleague TV in the newly constructed o2 World. I also had the chance to get to experience Berlin and discover how it has transformed into such a vibrant, modern and beautiful city.

CSKA and Panathinaikos had to fight for their lives to win in the semifinals. Panathinaikos beat Olympiacos by 2 points, and CSKA needed Siskauskas to score 18 fourth-quarter points to beat Barcelona by 4. The final was a rematch of the exciting Athens 2007 championship game that Panathinaikos won 93-91. Even though this one was not as high scoring, we could not have asked for a more thrilling, entertaining final – one that was not decided until the very last second. This was one of the most exciting finishes to a championship game that I have ever seen.

Panathinaikos actually dominated the game from the start and went up by 20 points at halftime. Few could have possibly expected the comeback that CSKA mounted. But how could one doubt the resolve and character of the defending European champs! CSKA came out to start the second half by getting back to its identity, which had enabled the team to enjoy so much success:... more

The 2008 Final Four was truly memorable on and off the court. Off the court, the Euroleague honored the top players, head coaches and referees from the last 50 years. It was remarkable to see these living legends all gathered together in the same place in such a beautiful city with its own important basketball history. It would be unfair to single anyone out, but I will simply say that it was something special to witness the greats of the European basketball family being accorded the kind of recognition they deserved for having built together a tradition that we all enjoy to this day.

On the court, the final was a dream matchup – a rematch of the title game played two years earlier in Prague between two of the Euroleague's most successful clubs. CSKA was in its sixth consecutive Final Four; Maccabi was playing in its seventh Final Four since 2000! Since Maccabi's loyal fans follow their team to every Final Four en masse, yellow usually is the dominant color in the stands, and this year was no different! However, the much-anticipated duel almost did not take place since both teams had to rally to beat their semifinal rivals. CSKA had a tough time getting past Tau Ceramica and Maccabi struggled against Siena.

In the final, CSKA's defense was again the determining... more