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The upcoming 2012 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four in Istanbul marks a special anniversary for the most exciting weekend of basketball in the world. This spring’s edition marks 25 years since the Final Four era arrived in Europe to stay. A Final Four has been played continually in Europe since 1988, but the truth is that the concept was tried previously. The European Champions Cup, precursor to the Euroleague, experimented with the format in the 1960s. The first European Final Four was in 1966, with Italian cities Milan and Bologna sharing the hosting duties. A year later, the Final Four was held in Madrid, Spain, but the format was then discontinued for two decades. Its return came in 1988 in Ghent, Belgium, which has not hosted the event again, but nonetheless launched the new era, which continues with the 25th edition at Sinan Erdem Arena in Istanbul from May 11 to 13. The silver anniversary marks a great moment to remember the extraordinary basketball games, players and teams that have taken part in this great modern European basketball tradition, the Final Four!
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