By Khilen Mehta

On Sunday night CSKA Moscow wrote yet another chapter in their illustrious history by defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv 77-91 to claim their sixth continental championship crown and second in the past three years. CSKA’s victory over Maccabi at the Community of Madrid Sports Palace moves the Russian powerhouse into second place on the all-time list and they are now only two victories behind Real Madrid’s haul of 8 crowns.

Trajan Langdon was named Final Four MVP after scoring 21 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting and 7 rebounds to outscore six fellow CSKA teammates who also managed double figures in the victory. J.R. Holden added 14 points, Matjaz Smodis, David Andersen and freshly crowned Euroleague MVP Ramunas Siskauskas scored 13 points apiece.

Moscow coach Ettore Messina paid credit to both teams for providing such a great spectacle for the fans but believed his teams character was the main reason for their triumph. He described it as ” a continual challenge to match up with them while maintaining our team character.”

The victory gave  the Russian champs another title to add to their trophies from 1961, 1963, 1969, 1971 and 2006, with the 2006 victory also coming against Maccabi. Alas, this time for the Israelis, they fought hard but there was to be no sweet revenge…

By Khilen Mehta

From May 2nd to May 4th, basketball’s most important competition comes to Madrid’s Palacio de Deportes. This event is guaranteed to cause a stir in the city as the continent’s best four teams battle it out to become European basketball champions. In a city so dominated by football, there was always a risk that the event could be overshadowed by the end of the football season, but basketball has firmly established itself as Madrid’s second sport.

To add to the excitement this year, a Spanish club has made it through to the final four. Tau Ceramica, from the capital of the Basque country, Vitoria, will be battling it out at the beginning of May against the likes of Russia’s CSKA Moscow, Israel’s Maccabi Elite and Italy’s Montepaschi Siena.

The favourites for the competition will be CKSA Moscow. With easily the biggest budget of any of the teams, their team value and class easily surpasses any of the remaining teams. Having already beaten Tau Ceramica home and away, few will bet against them reaching the final at least. CSKA have already reached the final six times before and will also be looking for revenge after being beaten in last year’s final. Maccabi Elite are also in the Final Four for the fourth time in five seasons and will be looking to clinch their third title within this time period. Italian champions Montepashci Siena are back again for the third time in six seasons, but going up against some of European basketball’s mightiest powers, head coach Simone Pianigiani may be happy to have his team considered the underdogs in Madrid. As Spain’s sole representative in the competition, all eyes will be on Tau Ceramica. They will be making their fourth consecutive appearance at the Euroleague Basketball Final Four this season, but are still chasing their first Euroleague crown.With the popularity of basketball in Spain these days, tickets for the event are hard to come by. But make sure your keep your eyes peeled for any shocks during the three days.Also make sure you take a look at the May edition of European Vibe magazine for an exclusive interview with Tau Ceramica player Will Mcdonald!