Daily Times

BELGRADE: Real Madrid clinched a record-extending 10th Euroleague title after overpowering last season’s champions Fenerbahce Istanbul 85-80 in Sunday’s spectacular final of the continent’s premier club basketball competition. Led by French guard Fabien Causeur and 19-year-old Slovenian Luka Doncic, who was named the season’s most valuable player after Friday’s 92-83 semi-final win over CSKA Moscow, Real forced Fenerbahce into submission thanks to iron-clad defending. Causeur netted 17 points for Real and Doncic, widely expected to be among the top picks at next month’s NBA draft in New York, added 15 with a mature performance which silenced 12,000 fervent Turkish fans in the Belgrade Arena. “Everyone’s talking about the individual awards but this was a team effort and it put the icing on the cake of a very tough season,” Doncic, who was also named the Final Four’s most valuable player, told reporters. “Win or lose, we always stick together as a unit and that’s the key to success. “I am very proud of my team mates and honoured to play for Real. We grew as a team through a season ravaged by injuries,” added Doncic, who remained tight-lipped about a possible summer move to the NBA. The titanic tussle shifted Real’s way in the third quarter when they carved out a 63-55 lead and never looked back, although Fenerbahce missed a chance to force overtime. Their late fightback slashed the deficit to 81-78 in the final minute, but Real’s Tray Tompkins tipped in a vital offensive rebound to put the game beyond Fenerbahce.

Published in Daily Times, May 22^nd 2018.