Canadians in Europe - Champions League Final Eight Review

Up to eight months of competition all came down to this, the final phase of the 2020-21 FIBA Champions League. Just a month beforehand the top two teams from each of the four playoff groups had all won their place in the Final Eight and now they all came together to decide who would take home the title in 2021.

The octet contesting the top Champions League prize were Nizhny Novgorod (whose arena was also serving as host for the final round), one of four teams who made it to this stage for the first time, the other debutants being Strasbourg, Karsiyaka and Hapoel Holon. Nymburk made their second successive final eight appearance along with three Spanish clubs: Zaragoza, Burgos and Canarias Tenerife - the last two have been former champions of the competition with Burgos the most recent winners.

In the form of four single-elimination ties, the eight teams would be halved with the winners reaching the semi-finals, from there only the two remaining victorious teams would have a chance at lifting the Champions League trophy.

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In the first game of the final eight it was the home team who had the better start, going on to take their biggest lead of the game at eight points. It was then, though, that Zaragoza started to hit back, largely from the low post and in the third, took advantage of a lapse in scoring from Nizhny to go in front.

With Dylan Ennis leading Zaragoza’s scoring, going on to finish with a game-high 28 points, the Spanish team became the villains of the night but they did not care – they would be the first team through to the semi-finals after dispatching Nizhny Novgorod 86-78.

Elsewhere in the quarter finals, Aaron Doornakemp started and scored 16 points, one of five Tenerife players to finish in double digits. Their three-point shooting saw them start to pull away from Strasbourg in the second quarter, their slender advantage turning into a double-digit one by the half. In the third, though, their shot attempts started to fall short, leaving the door open for Strasbourg to take the lead just before the final period.

Doornakemp returned the lead to Tenerife but Strasbourg kept it a one-point game for much of the fourth before going back in front in the last 1:30. A foul on Sasu Salin by Ike Udanoh sent Salin to the line for Tenerfie and he made both free-throws, which sent the game to overtime. Threes from Brandon Jefferson and Ishmail Wainright put Strasbourg up five with just over a minute to go in OT, to which Giorgi Shermandini responded by cutting the gap to just one.

Jefferson once again made it a five-point game, this time with eight seconds on the clock. A final three from Marcelino Huertas served only to see Tenerife finish the game trailing 86 points to 88. The semi-final spot would be Strasbourg’s.

It was all over for Tenerife but their compatriot team Zaragoza were still in contention, they had moved on to face Karsiyaka in the semi-finals. It was the Turkish team who started strong, nine three pointers from them in the first half helped them to lead comfortably throughout the first half, in which they had the biggest lead of the game at fourteen points.

In the third quarter Zaragoza struck back in the paint, after starting behind by ten they went on to lead by seven shortly after the start of the final period. Karsiyaka went back in front after six points without reply, the lead then changed hands four times, at the end of which Karsiyaka were up by seven with just under two minutes to go.

Dylan Ennis then made it a three-point game, the last of his 13 in the game, but Karsiyaka monopolized possession for the remaining time to finish ahead 84-79 and claim their place in the final.

This meant no Canadian player would be getting their hands on the trophy this year, though there would be one on the podium. Once again leading his team in the third place game, Dylan Ennis was one assist shy of a double-double having scored 24 points for Zaragoza, who won the bronze medal with a commanding win over Strasbourg bwith a final score of 89-77.

Meanwhile, their defeaters Karsiyaka met with Burgos - who saw off Hapoel Holon and Strasbourg en route to the final - in the most hotly contested game of the whole season, with six lead changes and no more than seven points separating the teams. Though they saw a late scare from Karsiyaka, ten points in the last five minutes saw Burgos successfully defend their title. The last points were from Vitor Benite, who took home the Finals MVP award.

Though observers from Canada would have preferred an ending with one of their own victorious, it was a hugely entertaining end to a great season of Champions League basketball. For more, head over to the official FIBA website.