With the new competition
system remaining the same, 1993 would see some newcomers make their
way through the top European competition, names that were famous in
the past or would become so soon, such as PAOK Thessaloniki and
Olympiakos Piraeus of Greece, Limoges of France, Benetton Treviso of
Italy, Zadar of Croatia and Real Madrid of Spain. Curiously enough,
the Final Four played in Athens, Greece, was formed by four of those
newcomers: PAOK, Limoges, Benetton and Real Madrid. Toni Kukoc, now
wearing the Benetton jersey, played his fourth Final Four in five
seasons, but he could not win it for a fourth time. Benetton and
Real Madrid were the clear favorites, but once again, surprises
arrived in the Final Four. Limoges, with Kukoc's former Jugoplastika
coach, Bozidar Maljkovic, on the bench, defeated the Real Madrid of
Arvydas Sabonis in one semifinal. In the final, the French team beat
Benetton 59-55 after imposing a game tempo known as
"basket-control". At the time, Maljkovic used to say that Limoges
was "a team of miners". Michael Young was the best scorer, Jim Bilba
the big hero of the final, Willy Redden contributed 6 points and 10
boards, Jure Zdovc and Frederic Forte were the leaders on court
almost without mistakes, while Richard Dacoury, the biggest star of
French ball, lived his time of glory. It was the first, and last,
European title by a French team, a truly historical accomplishment.
By Euroleague
FINAL FOUR: Athens, Greece
Final Four MVP: Michael Young of Limoges
FINAL: Limoges - Benetton Treviso 59-55 (22-28)
Limoges: Young 18, Bilba 15, Zdovc 9, Redden 6, Verove 3; Forte 4,
Dacoury 3, Butter 1
Benetton: Teagle 19, Kukoc 14, Rusconi 13, Mian 5, Vianini 2;
Iacopini 2, Pellacani 0, Scarone 0
THIRD PLACE: PAOK Thessaloniki - Real Madrid 76-70 (46-38)
PAOK: K. Barlow 20, J. Korfas 16, B. Prelevic 15, C. Levingston 11,
N. Boudouris 8, P. Fassoulas 4, A. Mamatziolas 2, N. Filipou, G.
Balogionnis, G. Kouklakis. Head coach: Dusan Ivkovic
Real: J. Biriukov 16, A. Sabonis 14, R. Brown 12, A. Martin 11, I.
Santos 6, J. Lasa 5, J. Cargol 4, JM. Antunez 2, JM. Silva, F. Romay.
Head coach: Clifford Luyk
SEMIFINALS
Limoges - Real Madrid 62-52 (36-26)
Limoges: M. Young 20, R. Dacoury 14, F. Forte 9, W. Redden 6, J.
Zdovc 5, J. Bilba 4, F. Butter 4, M. M'Bahia, J. Verove, JM. Dupraz.
Head coach: Bozidar Maljkovic
Real: A. Sabonis 19, J. Biriukov 10, J. Cargol 8, R. Brown 6, A.
Martin 5, J. Lasa 2, JM. Antunez 2, I. Santos, JM. Silva, F. Romay.
Head coach: Clifford Luyk
Benetton Treviso - PAOK Thessaloniki 79-77 (51-45)
Benetton: S. Rusconi 23, M. Iacopini 17, T. Kukoc 15, T. Teagle 9,
A. Vianini 7, M. Ragazzi 5, M. Mian 3, N. Pellacani, D. Piccoli, G.
Scarone. Head coach: Petar Skansi
PAOK: B. Prelevic 21, C. Levingston 18, K. Barlow 14, J. Korfas 12,
P. Fassoulas 9, N. Boudouris 3, N. Filipou, G. Balogionnis, G.
Kouklakis, A. Mamatziolas. Head coach: Dusan Ivkovic |
