Hearts were broken in the next final of the “Final 4” in basketball. Olympiacos lost the European Championship trophy due to a strike. But this was not the first time that the title was tried in the last attempt.

From the final 4 (1988) of the Basketball Champions Cup, and then the Euroleague, six times a weighty trophy was solved on the last attempt. Five of them were throws (four hits, one miss) and one block. Five out of six had a perpetrator and a victim, a Greek group.

Let’s take a look at the essence of six of the most shocking Final 4 finishes:

1992 (Istanbul)

Partizan – Badalona 71-70

The first of Zeljko Obradovic’s 9 titles as a manager was the result of a gripping thriller. Badalona of the Saints twice had a chance to overtake the Parisian in the last seconds with a score of 68-68. However, Villacaba and Morales miss (1+1). Cornelius Thompson takes the offensive rebound and passes the ball to Rafa Iofres, who scores from the pass (70-68). On the throw-in, the ball will go to Djordjevic, who will cross the field, while Rafa Iofres will play defensively… with his eyes. The Serbian playmaker will shoot from 45 degrees to 4 inches and give Partizan his one and only European Cup.

1994 (Tel Aviv)

Badalona – Olympiacos 59-57

Zeliko Obradović took charge of Badalon and would once again take them to the final of the final four where they would face Olympiakos newcomer Giannis Ioannidis who eliminated Panathinaikos in the semi-finals. The Red and Whites are better, with Tarpley scoring 12 points and 14 rebounds, while Paspali will score 15 points. In the 20th minute, Cornelius Thompson will score a three-pointer that will decide the outcome of the match (59-57). For 4.8 seconds, Paspali will miss 1 + 1, and while the timer is stuck, he will miss again when throwing from 2.5 meters.

1996 (Paris)

Panathinaikos – Barcelona 67-66

Argentina has a “hand of god”. Panathinaikos “stop God”. The Greek national team will reach the final four for the third time in a row and this time will win the cup. Dominic Wilkins scored 16 points and Albertis 17, with the ball in the hands of the Greens in the last attack with a score of 67-66. Yannakis slides across the floor at a height of 6 inches. Possession was lost and Barcelona charged into the final showdown with Montero poised to lose the title. But Vrankovich chases him into a memorable slalom (with the timer stuck at 4.9 inches) and manages to cut him off, giving Greece and his team their first European Cup.

2009 (Berlin)

Panathinaikos – CSKA 73-71

The Champions Cup has already become the Euroleague, and Panathinaikos has won 4 European trophies. He will go to Berlin with his best team ever. In the semi-final they will beat Olympiacos 84-82 with a miss by Buruzi, and in the final they will play against the brilliant CSKA Moscow. If Olympiacos played the best quarter in the history of the Final Four this year in the semi-finals, the Greens play the best first half (48-28). In the 3rd period, the difference will reach +23, but CSKA with a series of 17-0 will reduce it to 6 and bring the final to the last throw, while the defending Panathinaikos will keep the score 73-71. Siskauskas will take over the overhead three-point run with Drew Nicholas behind him. The ball will hardly find the front of the hoop and then the root and come out.

2012 (Istanbul)

Olympiacos – CSKA 62-61

A year after Panathinaikos’ last European Cup, Ivkovic’s Olympiacos are back in the final four. In Polis, the Greens will be defeated by CSKA and say goodbye to the final four until today. But the “red-whites”, beyond … any logic, will return from -19 in the 3rd period. With 9.7 minutes left, Olympiakos will send Siskauskas to a shootout. The Lithuanian star will fail in both cases. Spanoulis at 61-60 will drop the ball and 3.6 inches will try to pass. Kirilenko will rush to the rescue, Printezis will be alone on the back line and will give Olympiakos their 2nd cup with the petahtari.

2023 (Kaunas)

Olympiacos – Real Madrid 78-79

All very recently. After an unprecedented streak, Olympiacos will win their fourth European trophy. He finished first in the regular season, pulled out of Fenerbahce on a crazy 3-pointer from Sluka, beat Monaco in a quarter of an hour and faced a very middle-aged badly injured Real Madrid. The “eclipse” in the 4th period brings the “queen” to the point (78-77). Yul fires a shot with 4.6 seconds left, Fal hanging on to him. The ball will painfully erase the long curve and end up in the basket. At 3.1 seconds, Slukas will make one last attempt, but this time he will miss.