Great Britain women’s first home appearance of 2013 ended in victory on Saturday as Damian Jennings’ side saw off Israel 73-64 in Guildford.

An 8-2 start, sparked by Stef Collins, ensured a bright start to the new coach’s first game in charge on home soil.

The visitors levelled briefly in the second period but after edging 31-28 in front at half-time, Rachel Vanderwal ignited GB to pull out a 10-2 run in the third quarter that saw them go 54-41 clear.

But the Israelis reeled off 12 unanswered points, holding their foes scoreless for almost five minutes, and then went 60-59 ahead when Shay Doron converted with 5:49 left.

Jennings saw the response he wanted. Chantelle Handy restored home advantage, starting a 14-4 burst that saw Britain to safety.

“I thought we made some great growth defensively and that was one of the detail areas we wanted to look at,” said Jennings. “It wasn’t about the win in fairness; that was a good the bonus.

“I think that the way we set up our defence and how we’re trying to trap the penetration, I think we did a good job there. You saw particularly in the last 2 or 3 minutes we were able to create possession for ourselves out of that.”

Collins and Vanderwal scored 12 points apiece. Liron Cohen had a game-high 13 for Israel.

GB now face Germany on Sunday on the second day of the four-nation tournament where Collins is expected to win her 100th cap.

However British Basketball officials expect to receive clarification in the next 24 hours over when, or if, Jo Leedham will join the team after failing to earn a WNBA deal.

In Saturday’s other game, Greece defeated the Germans 61-42.

Game stats - GB starters: Collins, Gandy, Handy. Butler, Stewart

Niall Gray’s Verdict

Niall Gray looks back on the first day of the British Basketball Invitational Tournament, which saw Damian Jennings get his first win as GB Women’s head coach, after his side defeated Israel, 73-64.

It’s a new era for the Great Britain Women and 3 weeks from now they will face a huge test in the shape of Eurobasket 2013.

Damian Jennings recently got the nod to lead the team into battle and all the players I’ve spoken to recently are excited about playing for Jennings at Eurobasket. Having served his apprenticeship under Mark Clark and then Tom Maher, the players all felt that Jennings was the right choice to take on the role.

It’s not going to be easy, given the retirements of the likes of Julie Page and Natalie Stafford, along with the absence of the injured Temi Fagbenle.

But Jennings might end up having Jo Leedham for Eurobasket after the star guard narrowly missed out on a spot on a WNBA roster. We’ll find out the answer to that one this weekend.

The most enjoyable thing about the win over Israel was the fact it was a total team effort at both ends of the floor. The crowd at Guildford were in fine voice and helped create a good atmosphere to match the good play on the court.

The player of the game was Stef Collins who had a fantastic game with 12 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. The first quarter was dominated by the UWIC guard as she led the charge at both ends of the floor.

Collins will win her 100th cap against Germany on Sunday and at this rate, she’ll be winning a lot more caps for GB. One of the plays of the game saw Collins steal the ball at the top of GB’s key, then beat everyone down the court for a lay-up.

The third period was a purple patch for Rachel Vanderwal and she helped GB to their biggest lead at 54-41. She had not enjoyed a great game up until the second half, but suddenly it was as if she couldn’t miss and the shots began falling.

Vanderwal was also key in the fourth quarter as she was the only GB player scoring during a lean spell at the start of the period.

Other notable mentions must go to Kim Butler who made some key baskets at crucial times and Chantelle Handy, who looks like she will be a key part of the rotation this summer. Handy worked hard on the boards, sank some nice jumpshots and had showed great court vision to set up team-mates for baskets.

Azania Stewart and Stephanie Gandy were good in patches, and along with Rose Anderson, I believe they will all have at least one big game this weekend.

Of the new players to the fold, the one who stood out the most was Ella Clark. She looked nervous initially, but soon got into her stride and her six points in the second period helped ensure a half-time lead for Great Britain.

With the exception of Collins and Handy, who both played over 30 minutes, Jennings spread the minutes around and I expect that to continue all weekend as he works out who will make the cut for Eurobasket.

The win against Israel was impressive, but it’s only one game and they don’t really count until mid-June in France. But it’s a start and I’m hoping they build on this performance and put in two more big efforts over the weekend.

I’m optimistic they can do it.

The hosts take on Israel on Saturday at Surrey Sports Park with Collins in line to reach the landmark in Sunday’s clash with Germany.

And GB coach Damian Jennings, who previously worked with the veteran at club level with Cardiff Archers, has hailed Collins’ accomplishment of being an ever-present since the national team was re-established seven years ago.

“What an impressive feat for someone to stay that healthy, stay on top of her game and be considered the starting point guard of Great Britain throughout the Olympic Games,” he said.

“On a personal note, as her coach at club level for six years leading up to this, it makes me really proud to coach her through this 100th cap as well.”

GB finish off the tournament against Greece on Monday.

Britain’s European hopes have received a lift after Jo Leedham, their leading scorer in last summer’s Olympics, failed to earn a contract with the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun, freeing the Cheshire-born guard for international duty.

Pic: BB/MAP

In an interview with the BBL’s website, GB coach Damian Jennings revealed that her non-arrival at the team’s training camp was due to “the academic constrains that Harvard have put in place”. It followed the 19-year-old’s impressive debut NCAA campaign that saw the centre win the Ivy league’s Rookie of the Year.

However British Basketball released a statement on Tuesday, citing medical reasons for Fagbenle’s unavailability. No details of her injury were available.

“I cannot wait to represent GB again, but unfortunately I cannot be with the team this summer because of medical reasons,” said the player in a statement issued by BB.

“I am on an intensive rehab schedule for the next few months, and I aim to come back stronger and in less pain than I have been in the past. This was a difficult decision for me to make as I wanted nothing more than to represent GB again this summer, however, I believe I have made the right choice.”

Scotland international Erin McGarrachan is, as expected, to miss the European campaign due to an injury sustained late in the season at Houston Baptist University.

The GB team will play three home games in Guildford this coming weekend, with Jo Leedham also absent due to her attempts to win a place on the roster of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun.

British Basketball’s National Teams Director, Warwick Cann said: “Unfortunately injuries always play their part in player unavailability at this level. We are disappointed to lose any player from our squad because we genuinely want to help with their development and progress to reaching their personal goal of playing for their country.

“On the other hand we have a good group currently in training who are relishing the programme. We aim to do well at EuroBasket and we are building our depth for the future.”

Pic: Mansoor Ahmed/British Basketball

It is the second successive summer that the Royals have withdrawn, with financial reasons understood to be behind the decision.

With Essex Leopards also opting out, it leaves a bid from Bristol as the only new applicant still alive in the race to join for the start of the 2013-14 campaign in September.

However the hopefuls, plus Mersey Tigers, have been given an extended deadline of May 25 to prove their case for inclusion.

Meanwhile Edinburgh and Leeds Carnegie are set to come into the BBL in 2014 after passing the evaluation stages of their respective bids to receive a franchise.

It is understood that a St. Louis-based group, led by businessman Donald Sampley, has won the backing of the BBL’s board for an Edinburgh team to be based at Meadowbank Arena, bringing the league back to the city for the first time since the Rocks left for Glasgow in 2002.

“They have made an application,” confirmed BBL chief executive Andy Webb. “We’re now engaged in a process to take things forward.”

Leeds Carnegie, backed by their university, have also received a provisional nod for the 2014-15 campaign and may be awarded a place in this season’s BBL Trophy.

We get the lowdown from Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat’s three-pronged assault on the title and chat with three of this year’s NBA Rookie standouts.

There’s a look back on the BBL season and we go one-on-one with league MVP Drew Sullivan and hear why he thinks there’s a lot to be positive about in domestic hoops.

Plus there’s a big look ahead to Great Britain women’s EuroBasket campaign with new coach Damian Jennings, plus all the usual news, fashion and insider gossip.

Issue 12 (May/June 2013) is available NOW to buy in print from swishbasketball.co.uk or to download at Magzter.com or via our App on iTunes from May 10.

Full details www.mvp247.com/buy-mvp-magazine/

Leading the team in scoring and assists, Holiday’s hard work paid off with his first All-Star appearance and UK-based fans will have a chance to see Holiday up close in October when the Sixers head to Manchester to take on the Oklahoma Thunder in a pre-season friendly.

It will not be his first visit to Blighty, having been a spectator during the Olympic Games last year.

Although he’s only 22, Holiday already has four seasons of experience and is becoming a more valuable asset all the time. Unless there are major roster changes during the summer months, Holiday is in line to become the face of the franchise.

“There is a lot of pressure that comes with it,” he said. “I think last year, it was a start. Because I am young, it was a little nervous for me, going in and making big decisions like that.

“Yes, there is a little bit of pressure that comes with that, but at the same time not knowing what Andrew [Bynum – who missed season through injury] is going to do, someone had to step up to the plate.”

Having made the Eastern Conference semi-finals in 2012, and pushing the Boston Celtics to seven games, the Sixers took a step back this season as they finished with a 34-48 record, which was not good enough to secure a second straight play-off berth.

Reason number one for the decline? Bynum, with the All-Star centre missing the entire the season because of injury following his arrival from LA.

Holiday believes Bynum’s presence in the middle would have seen a radically campaign.

“Honestly, I think we’d still be in the play-offs,” said Holiday. “[Bynum] brings a big presence in the post and he brings a big presence on defence.

“I think he brings leadership to our team and even though I guess people really didn’t get a chance to talk to him this year, he was a big part in my development… talking to me about where people what want the ball, especially bigs. The way Andrew communicates with me, definitely helped me improve.”

It’s going to be a summer of change for Philadelphia and the Sixers’ roster could be a lot different when they visit Manchester.

The overhaul began this week with the hiring of new President and GM, Sam Hinkie, lured away from the Houston Rockets where he was part of their front office crew which jumped ahead in the use of advanced metrics to analyse player performance.

Holiday is hoping the Moneyball approach will help turn around the fortunes of the struggling Sixers.

“I think it’s something new, it could be something fresh,” he said. “Obviously you don’t really know for sure and sometimes you have to adapt to things.

“Going with I guess that Moneyball-kind of mentality, I think there’s a fair chance for people all around the board to show off their talent. I think that’s far and away the best way to play because you kind to have to take egos out of it when you bring in that mentality.

“I think that might bring chemistry and a lot of good things to the team.”

One of Hinkie’s first jobs will be to appoint a new head coach to replace Doug Collins, who retired from coaching at the end of the season. Someone new will get the opportunity to turn the Sixers around.

Holiday’s advice to his new boss? “You’d want someone with a lot of energy,” he states. “NBA players know how to score but defence is under-rated in the NBA so hopefully we have somebody who really can expand the defence.”

Whoever follows Collins would do well to lean on the Sixers emerging leader.

“You never know about new coaches,” said Holiday. “I feel like every coach that comes in is looking to change and looking to win. Honestly, that’s what I’m all about it.

“As a point guard, you have to represent the coach on the court so it’s good to be on the same page. I don’t think it will be hard. This will be my third coach in five years and usually coaches in this league have a handle on those situations.”

The Philadelphia 76ers will be playing against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Manchester on October 8. Make sure you beat the queue for tickets by signing up for NBA All-Access at www.nba.com/allaccess/

(Additional reporting, Mark Woods. Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

Great Britain’s women suffered a 64-50 loss to Belarus on Monday to drop to 0-2 from their trip to Lithuania.

It came after GB suffered a 49-43 defeat to Belarus on Sunday in their opening friendly of the summer, despite a late 14-3 run, with veteran pair Roz Mason and Steph Gandy each scoring ten points in what was Damian Jennings first game as head coach.

In the second leg, Chantelle Handy scored a team-high 12.

“The scoreboard does not quite paint the true picture of progress made after our 5 days of training together,” said Jennings. “I managed to see 14 players contribute over both games, and there really is a wonderful togetherness to this group”

GB are still without Jo Leedham, due to WNBA training camp, as well as Erin McGarrachan and Temi Fagbenle, due to university exams, as they build towards next month’s EuroBasket Women in France.

“What I like about the new players who have come in is that there isn’t a huge margin between them and the seniors, there is a complementary style of basketball in terms of the way they are training,” said Jennings of his first week of preparations.

“Once we get into game situations in practice that is when you can see the senior players’ game experience coming through. I have no doubt that once we have test games under our belt and we get closer to EuroBasket that’s when the senior group will shine through.”

Vassilis Spanoulis, the Most Valuable Player of the game and of this season’s competition, scored all 22 of his points in the second half as the Greeks rallied from 17 down to lift the trophy for the third time in their history.

It was spell-binding, dazzling stuff. If nothing else, the Reds of Athens have a flare for the dramatic like few others.

“Life makes beautiful stories sometimes,” reflected victorious coach Georgios Bartzokas.

“Everyone at Olympiacos is part of a beautiful story. It was a very difficult competition with a very difficult situation with injuries. People were talking against us. And we reached this summit now. Today we showed again what is our belief in this team, our character, how we never say never, that we never give up.

“We can play different kinds of basketball. We can score 60 as against CSKA (in the semi-final) and score 100 like we did today. If you ask our secret, it’s our cohesion. We are united, and we are a big example to the whole of Greece, how we Greeks can make miracles if we work together. And if we don’t work together, we can destroy ourselves.”

An early 17-2 run, sparked by the former NBA player Rudy Fernandez, gave Madrid vital early momentum as they surged 27-10 clear. However, just as they did 12 months ago in Istanbul, Olympiacos came back from the dead.

They closed the gap to 41-37 at half-time and then edged ahead for the first time in the third period. Bit by bit, the holders negated their rivals strengths, bullying them into submission in the paint while seizing their opportunities on the perimeter.

Spanoulis: outstanding (Ville Vuorinen)

“In the first half, I was trying to figure out how they were playing me,” Spanoulis said. “In the second half, I came out aggressive because my team needed me.”

He dug into his reserves to come up with the necessary solutions, he said. It brought a devastating switch.

After the rivals were deadlocked at 61-61 with ten minutes left, Spanoulis inspired a decisive burst of nine consecutive points which ruthlessly suffocated Real’s hopes.

And with Acie Law adding 20, Olympiacos – who shot 66.7% – turned the screw in the closing minutes as their noisy hordes of supporters turned up the volume.

“We didn’t play so well in the beginning and didn’t put too much effort and energy in the game,” Dimitrios Katsivelis admitted.

“We improved our defence in the second half, made the open shots and won the game. It is too early to know which of the two Euroleague titles is more special. I am very happy and want to enjoy this moment.”

Fernandez paced Real with 21 but they came off distinctly second best as their initial gains were ruthlessly erased. Their 18-year wait for this honour will go on.

“Today is a sad day but to lose finals but you have to play finals,” declared Madrid head coach Pablo Laso.

Real faded away (Ville Vuorinen)

“It was a game with a lot of physical contact with a lot of speed. It was a great game. We started off playing good. Our defensive plan was working well at the beginning of the game. We were making tough shots but for me, we got too much of an advantage.

“It was not that big difference in basketball because they were making shots.

“They increased the level defensively in the second quarter. They recovered. And the game changed on the first three plays of the third quarter. Spanoulis changed the rhythm. But we were still working to get back in the game.

“At the end they were able to control the defence that they had and got the championship.”

It came against the odds, not just with the bookmakers this weekend, but amid financial turmoil in Greece and within Olympiacos itself, forcing changes behind the scenes, off-court uncertainties and a degree of doubt that they had enough to live again with the very best.

In the first Final Four in the UK, they brought a shine to the proceedings and fireworks to finish. It was almost

“100 points is an amazing achievement,” Spanoulis smiled, shortly before being drenched – along with Bartzokas-  by his team-mates in the post-game press conference.

“I don’t think any other team has achieved it in the Final Four where defences are dominant. But this team has amazing chemistry. Everyone knows their role.”

The Greek gods were smiling. On Mount Olympus, they know the pleasure of heavenly delights.

3rd place play-off. CSKA Moscow 74-73 FC Barcelona

A pair of free-throws from Aaron Jackson with 29 seconds left proved decisive as CSKA Moscow gained the consolation of third place at Euroleague Final Four, edging out FC Barcelona 74-73.

However the Russians had to withstand a ferocious rally from their rivals who trailed by 13 in the third quarter before almost snatching victory.

After the sides were level at 35-35 at half-time, an immediate 13-0 run from CSKA threatened to blow out the short-handed Spaniards.

However Juan Carlos Navarro hit a three that brought Barcelona back to trail 59-54 entering the fourth. And in the final minute, La Bomba – racking up a game-best 17 points – dropped another three to give his side only their second lead of the game.

However Jackson held steady from the foul line and Marcelo Huertas failed to convert off the final play as Moscow held on, behind a team-best 16 points from Viktor Khyrapa.

FINAL – LIVE BLOG

Thanks for following. And remember, the game is on ESPN at 11pm.

It’s over. Olympiacos retain their European title with a brilliant second half showing in which they proved the better team. Plus that man Spanoulis is something else.

5:00 left in 4th: Shermadini makes three-point play to put Olympiacos up 78-70. Antic gets a tip in for 7-0 run.

Olympiacos lead 70-62 with 7:17 left. Spanouilis buries a 3-pointer. He has owned this second half. The Athenian massive go wild.

END 3RD: Real Madrid 61-61 Olympiacos. Fernandez 17 – Spanouilis, Law 12. It’s become a tough physical, brutal encounter. It’s now about making shots.

Olympiacos 57-56 Real Madrid with 2:09 left in 3rd. Now have have a final!

Spanoulis gives Olympiakos their first lead with a three and then a 15-5 run puts the champs 52-46 in front as we reach the midway point of the third.

HALF-TIME: Real Madrid 41-37 Olympiacos. Rudy Fernandez –  Acie Law 8. The champions are still alive.

Olympiacos cut their deficit to 33-28 with 2:49 left in 2nd despite…. Vassilis Spanoulis 0/5 FG, 2 turnovers and -11 RK.

Back come Olympiacos – 12-2 start to second period. 29-22 with 5:20 left. Their defence has ramped up several notches.

End 1st Real Madrid 27-10 Olympiacos Rudy Fernandez is bossing this game. He and Sergio Lliul have eight points each and Madrid and towering inside. The holders yet to find their rhythm at either end. But we know from 2012 not to write them off.

20:11 Real supporters banner, in Spanish, reads: “”If you don’t bring home the cup, you’ll be sleeping on the sofa.” There’s an incentive. They lead 13-5 with 5:11 left in 1st. Madrid bossing it inside.

Olympiacos 5-8 Real Madrid with 6:34 left in 1st. Consensus here is that it comes down to how gives you more: team play of Greeks or stellar play of Mirotic and Rudy for Real.

Starting line-ups Oly: Law, Spanoulis, Papanikolaou, Printezis, Powell. Real: Llull, Rudy, Suarez, Mirotic, Begic.

19:59 Arvydas Sabonis on court pre-game. Was part of the Real Madrid team which last won the Euroleague title in 1995. Here we go though. 252 games down. 1 to go….

19:48 Teams warming up. Fans making noise. Seats largely filled. And I made an appearance on BongoCam. As you do.

3rd place play-off. CSKA Moscow 74-73 FC Barcelona

A pair of free-throws from Aaron Jackson with 29 seconds left proved decisive as CSKA Moscow gained the consolation of third place at Euroleague Final Four, edging out FC Barcelona 74-73.

However the Russians had to withstand a ferocious rally from their rivals who trailed by 13 in the third quarter before almost snatching victory.

After the sides were level at 35-35 at half-time, an immediate 13-0 run from CSKA threatened to blow out the short-handed Spaniards.

However Juan Carlos Navarro hit a three that brought Barcelona back to trail 59-54 entering the fourth. And in the final minute, La Bomba – racking up a game-best 17 points – dropped another three to give his side only their second lead of the game.

However Jackson held steady from the foul line and Marcelo Huertas failed to convert off the final play as Moscow held on, behind a team-best 16 points from Viktor Khyrapa.

18:37 CSKA Moscow 68-65 FC Barcelona with 3:01 left

18:20 CSKA Moscow 59-54 FC Barcelona, End 3rd.

18:12 THE GREEKS ARE HERE! THE GREEKS ARE HERE! Finally some noise. And tip-off to the final is still two hours away. In other news, CSKA make a 9-0 run to go up 52.44 with 4:02 left in teh third.

17:42 Moscow 35-35 FC Barcelona HT

Quite entertaining first half between two teams with nothing really to play for. Certainly more CSKA fans seem to have stayed on. Arena slowly filling up.

17:16 Interesting stat from @Euroleague. Only Dejan Tomasevic won the Euroleague, Eurocup, FIBA World Championships and EuroBasket titles. Felipe Reyes and Rudy Fernandez would emulate him if Real Madrid win. Remember the final is on ESPN, on delay, at 11pm tonight.

17:00 FC Barcelona v CSKA Moscow

There’s vast swathes of empty seats for the third place play-off at The 02. Victor Sada and Nate Jawai are sitting out for the Spaniards.

Joventut win juniors

In an all-Catalan final to the Nike Junior International Tournament, Joventut Badalona pulled out a convincing 82-59 win over FC Barcelona with Alberto Abalde pacing the winners with 18 points on 8-for-14 shooting plus 9 rebounds.

An 8-0 run by Badalona early in the second quarter pushed their advantage to 33-21 and they moved 17 points clear by half-time.

And any hopes Barcelona had of a comeback were extinguished when Joventut went on a 15-0 run to go 61-31 clear with 4:30 to play in the third quarter, cruising to their first ever NIJT title.

For Barcelona Marc Garcia hit 18 points.

England finished with a 1-2 record, taking an excellent 78-61 victory over Spars Sarajevo in their final group game to come second. Luke Nelson had 20 points for the English Under-18s who will now turn their attention to this summer’s European Championships.

But the defending champions look ominous. Written off as outsiders at this first-ever British Final Four in the UK, the Greeks were simply superlative at both ends of the floor, limiting the pre-tournament favourites to 7/21 shooting while executing ruthlessly time and again.

It was an 11-3 run in the second quarter which took them clear for good and on their way to a 40-28 half-time lead.

But they denied their rivals a single field goal in the third period to bolt the door shut on any hopes of a rally with Kyle Hines pacing a balance assault by grabbing a team-high 13 points and 10 rebounds.

“We are the best group of guys in Europe,” said Olympiacos centre Pero Antic. “Nobody has better mentality than us. It’s about team, playing together, brotherhood. We’re always there for each other. That’s our secret. We were underdogs for this game, but maybe it was even more motivation.

“We dominated the game almost all 40 minutes. CSKA is a very good team, but we did a great job today stopping them. Last season we won only in the last second, but this season it was a totally different story. But it doesn’t matter. In the Final Four the key is to get a win. By a point or by 20.”

Sonny Weems had 13 points for Moscow but once again, the Russians will come up short in their title bid. Their big names, Nenad Krstic and Milos Teodosic, were anonymous and 13 missed free throws proved fatal.

Pressure came in waves from the Greeks and they dominated inside, out-rebounding CSKA 41-29. More than that, they brought the fight of an underdog. They might have one more surprise to unveil this weekend yet.

CSKA will chase the consolation of third place but they were masters of their own downfall.

“I haven’t seen us play like that in a long time,” Weems admitted. “Some of the guys did not show up, and it is the worst game we played the whole season. Especially in the Final Four, you should not play like this. And we played terrible. If we wanted to play like this, we should have stayed at home. It was terrible.”

El Clasico lives up to billing as Real thwart old rivals

It promises to be quite an encounter when the Athenians take the Madrilenos for the prize.

Felipe Reyes, scoring a team-best 17 points, inspired a late 17-2 burst that eventually saw Real to victory but it looked for so long that another upset was on the cards.

The Spanish aristocrats duelled back and forth, neither able to quite land a fatal blow despite a huge early lead for Barca and then a swing back to Real that took them 40-33 in front at half-time.

The Catalans, lest we forgot, have the best record in Euroleague play this season and despite their injuries and domestic struggles, they kept pushing back when the momentum rolled back towards Los Blancos.

Ante Tomic was outstanding inside, notching 18 points and 12 boards. For long spells, he had little support but Real, somehow, toiled to apply a killer touch.

A 12-0 run, inspired by Marcelo Huertas, sent Barcelona 56-48 clear early in the fourth but beneath a raucous near-capacity crowd, there was little danger that their foes would simply fade away.

Ultimately, their best was enough.

In the same building where he picked up a silver medal at last summer’s Olympic Games, Reyes willed Real forward, cutting the gap to 63-61 before Spanish team-mate Sergio Rodriguez snared a steal to level with four minutes left.

Their burst grew to ten unanswered points and their cushion to 69-63 with 2:08 left.

From that, Barcelona – despite a game-high 19 points from Huertas – could not plot an escape route.

“Even when Barcelona got an 8-point lead, we didn’t fall apart,” Reyes said. “The players that came off the bench and let our starters rest stepped on court with more energy. With the help of everyone – in this case, I had the chance to offer many things on offense, but always with the help of my teammates. It is very important, it means a lot for us to put Madrid back on top.

“I hope that we can do it on Sunday. We face a strong opponent that has proved to be a powerful team, especially on defence. It will not be easy. This is an important win but we haven’t done anything yet, as the big game is on Sunday.”

Barcelona now play CSKA for third but know they missed a golden chance.

“We managed to get the lead in the first quarter but stopped playing defence,” Juan Carlos Navarro admitted. “Madrid got a good lead which allowed them to win the game. The detail that decided the game is that we were not focused in the key moments. We stopped playing defence when we were up by nine and Madrid took off. And against a team like this, if that happens, that’s it.”

Not since 1996 have these two great rivals squared off at a Final Four. “The only one repeating from that game is me,” recalls Real coach Pablo Luno, a player back then.

“What remains is the sports rivalry, the fact that you play against a team from your same league and country. That rivalry between Madrid and Barcelona goes back many years and is present in football and basketball.” He was a loser that year. This time, he hopes, might be different.

The giants from the Spanish capital were defending champions then. They have not won a European title since, watching their old adversaries from Catalunya achieve sustained success at home and abroad.

Both have spent big, with budgets in excess of £20m that demand trophies.

Inevitably, whenever and wherever they meet, it carries significance. Their meeting at The 02 will not be a meeting of strangers, with no ploys hidden away.

“It will be difficult to have tactical surprises,” said Barca coach Xavi Pascual.

“We have met each other so many times. We know each other so well. We have prepared well. Both of us want victory but it will be a Clasico within the Final Four which will be very special.”

The fans who have travelled to the UK will add colour that the hosts cannot provide. The Euroleague has been made at home by London, with a huge fan event in Trafalgar Square, a lavish launch party at the City Hall plus the trapping of a venue which is among the finest in the world.

This is still, however, a country which will barely notice. Tickets have been slow to sell, with heavy discounts offered in recent days to fill up the empty seats and tempt the public to witness an event which has no British involvement save for its destination.

The players, you suspect, will barely notice. Their eye is on taking the bragging rights but most importantly, advancing into Sunday’s final by seeing off their Spanish rivals.

Navarro will be a star (FE)

“It will definitely be a close game,” forecast Madrid’s Jaycee Carroll. “Details, concentration, focus are things going into this kind of game that you must concentrate on. I think the key would be rebounding.

“The team that has rebounded better in the past has won. I don’t think there’s any particular match-up that will affect the game most.

“There are the two stars, Rudy (Fernandez) and (Juan Carlos) Navarro, but without the team playing its best it really doesn’t matter. Whether you know the team or not, you have to go out there and play. I don’t see it as an advantage or a disadvantage.”

Real, over the season, have been the more convincing of the two, storming clear in the ACB while coasting into Final Four. Barcelona, wounded by the loss of Pete Mickael to illness, have not looked their best. Injuries to Nate Jawai and CJ Wallace have also been a blight in recent weeks. Expectations have deliberately been played down.

There is, says their veteran guard, Sarunas Jasikevicius, a need to be ready for battle.

“We have to go and fight,” he claimed. “We have to concentrate on a lot of details and take them out of their sweet spots, so to speak. We defended their offense pretty decently lately.

“We got punished a lot on one-on-ones and offensive rebounds, giving them a lot of points that we were not able to make up later on in the game; that’s the reason why we lost to them last game. All those points, I consider them cheap and you have to eliminate as many cheap points as possible.”

That may make it a grind. But their fans will not care. A win would, at least, allow them to depart on Sunday with pride intact. Losing? Simply too painful to contemplate.

Olympiacos out for upset

It is a rarity in Euroleague history that the reigning champions come back to Final Four as the rank outsiders to retain their title. For Olympiaos, that is a status they are happy to embrace going into their semi-final with CSKA Moscow (5pm, ESPN).

“We’ve always been underdogs, even last year,” declares their American Kyle Hines. “That’s a position we’re comfortable in. We don’t mind what people think of us. We just will go out and try to do our job well.”

Their Russian opponents are favourites, not just to advance but to lift this title. Expense has been no object. In Ettore Messina, they have a coach who has been here before and has a wardrobe of t-shirts. But CSKA, re-built after their collapse in last year’s final with the Greeks, have slowly pulled together as the season has gone on.

Spanoulis is league MVP

“We had some changes early in the season and it took some time for us to play well,” states Viktor Khryapa. “But particularly at the important time, when it came to the playoffs, we did well.”

There is pressure on Moscow to come up trumps in London. They have waited 12 months to banish their nightmare of Istanbul 2012 when the trophy was in their grasp when they led by 19 points but they let it slip away. Now, says Messina, is not the time to dwell on that 62-61 defeat.

“I was aware of the pain and suffering from the year,” says the Italian, who began his second spell with CSKA after leaving the LA Lakers last summer.

“My focus has been to prepare, to build the best team possible and to consider the talent in the tea. Now it’s not the right time to think about what happened last year. You can have a great sense of motivation so you can have revenge. But if you think about what you can take in cold blood, it can get you too excited.”

There is still pressure on Olympiacos to repeat, Hines insists. “That comes along with the title. But with the type of characters we have, we know and understand what’s at stake here.”

In Vassilis Spanoulis, they have the newly-crowned Euroleague MVP. And the intangibles that have taken them so far before. “We will try to make use of all our talent and fighting spirit,” their coach Georgios Batzokas underlines.

“Until the end we’ll fight to win. We’ll of course try to express the talent of our players. In my opinion, it always exists. We have survived many tough games. From here we want to become a better team than what we were when we came here.”