{"id":440300,"date":"2025-05-02T11:54:45","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T09:54:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/?p=440300"},"modified":"2025-05-02T11:54:45","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T09:54:45","slug":"real-madrid-eliminated-from-euroleague-absences-missed-chances-and-the-end-of-an-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/real-madrid-eliminated-from-euroleague-absences-missed-chances-and-the-end-of-an-era\/","title":{"rendered":"Real Madrid Eliminated from EuroLeague: Absences, Missed Chances, and the End of an Era"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"\" data-start=\"142\" data-end=\"525\"><strong data-start=\"142\" data-end=\"183\">Real Madrid is out of the EuroLeague.<\/strong> The Blancos fell 84-86 to Olympiacos in Game 4, bowing out in a heartbreaking finish after Alberto Abalde&#8217;s last-second three-point attempt clanged off the rim. It ends a three-year streak of Final Four appearances (Belgrade 2022, Kaunas 2023\u2014where they lifted their 11th title\u2014and Berlin 2024), and it signals more than just a playoff loss.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"527\" data-end=\"687\">This was not about a single missed shot. <strong data-start=\"568\" data-end=\"590\">Four major factors<\/strong> explain why Madrid, for the first time in three seasons, won\u2019t compete for the EuroLeague crown.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"689\" data-end=\"732\"><strong data-start=\"693\" data-end=\"732\">1. Injuries that changed everything<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"734\" data-end=\"1027\">The return of Evan Fournier (23 points) from an ankle hematoma gave Madrid some hope, but it was offset by the <strong data-start=\"845\" data-end=\"889\">absences of Gabriel Deck and Serge Ibaka<\/strong>. Without Deck, Madrid lost structure and consistency at the power forward position, with Hezonja and Garuba forced into unfamiliar roles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1029\" data-end=\"1273\">Ibaka\u2019s absence proved even more critical. In great form recently, he would\u2019ve been vital as Edy Tavares battled foul trouble and Bruno Fernando failed to offer reliable minutes. The result: a weakened rotation and less protection near the rim.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"1275\" data-end=\"1332\"><strong data-start=\"1279\" data-end=\"1332\">2. Tavares, foul trouble, and controversial calls<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1334\" data-end=\"1722\">Tavares has been vocal throughout the series about picking up early fouls. In Game 4, he logged <strong data-start=\"1430\" data-end=\"1468\">just 16 minutes before fouling out<\/strong>, with three early infractions and a debatable fifth. Whether the officiating was inconsistent or not, his absence opened the paint for Olympiacos to dominate on the boards and in scoring efficiency. On offense, Madrid lost one of its most reliable bigs.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"tr\">\ud83d\udc40 Tavares&#8217;in burada \u00e7al\u0131nan h\u00fccum faulle birlikte be\u015flemesi, Real Madrid taraftar\u0131n\u0131 \u00e7\u0131lg\u0131na \u00e7evirdi!<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BT8Pbbt0Hc\">pic.twitter.com\/BT8Pbbt0Hc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Eurohoops T\u00fcrkiye (@EurohoopsTR) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EurohoopsTR\/status\/1918051741045788698?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 1, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Stop following green clowns. Makes you bad losers. It&#8217;s the definition of foul, though you can see in this video what Tavares did in 4 straight plays before this screen. Reminder: He has 4 fouls.. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bLhw0bJv6m\">pic.twitter.com\/bLhw0bJv6m<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Tziritzatzoules (@Tziri_tza_tzoul) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Tziri_tza_tzoul\/status\/1918070405811847418?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 1, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"1724\" data-end=\"1759\"><strong data-start=\"1728\" data-end=\"1759\">3. The three-point collapse<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1761\" data-end=\"2080\">Madrid was stellar from beyond the arc in the first half (8-for-14) but fell apart after the break, finishing with <strong data-start=\"1876\" data-end=\"1893\">just 2-for-10<\/strong> in the second half. For a team that ranked third-worst in the EuroLeague from three-point range this season, the regression was no surprise\u2014and the final miss by Abalde summed it all up.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"2082\" data-end=\"2111\"><strong data-start=\"2086\" data-end=\"2111\">4. The minute of doom<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2113\" data-end=\"2360\">From the 37th to 38th minute, Madrid\u2019s hopes unraveled: a missed three from Fournier, Tavares fouling out, a blown layup from Llull after a steal, and a dagger three from Vezenkov to make it 80-85. In a blink, the game\u2014and the season\u2014slipped away.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"2362\" data-end=\"2388\"><strong data-start=\"2366\" data-end=\"2388\">5. End of a cycle?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2390\" data-end=\"2850\">Since the EuroLeague&#8217;s modern format began in 2016-2017, Madrid has <strong data-start=\"2458\" data-end=\"2505\">missed the Final Four only once (2020-2021)<\/strong>\u2014the season after Facundo Campazzo left for the NBA. This year marks another turning point, following the departures of longtime leaders <strong data-start=\"2642\" data-end=\"2718\">Sergio Rodriguez, Rudy Fernandez, Fabien Causeur, and Guerschon Yabusele<\/strong>. It\u2019s hard not to draw a line between those exits and the team\u2019s struggles. Leadership, identity, and depth have all been affected.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"2852\" data-end=\"2890\"><strong data-start=\"2856\" data-end=\"2890\">6. Voices from the locker room<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2892\" data-end=\"2969\">Alberto Abalde, the man with the final shot, summed it up with raw honesty:<\/p>\n<blockquote data-start=\"2970\" data-end=\"3100\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2972\" data-end=\"3100\">\u201cWe had it. I had it. It didn\u2019t go in. It\u2019s tough. We were hoping to go back to Greece and fight for Game 5. But now it\u2019s over.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3102\" data-end=\"3165\">Captain <strong data-start=\"3110\" data-end=\"3126\">Sergio Llull<\/strong> reflected on the missed opportunity:<\/p>\n<blockquote data-start=\"3166\" data-end=\"3413\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3168\" data-end=\"3413\">\u201cThese games are decided by small things\u2014a shot you miss, a shot they make. Congrats to Olympiacos, they deserved it. We fought till the end, and we should be proud. But yes, there\u2019s a lot we need to improve if we want to grow and win the Liga.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3415\" data-end=\"3642\">Madrid exits with dignity, but not with glory. The <strong data-start=\"3466\" data-end=\"3489\">Liga Endesa remains<\/strong>, but the real task ahead is <strong data-start=\"3518\" data-end=\"3551\">rebuilding a winning identity<\/strong> in a post-legend era. And the biggest question now is: <strong data-start=\"3607\" data-end=\"3642\" data-is-last-node=\"\">who will lead the next chapter?<\/strong><\/p>\n<style>\n  .responsive-table {<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n    border-collapse: collapse;<br \/>\n    font-family: Arial, sans-serif;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .responsive-table thead {<br \/>\n    background-color: #f2f2f2;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .responsive-table th,<br \/>\n  .responsive-table td {<br \/>\n    text-align: left;<br \/>\n    padding: 10px;<br \/>\n    border: 1px solid #ddd;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .responsive-table tbody tr:nth-child(even) {<br \/>\n    background-color: #f9f9f9;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  @media screen and (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n    .responsive-table thead {<br \/>\n      display: none;<br \/>\n    }<\/p>\n<p>    .responsive-table,<br \/>\n    .responsive-table tbody,<br \/>\n    .responsive-table tr,<br \/>\n    .responsive-table td {<br \/>\n      display: block;<br \/>\n      width: 100%;<br \/>\n    }<\/p>\n<p>    .responsive-table tr {<br \/>\n      margin-bottom: 15px;<br \/>\n    }<\/p>\n<p>    .responsive-table td {<br \/>\n      text-align: right;<br \/>\n      padding-left: 50%;<br \/>\n      position: relative;<br \/>\n    }<\/p>\n<p>    .responsive-table td::before {<br \/>\n      content: attr(data-label);<br \/>\n      position: absolute;<br \/>\n      left: 10px;<br \/>\n      text-align: left;<br \/>\n      font-weight: bold;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n<\/style>\n<table class=\"responsive-table\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Season<\/th>\n<th>Result<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Season\">2016\u20132017<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"Result\">Fourth place<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Season\">2017\u20132018<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"Result\">Champion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Season\">2018\u20132019<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"Result\">Third place<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Season\">2019\u20132020<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"Result\">Season cancelled<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Season\">2020\u20132021<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"Result\">Missed Final Four<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Season\">2021\u20132022<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"Result\">Runner-up<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Season\">2022\u20132023<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"Result\">Champion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Season\">2023\u20132024<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"Result\">Runner-up<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Season\">2024\u20132025<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"Result\">Missed Final Four<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Il Real Madrid saluta l\u2019Eurolega. Lo fa dopo una sconfitta amarissima in Gara 4 contro l\u2019Olympiacos (84-86), in un finale da brividi deciso dal ferro<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":440299,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_spbk_hide_featured":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[34,82],"tags":[],"rumors":[],"typology":[19],"posizionamento":[],"class_list":["post-440300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-acb","category-euroleague","typology-video"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/05\/Gp5Gen1XsAA9wze.jpg","digistream_id":0,"digistream":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=440300"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440300\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/440299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=440300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=440300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=440300"},{"taxonomy":"rumors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rumors?post=440300"},{"taxonomy":"typology","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/typology?post=440300"},{"taxonomy":"posizionamento","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportando.basketball\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posizionamento?post=440300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}