Malaga basketballers reign in Athens with another Champions League title (67-83)

As the years go by, Malaga fans will remember this legendary Unicaja basketball squad for winning their second Champions League in a row and their sixth title in two years.

Unicaja are champions once more; it will be almost impossible for this to happen again, so enjoy it while it lasts. In a flawless game, at the height a demanding European final, the Malaga team overpowered Galatasaray - turning their reign in the tournament into a dynasty. They won outright (67-83) to an opponent who ended up surrendering to Unicaja as the better team at the start and end of the season.

Kravish's two fouls 50 seconds into the game disrupted the Malaga team's plans to contain Galatasaray's pivots, who were cutting with a lot of penetration in the early stages.

The instructions were clear, such as Koksal defending Perry to prevent him from getting into the rhythm of the game. However, the focus was on another man: Tyson Carter. The American's pride was hurt after not being recognised by Fiba at the gala the day before. As a result of this rage, he put his team up 4-10 after three minutes. The Malaga defence was solid and maintained the level with the second unit and the talent of Osetkowski. The game became tougher and tougher, with a lot of fouls and little rhythm, which did not favour Unicaja, who closed the first quarter with 13-19.

Unicaja's dominance was accentuated against an opponent who crashed out with impossible penetrations that ended in fouls in attack. The Malaga team's first three-pointer made the game 13-14 shortly after the start of the second quarter. However, Galatasaray not only did not let up, but reacted with more muscle in defence and took advantage of the fact that Unicaja lost their formation when attacking.

Several turnovers and too many three-pointers opened the door to a 13-3 run that allowed the Turks to tie the game (26-26, in minute 17). Ibon Navarro's solution was Tyson Pérez, who came into the game like a whirlwind with six straight points, making his way across the court to the hoop, using his height to his advantage. Unicaja had withstood their opponents' first wave and were 20 minutes away from another title (31-37).

Unicaja's performance was just what they needed, even though Cummings balanced the game. The Malaga team were solid in defence and brilliantly overcame the absence of Perry, who was injured on the bench.

Kameron Taylor then emerged with a display of his distinct technique, six straight points and a pass from behind for Kravish to score. Unicaja led 40-49 and Galatasaray had to do without Cummings, their best player, with four fouls. The Turks were down for a few seconds after Kravish and Osetkowski scored again, but the team from Malaga did not take advantage of the moment. Tyrone Wallace then emerged in the place of Cummings and Palmer (49-53, min. 28). Things could have been worse, but the Turks missed four free throws in a row and Unicaja went into the final quarter with a seven-point lead (49-56).

The game was slow, unusual for coach Ibon Navarro's side, who knew how to adapt to this situation. Sharing the ball well and taking advantage of their opponents' mistakes, they gradually increased their dominance. Perry returned recovered and, with the first ball he received, scored a three pointer.

The Unicaja fans in the stands were on their feet - already glimpsing victory (54-63). There was still a lot of game left, but the energy was good and even better when Kalinoski scored five straight points to increase the lead to 12. The American's two dunks put an end to Galatasaray's opposition, who were no longer able to hit back. Three-pointers from Perry and Kalinoski sealed another final win for Unicaja: kings of Athens.