When Virtus Segafredo Bologna hosts UNICS Kazan on Wednesday in a do-or-die clash for a spot in the 7DAYS EuroCup Finals – and 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague eligibility, the home team knows that small forward Kyle Weems is a player it can rely on under pressure. Weems reached the EuroCup Finals with Strasbourg in 2016 and wants to get there again. He is averaging 10.5 points on strong shooting percentages (67.0% 2FG, 41.3% 3FG, 83.3% FT), 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 20 EuroCup games this season. Weems hopes to take advantage of this opportunity and bring Virtus back to the EuroLeague, as he said in this EuroCupBasketball.com interview. "One of the main goals of this club, when I signed here two summers ago, was to was to be able to get this club to the EuroLeague, back where they wanted to be," Weems said. "And to be so close, there is only one way to do it: that is to come out with extreme energy, extreme focus and just be ready to go to battle for 40 minutes until the buzzer sounds. And when it does, hopefully, we will be on top."

**Hello, Kyle. First of all, how does it feel to be part of such an amazing playoff series?**

"It is awesome, especially because the body of work that we have had up until this point just kind of makes for a special stage. UNICS has a great team of great athletes, great shot-makers, great playmakers and a great coach, so we need to be focused, concentrate on our game plan, and play tough. And hopefully, we can get the job done tomorrow night."

**How do you approach a do-or-die game like this, with the EuroCup season on the line?**

"I think it's important to obviously understand the stakes of the game. I think everybody pretty much understands that from both teams, from both clubs. But I think as a player, it's important to keep your routine, keep your game day routine the same, kind of treat it as any old game and don't do anything out of the normal. Do all the things that have got you here to this point individually and collectively. And that's just going to be my own individual outlook on the game. Just treat it as another game. We have to go out and play physical. It's going to be a tough game. And like we have told ourselves all year long, we have to rely on our defense because we feel like we can score at any given time. But we need to rely on our defense and hopefully, that'll be enough to get the job done." 

"We need to rely on our defense and hopefully, that'll be enough."

**In Game 2, Virtus fought back from 18 points down to tie the game in the final minute. Despite the loss, is that a good sign going forward?**

"For sure, because I think we kind of took the momentum back a little bit if that makes sense. I don't really believe in moral victories, but watching the game film and seeing the mistakes that we had, we had a lot of, I call them 'killing turnovers'. When we turned it over, they were able to score. They also had some really big offensive rebounds that hurt us as well. And also, we didn't shoot at our best. Obviously, Belinelli was fantastic, but Teodosic wasn't able to make a three and I wasn't able to make a three on my own attempt. These are just some things we have to look forward to and hold our head high about."

**Game 1 was also really close. Were you a bit confident because of Virtus's amazing winning streak?**

"I don't know if it's necessarily that we hadn't lost the game; I think we have just been in so many close games like battling back in Monaco earlier in the season, around Christmas time. A few weeks ago, we had a similar type of game down 7, I believe, under 2 minutes against Cedevita Olimpija. Then against Joventut Badalona, it was tied with about 7 minutes to go in Game 1, them battling back in Game 2 in Badalona and us being able to close it out. So we have seen those types of close games before. I thought we did a good job of kind of staying poised and just kind of staying in the moment. And like I said earlier, really focusing on defense. We were able to get some key stops and Teodosic had a huge bucket. We had some free throws late and we were able to close it out."

**After two years playing with Teodosic, does he still surprise you sometimes?**

"Honestly, nothing that he does anymore surprises me, just because he is such a great talent. His basketball IQ is out of this world, his passing ability, his courage, honestly, I think is one of his best attributes. I mean, the guy is never scared at the moment. Like in the last game, we get the jump ball and he immediately breaks it down and just goes right to the bucket for a layup. So just his courage, his talent and obviously his IQ is something that I have never seen before."

**UNICS is a very physical team top to bottom. Is matching its physicality the biggest key to Game 3?**

"For sure. You have to be ready physically, just like you need to be ready mentally for this series They hit, and we like to think that we play physical and hit, too. So it is just going to be who can hit in the smartest way without fouling, obviously, and not make bad fouls in the bonus. I think that has been key for both games. They dealt with some bad fouls in the bonus in Game 1, we dealt with some bad fouls in different quarters of Game 1. And just trying to keep them off the free-throw line, but playing smart and playing physical within the confines of the rules of basketball, I think is definitely going to be huge for this game."

**You played the EuroCup Finals with Strasbourg in 2016. What do you remember about it?**

"I think it's very similar in effect to Galatasaray. They were physical as well and had a great group of foreigners, of guys on a team similar to this UNICS team. They were athletic, liked to throw the ball inside and did a lot of switching. And that's kind of similar to what UNICS is doing now. So just being able to slow down, not panic, not rush, read the game, take as smart shots as possible and also keeping UNICS out of transition, similar to what my Strasbourg team needed to do with Galatasaray, with those athletic guys that they had. The atmosphere in Game 2 was amazing. There is nothing that tops that game. Even though we lost it, was a great game to be a part of something that I'll never forget, pulling up to the arena and walking down the tunnel. It was already sold out between 12,000 to 15,000, whatever that arena [Abdi Ipekci] held. I could hear the fans screaming over my headphones. I have noise-cancelling headphones and I could still hear them! But that's what you live for, and that's what this time of the season is all about. These are the type of games that you want to be a part of. I really wish that our fans could be a part of this season with us on a physical basis. They've been great support, always sending a lot of messages on Instagram and Twitter and all social media and following us. But them being there during the games would definitely help, as I believe it helped UNICS in Game 2 – and that game was also fun to be a part of. But we definitely wish our fans could be in Virtus Segafredo Arena with us for Game 3." 

"You have to be ready physically, just like you need to be ready mentally." 

**You were really close to the EuroCup title once. Is that an extra motivation to try to go all the way in 2021?**

"For sure. The only title that I've been able to win over here in my nine years is the EuroChallenge title with no disrespect to the competition. It was a great competition last season. I had a lot of fun playing in it. I have been in the EuroCup now for, I believe this is my fourth year, and with this type of team, we have to take advantage of this opportunity. But first things first, it's all about the team. You have known me for years, I don't like to bring any of my own individual thoughts or accolades or goals to the table. It's all about winning. So I just want our team to be successful and play one of our best games of the year on Wednesday. And whatever the future holds, it holds."

**You played against Monaco earlier this season. Did you expect to see them in the Finals?**

"I am not really too surprised. That other side of the [playoff] bracket, it could have been a crazy toss-up. I felt the same about Gran Canaria, I thought they could have got there. I felt even Paris [Boulogne Metropolitans 92] could have got there. They had been playing well up until that point. Even Buducnost was playing well towards the end of the Top 16. But I think for me, Monaco is very well-coached. We played them twice in those close games, last season in our group stage and also this season. So it doesn't really surprise me: the coach and that organization have done a good job up to this point, so congratulations to them. They won the games that were in front of them and they deserve to be in the finals."

**Finally, the game has also become a do-or-die showdown to earn the right to play in the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Does it change anything, in terms of pressure?**

"No, I don't think that it puts any more pressure to the game. I think that any time you have a chance to compete for a championship, that's all you could ask for. But obviously, one of the main goals of this club, when I signed here two summers ago, was to be able to get this club to the EuroLeague, back where they wanted to be. And to be so close, there is only one way to do it: that is to come out with extreme energy, extreme focus and just be ready to go to battle for 40 minutes until the buzzer sounds. And when it does, hopefully, we will be on top."

Before Virtus Segafredo Bologna and UNICS Kazan meet for a spot in the 2021 7DAYS EuroCup Finals, Kyle Weems of Virtus spoke to EuroCupBasketball.com about this do-or-die Game 3.

Kyle Weems, Virtus: 'It's all about winning'

First of all, it's been a great playoff series between us and Virtus and it's amazing to be a part of it. This is what you play for! These are the moments, two great teams going at it, just trying to give everything they got to win and obviously, it's going to be a good one on Wednesday. We won Game 2 and took the series back to Bologna. I think it all really starts from our defense, just being locked in and aggressive. Throughout the year, that's what we've relied on. Obviously, we have great, great defensive players. We have Zhbanov, John Brown... We have guys like that, but everybody is helping each other and bringing energy to the defensive end. It has been our focus all year, so we just have to keep that up.

Nate Wolters was a great, great boost for us, and he's a real professional. To take all that time off, come back and kind of not miss a beat, that's a real testament to his work ethic. His professionalism is really amazing! He was able to come in and be so effective. Isaiah Canaan also stepped up big. It is easy because we've been rolling with him all year. He's been there for us all year, so we are going to be with him to the end. He is going to keep shooting. We just tell him to keep shooting because we knew it was not going to last. Everybody has his back and we are going to roll with him. So it is not hard to stick with him because that's our guy and he has been our guy all year. 

With Nate back, I think Game 2 was one of the first games in a while that we had a whole team. It's just something that we need to win, our guards are really important, and especially in this series going up against some great, great guards. So we definitely need everybody to step up and I think you saw that in Kazan. JT [Jordan Theodore] stepped up big, Nate stepped up big, Sip [Isaiah Canaan] stepped up big, and that's what we are going to need on Wednesday.

We will need to be more focused, too, because we were up by 18 in Game 2 and Virtus came back. I just think we kind of let our foot off the gas a little bit. I think we might have started looking at the score and us being up instead of just keep going, and there was still a lot of time left, obviously, in the game. We kind of let them back in because we stopped being as aggressive, I think. So we got to just keep on them, keep our foot on the gas and continue to play. They are a great team and have a lot of pride, so they are not just going to back down. We have to weather the storm and keep going.

We have no choice now. I am just happy we got the win, that we were able to pull it out and. Right now, it's all about one game on Wednesday where anything can happen, and hopefully, we'll come out on top. Virtus is a great team... and great victories require great opponents, and I think we have a great one, so we have an opportunity for a great victory and to do something special. 

"Great victories require great opponents." 

In Game 1, Teodosic kind of took over down the stretch. We made some mistakes and they capitalized. And so we weren't able to get the win, but that's what they do. They are a good team and we can't make those mistakes. We have to capitalize on their mistakes and have to do a better job of execution, just trying to finish out the game at the end. We had a little trouble, even in Game 2, finishing it out. But we have been working on it and hopefully, we will be able to get the job done. 

Belinelli played really well in Game 2. I think we understand what he and Teodosic bring and what they can do. I mean, it's obvious. So there are no secrets anymore, it is going to be the third time we play them. We understand what we're trying to do. We understand the things that they are looking for and we just have to stop it. And obviously, we have great players on our side. It's easier said than done, that's what it is, that's the type of game it is going to be. It is going to come down to it and hopefully, at the end of the day, we will do the things that we have to do to get the win.

It is a chance to win a European title and maybe to go to the EuroLeague. I mean, not like we need any more motivation, but that's another factor, that's something that is out there. I think we are focused on the task at hand and that's just trying to beat Virtus. That's the only thing that really is on our mind, just to be locked in for that. All of the other stuff that comes with it, with the win, is great, and that's going to be there, but right now, none of it happens without the win!

John Holland of UNICS Kazan checks back with a blog post right before the most important game so far this season. "We have no choice now," he explained in his blog ahead of Game 3.

John Holland, UNICS: 'We have to weather the storm'

UNICS Kazan faced a do-or-die game against Virtus Segafredo Bologna, which stepped on the court at Basket Hall Kazan with a 20-game winning streak in the 7DAYS EuroCup. Game 1 of the best-of-three series came down to small details and so did Game 2. Even though UNICS led most of the way, Virtus managed to tie the game in the final seconds and kept its chances alive down the stretch.

Virtus trailed 66-48 late in the third quarter, but Marco Belinelli sparked his team's comeback and Milos Teodosic tied the game at 81-81 with a driving layup with 19.9 seconds left. Virtus fouled Jamar Smith, who calmly hit both free throws. The visitors called timeout, however, Belinelli committed a turnover, which allowed Smith to draw another foul and seal the outcome from the foul line.

Once again, Smith made the difference for UNICS on a night in which he was not at his best, Smith finished the game with 8 points, matching a season-low, and missed all 5 of his three-point shots. It was the first time all season in which he did not make a three-pointer. Other players had to step up and UNICS found answers.

Nate Wolters returned to the team after missing five games due to injury. He provided court sense and gave UNICS a big boost. In less than 6 minutes on the floor, Wolters hit every shot he took - 1 two-pointer, 2 from downtown, an assist, 2 steals and a foul drawn for a PIR of 12. He was his team's unexpected factor, giving Coach Dimitris Priftis new tactical options at the point guard position.


The other playmaker, Jordan Theodore, arguably played his best game of the season, not allowing Teodosic to control the game tempo by playing physical defense against him. Teodosic had 27 points in Game 1 and was limited to 11 on o-of-8 three-point shooting in Game 2.

Theodore did much more than that, however. He led his team with season-highs of 15 points, 5 rebounds, 6 fouls drawn for a PIR of 19. Theodore added 6 assists and 3 steals to round off an all-around performance.

Isaiah Canaan, the team's second-best scorer at 14.6 points per game, had been struggling for the better part of the playoffs. He made just 1 of 15 two-pointers (6.7%) and 6 of 26 shots from downtown (23.1%) in his team's quarterfinal series against Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar. Game 1 of the semifinals in Bologna was not very different: Canaan had 9 points on 1-of-10 three-point shooting. In Game 2, however, Canaan had 19 points on good shooting percentages (60.0% 2FG, 44.4% 3FG) and pulled down a career-high 8 rebounds.

"Personally, I have been putting a lot of pressure on myself. I felt like I had been letting my team down with my play, but they always had my back," Canaan said after the game, "They showed it tonight and we got the win."

Virtus saw its 20-game winning streak come to an end. It matched the longest winning streak in competition history, but now is in a do-or-die situation and Coach Priftis believes it could turn into an advantage for UNICS.

"We go now to Bologna to fight like we did in the first game," Coach Priftis said after the game. "It is obvious that we have a chance. We played two very, very tough games. We will go there to fight really hard. There is a big goal in front of us, so we will do our best. We will give our hearts to fight harder in this game."

It was a big game for UNICS guards. With Canaan back on track, Theodore taking care of small details, Wolters back in action and Smith able to deliver in crunch time, UNICS is set to battle to reach the EuroCup Finals for the third time.

UNICS guards forced Game 3 in Bologna

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When Virtus Segafredo Bologna hosts UNICS Kazan in Game 3 of the 7DAYS EuroCup Semifinals on Wednesday night, it will mark just the second time in the five years since the competition adopted a best-of-three playoff format that a semifinals series will go the distance. The first time was in 2017 when Valencia Basket defeated Hapoel Jerusalem 90-75 to reach the finals.

After Fernando San Emeterio scored 21 points and Bojan Dubljevic posted a double-double to lift Valencia to an 83-68 Game 1 victory, Tarence Kinsey and Curtis Jerrells combined for 35 points to lead Hapoel to a 79-66 win in the Israeli capital in Game 2. The third and deciding Game 3 was held at Valencia's La Fonteta on March 22, 2017.

Valencia dominated Game 3 from the start. A Jerrells triple made it 2-3, but Jerusalem never led again. The hosts had an excellent first half in which they made 15 of 24 two-point shots (62.5%), outrebounded Jerusalem 15-7, collected 5 steals and forced 11 turnovers to take a 44-32 margin at the break. Valencia then scored 31 points in a near-perfect third quarter: 9-of-10 shooting on two-pointers, 3-of-3 on threes and 4-of-4 on free throws – to lead 75-50 after 30 minutes.

San Emeterio led six Valencia scorers in double figures with 15 points in Game 3, Dubljevic combined 14 points with 7 rebounds and Romain Sato and Luke Sikma added 12 points apiece. After that, Valencia won the opener of the EuroCup Finals against Unicaja Malaga, but Unicaja protected home court in Game 2 and won game 3 in Valencia to win the title.

Aside from the Valencia vs. Jerusalem duel, the other six series have all been sweeps. Unicaja needed just two games to knock out Lokomotiv Kuban in the 2017 semifinals. In 2018, Darussafaka Istanbul and Lokomotiv each won Game 2 on the road to eliminate FC Bayern Munich and Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia, respectively and set up a date in the finals. The following season, ALBA Berlin swept MoraBanc Andorra and Valencia made quick work of UNICS. Last season the competition was ended before the quarterfinals began due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Already this season AS Monaco clinched a berth in the finals by taking the first two games from Herbalife Gran Canaria.

In the 12 Game 3s to date, the home teams are 8-3. Unicaja won Game 3s at Bayern in the quarters and at Valencia in the 2017 finals and Andorra edged LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in Game 3 of the 2019 quarterfinals. Andorra's 80-82 victory was the closest of all Game 3s to date. Seven of the games so far have been decided by 5 points or less.

Valencia ousted Jerusalem in only previous Game 3 in semis

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By starring in a Game 1 of the semifinals and leading Virtus Segafredo Bologna to an 80-76 win over UNICS Kazan, Milos Teodosic earned his first-ever weekly MVP honor in the 7DAYS EuroCup. Teodosic accumulated a career-best PIR of 34, the most of all players on winnings teams in the first week of the semifinals. Teodosic netted 27 points in Game 1, making 7 of 8 two-point shots and 2 of 8 three-pointers. He also matched his career-best with 6 rebounds, dished 5 assists, took 1 steal and drew 10 fouls, another career-high for him. Teodosic's teammate Marco Belinelli had the highest PIR in this week's semifinal games. In Game 2 of the series, Belinelli scored 33 point, with 4 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 steal and 7 drawn fouls for an index rating of 36, but Virtus lost that game at UNICS. The next-best PIR, 25, belonged to Rob Gray of AS Monaco, who posted that total in a Game 1 win over Herbalife Gran Canaria. Gray scored 25 points, had 3 rebounds and 1 assists in his team’s series-opening victory. In that same game, Gran Canaria center Mathew Costello had a PIR of 23, collecting 22 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks. Also with a PIR 23 this week was UNICS Kazan guard Isaiah Canaan, who had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists in his team’s Game 2 victory over Virtus.

### Individual highs: Mathias Lessort, AS Monaco, 5 blocks

Belinelli scored 33 points in Game 2, tied for the second-most in the competition this season, and the most points in a single game since late December 2020. Belinelli leads the semifinals in scoring, averaging 22.5 points per game. Two players had 9 rebounds this week, and both in Game 2: Okaro White of UNICS and Mathew Costello of Gran Canaria. Costello leads the semifinals with 8.0 rebounds per game. Teodosic had 9 assists in Game 2, more than any other player in the first week of semifinals. Teodosic averages 7.0 in this stage of the playoffs. Virtus guard Alessandro Pajola picked up 4 steals in Game 1 and leads the semifinals with 3.0 steals per game. Mathias Lessort led all players this week with 5 blocks in Game 1. Costello leads is the best shot-blocker in the semifinals with 3.5 per game.

MVP of the Week: Milos Teodosic, Virtus

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It seems like destiny that Marcos Knight and Rob Gray should be two of the big heroes as AS Monaco booked its ticket to the 7DAYS EuroCup Finals for the first time in club history. After all, both of them have been starring all season in their debut campaign in the competition.

Knight tallied a team-high 17 points and Gray nailed the game-winning jumper with 0.2 seconds left in Monaco's 74-76 road victory over Herbalife Gran Canaria on Friday for a 2-0 sweep of their best-of-three semifinal series.

With the win, Monaco became the second French League team to reach the EuroCup Finals after Strasbourg played for the crown in 2016 but lost to Galatasaray Istanbul.

Monaco will look now to finish a job it didn't have a chance to last season when, after it had locked up home-court advantage in the quarterfinals, the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the remainder of the season.

Knight joined the team in the off-season and was already 31 years old when making EuroCup debut back in October. He has been big for Monaco all season long, too, including in do-or-die Game 3 of the quarterfinals against Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, when he collected 12 points and 12 rebounds to get Monaco into the semis.

Knight was big again in Game 2 versus Gran Canaria, collecting 8 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, including 6 points in a 3-11 surge after the hosts had tied the game early in the fourth quarter, 59-59. Knight's scoring seemingly put Monaco in the clear, but when Gran Canaria tied again, 74-74, with 3.2 seconds left to play, it was Gray's turn for the heroics.

Gray, who turned 27 last week, started his debut EuroCup season with Boulogne Metropolitans. In mid-season, he moved to Monaco and was head coach Zvezdan Mitrovic's super-sub, coming off the bench and leading the team in scoring with 17.1 points a game.

Gray poured in 25 points including 5 three-pointers in Monaco's Game 1 home win against Gran Canaria, but he was held in check on the road in Game 2 with just 7 points on as many shots going into the final possession.

Inbounding from the sideline with no time to waste, Dee Bost found Gray on the right wing. After creating a minimum of space, Gray rose over the taller John Shurna and drained the jumper.

When it fell through the net, Monaco was in the finals for the first time, with two EuroCup first-timers playing huge roles.

First-timers Knight, Gray help Monaco make history

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**One of the most spectacular big men in the competition is joining EuroCupBasketball.com to talk about his team for the remainder of the season. Matt Costello is in his second season with Herbalife Gran Canaria and first in the 7DAYS EuroCup often makes the competition's Top 10 plays due to his high-flying dunks and his perfectly-timed blocked shots. Born in Linwood, Michigan, Costello played for Michigan State during his college career, reaching the 2015 NCAA Tournament Final Four. He started his professional career with Iowa of the G League and also played for San Antonio of the NBA before lifting the G League trophy with Austin. After a season with Italian side Scandone Avellino, Costello joined Gran Canaria and is ready to tell us about his team's final push in the 2020-21 7DAYS EuroCup campaign!**

Hello, EuroCup fans! I guess I have to start talking about Game 1, which we played earlier this week. We took care of our business for most of the game. We knew they were going to come in and play physical, but that second quarter, we let our guard down for a little bit and I give Monaco credit. They took advantage: Rob Gray hit a lot of tough shots in the second quarter and they completely shut us down on offense. I think we started to figure that out a little bit in the third and fourth quarters, so hopefully, we can roll that into Game 2 on Friday. 

Being in a do-or-die situation is nothing new to us this season. I think we grew up as a team from those situations. It made us come together much more and believe in each other. We have had different people show up at different times, I think. In Andorra, John Shurna came and almost scored 30 points. I know A.J. (Slaughter) has carried us through many games, Stan (Okoye) as well, and Sean (Kilpatrick). We have so many options to score. We trust that if it's one guy's night, we'll let him go, and everybody else just try to play some defense and see what happens.

We did some good things and I think we found keys to be more competitive in Game 2. I think it helps to have a 2.18-meter center like Aleksander Balcerowski who always puts other people on notice for your physicality. Give him credit: he plays well down there, really strong for being a young guy. He's staying composed for the most part. And he's going to have to continue to play well if we want to win. He has been very, very good for us, and I think the EuroLeague year he played a couple of years ago for Gran Canaria kind of put his name on the map. The last two years, it's been more difficult for him; whether it was injuries or just coaching decisions, he wasn't able to get on the court. But now he's got his confidence back and I think he's showing everybody what he can be.

I'm excited to see what he has in his future, and not just him, but also Khalifa Diop. He's got some big basketball camp that he's going to this summer and Khalifa is going to kill everybody there because he's stronger than any other guy I have played against in my entire life. And he's 19, or 18! So, again, I am playing with two very, very good big men who I am fortunate to have as young guys on the team, because if they were older, I would not play at all! 

I think I have been playing better, too. I have been feeling better since my injury. I have been able to come back and show some things and hopefully will keep moving in that direction. But if you don't win, it doesn't matter how well you're playing. So I'm hoping that we can turn this around and finish it off well in the EuroCup this season. 

I don't know if you are following the other semifinals series between Virtus and UNICS. It's going to be a tough series. I watched some of the game after our game in Monaco the other night. Both are very good, very talented teams. We were lucky to get a win against UNICS to get to the playoffs. I think they have what it takes to win this next game against Virtus. And then, in Game 3, you never know what's going to happen. I think that Virtus is a little bit more talented, but UNICS is so physical in everything that they do that I think they have a chance to win.

We didn't match Monaco's physicality in Game 1, and that's I think that's part of the reason why we're so frustrated. They punked us in that first half and especially the second quarter. They show they were tougher, and it was frustrating because we felt like we let that go. But it's not over yet. We still have a chance to come out Friday and extend the series. I think for Gran Canaria at least, it is an advantage to play at home – even without fans – just because the travel is brutal, most of the time, to get anywhere. And so if you get that night to be comfortable in your own bed, you are not in a hotel room, you are a little fresh, your mind's a little clearer. I think it is an advantage for us. Of course, it would be a bigger one with our fans in the stands, and I hope we can feel their support soon.

It would be huge to make it to the EuroCup Finals. Gran Canaria was in the EuroLeague couple of years ago and to get back I think would bring validation to what's been an up-and-down season for us. We have had good times, bad times, but to be able to get to that Finals would feel like we have accomplished something.

One of the 7DAYS EuroCup's most spectacular big men, Matt Costello of Herbalife Gran Canaria, checks in between the first two games of the semifinals and his team facting a do-or-die Game 2 at home.

Matt Costello, Gran Canaria: 'It's not over yet'

AS Monaco center Mathias Lessort earned 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals MVP honors after going off for a career-high 24 points in Game 3 of the best-of-three series against Buducnost VOLI Podgorica. On Tuesday, Lessort played a much different game, but was no less important in leading his team to an 82-77 victory over Herbalife Gran Canaria in the semifinals opener.

Lessort had his worst shooting game of the season, making just 4 of 13 shots, but he was a force on the defensive end with 5 blocked shots and also captured 5 offensive rebounds – the last of which was critical to the outcome. Lessort finished with 12 points, which were second-most on the team and a team-high 8 rebounds.

The 5 blocks were both a Monaco club record and a career-high for Lessort. Moreover, he tied the record for the most blocks in a EuroCup Semifinals game. Timofey Mozgov also rejected 5 shots in an April 2009 game for Khimki Moscow Region.

Lessort was a focal point of the Monaco attack early as he drew 2 fouls from Gran Canaria's starting center Oliver Stevic, who was forced to the bench and never found his rhythm. Lessort only scored once in the second quarter, but blocked 4 shots in that time as Monaco took charge of the game, holding the visitors to just 5 points in the quarter to build an 18-point halftime advantage.

The third quarter belonged to Gran Canaria as it stormed back to within 4. Gran Canaria continued to apply the pressure in the fourth making one run after another. At first, Monaco could rely on Rob Gray to withstand the pressure; he scored 13 of his game-high 25 points in the final stanza. When Gray fouled out with 2 minutes remaining, the hosts led by 10. However, back-to-back threes by John Shurna and A.J. Slaughter made it 75-71 with 54 seconds left.

Then J.J. O'Brien missed a mid-range jumper and suddenly the game appeared wide open. Instead, Lessort stood up to fight for the offensive rebound. After he sent the ball out, Lessort repositioned, took the pass from Damien Inglis and converted a key basket-plus-foul. It would prove to be the play that preserved Monaco's Game 1 victory.

Naturally, much of the game analysis should and will focus on Monaco's great second quarter and Gran Canaria's impressive comebacks. Both head coaches will study what went right and what went wrong for their teams. Among the things that they will discover is when Lessort is on the floor, good things usually happen for Monaco.

In the quarterfinals, it was scoring. On Tuesday is was blocking shots and making the big play down the stretch. And anything is possible out of this budding star in the games to come.

Lessort saved the day for Monaco again

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Game 1 of the 7DAYS EuroCup Semifinals between Virtus Segafredo Bologna and UNICS Kazan was one of the most intense showdowns in continental basketball so far this season. When the dust settled, Virtus had matched a EuroCup record by winning its 20th consecutive game, defeating UNICS 80-76 to go up 1-0 in the series and matching one of the greatest records in the competition.

Only one other team has managed to get to 20 consecutive EuroCup wins: Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar even did so twice. However, in neither of those time did Lokomotiv end up winning the competition.

Its first 20-game winning streak started with its biggest victory in the competition, a 64-75 victory over Uxue Bilbao Basket in the 2013 championship game for its only EuroCup trophy. When Lokomotiv returned to the competition in 2014-15, it won its next 19 EuroCup games, led by Malcolm Delaney, Anthony Randolph, Derrick Brown and Krunoslav Simon. Its only loss of the season, 58-79 against UNICS, cost it dearly. Lokomotiv lost its two-game, total-points quarterfinals series and was eliminated. Lokomotiv's record from the 2014-15 campaign 19-1, remains the best in competition history.

Lokomotiv recorded 20 consecutive wins again in the 2017-18 season. That team, led by Mardy Collins, Ryan Broekhoff, Dmitry Kulagin and Frank Elegar, reached the EuroCup Finals undefeated and had its 21st consecutive victory almost in its hands. It led against Darussafaka Istanbul 72-69 with the ball and 11.0 seconds left. Howard Sant-Ross got a steal and Scottie Wilbekin hit one of the most iconic three-pointers in competition history, allowing Darussafaka to force overtime, win the game and eventually lift the trophy.

Virtus's winning streak started with its last Top 16 game in the 2019-20 season, in which it beat Darussafaka 96-106. Virtus has been undefeated in the EuroCup ever since, though it has not always been easy. On Tuesday, UNICS rallied from a double-digit deficit to take a 61-64 lead with over 7 minutes left. The Italian powerhouse needed a go-to guy and Milos Teodosic, its natural choice, stepped up big.

With the game tied at 64-64, Milos Teodosic scored or assisted on Virtus's next 10 points. He banked in a running shot in the lane, found Giampaolo Ricci for a layup, sent a sensational bounce pass to Vince Hunter for a slam, scored in the low post and sank a six-meter jumper. All of a sudden, Virtus led 74-68 and Teodosic had made the difference in the game.

Teodosic scored 11 of his 27 points - 1 point shy of his personal best - in the final 6 minutes to which he added a couple of key assists. He made the game-sealing free throws down the stretch. All of that allowed him to finish the game with a PIR of 34, a new EuroCup career-high.

"We spent a lot of energy tonight. We are 1-0, good result, but we need to get one more win," Teodosic said after the game. "We have three days until the next game so we need to recover, rest and go to Kazan focused and mentally ready for one more tough game in Russia."

That extra win that Teodosic spoke about would allow Virtus to make history in many ways. First, Virtus would break the 20-win curse and set a new record for most consecutive victories. Second, it would allow Virtus to reach its first EuroCup Finals. And finally, Virtus would become the first Italian team to reach the EuroCup Finals. It is already the fourth Italian team to reach the semifinals. All three Italian teams that previously reached the semifinals - Benetton Treviso in 2011, Dolomiti Energia Trento in 2016 and Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia in 2018 - were stopped at that stage.

Virtus and the 20-win curse

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