Every team marks certain games on the calendar when it comes out and continental giant Real Madrid is not an exception. Real Madrid fans have plenty of options to choose from - two of the longest continental battles in basketball, a local hero coming home, a reminder of an epic playoff series that became an instant classic, and of course, the mother of all games against its archrival.

## ROUND 1: blast from the recent past

Even though Real and Efes have been in the European basketball elite for decades, their rivalry opened a new, wonderful chapter last season with one of the best and most interesting playoff series in EuroLeague history. Efes dominated in the first two games and when the sweep was almost certain, leading 61-74 with 5 minutes left in Game 3, Real fought back. Los Blancos rallied to win Games 3 and 4. Then Game 5 came down to small details. It was a series to remember. Now they meet again.

## ROUND 12: Laso comes home

Traveling back to Vitoria-Gasteiz is always special for Real head coach Pablo Laso. He was born there and played for Baskonia from 1985 to 1995. Laso helped Baskonia win its first titles, the 1995 Spanish Copa del Rey and the 1997 Cup Winners' Cup, and started a career that led him to become the Spanish League's all-time leader in assists (2,879) and steals (1,219). It should not be easy, of course - Baskonia has beaten Real in three of their last four EuroLeague games at Buesa Arena.

## ROUND 13: Tradition and respect



It is the most repeated matchup in European competitions. Real and Maccabi have faced each other 62 times - and counting. Their 50th showdown was the 2014 EuroLeague championship game, in which Maccabi prevailed in overtime. Almost 25 years earlier, Real defeated Maccabi in the 1980 EuroLeague final. It is only logical that two of the winningest squads in basketball have great institutional respect for each other. Legendary games have been played and sportsmanship is always top-class when it comes to these two magnificent clubs.

## ROUND 17: Same old-school rivalry
The basketball rivalry between these teams goes back almost 60 years and crossed political barriers: Real was the first Spanish team to visit Moscow in 1963, days before CSKA was the first Russian squad to set foot in the Spanish capital. They then faced each other in the 1963, 1964 and 1969 EuroLeague finals. More recently, Real bested CSKA in the 2018 EuroLeague semifinals and the Russian powerhouse returned the favor in 2019. These teams combine for 18 EuroLeague crowns.

## ROUND 26: 'El Clasico' in Madrid

The first *El Clásico* of any EuroLeague season is always a highly-anticipated showdown. Last season, Barcelona won the Spanish League and Cup double and beat Real twice in EuroLeague action. Real fans should be looking forward to the Clasico at WiZink Center where *Los Blancos* will try to reverse the current trend - Real had won five consecutive EuroLeague *Clasicos* but lost the last three. All-EuroLeague forward Nikola Mirotic started his career in Madrid and now leads Barcelona, which adds even more interest to this always-exciting basketball battle.



Every team marks certain games on the calendar when it comes out and continental giant Real Madrid is not an exception. 

2021-22 Games to Watch: Real Madrid

UNICS Kazan fortified its backcourt by signing Italian Olympian Marco Spissu. The contract is for one season with an option for a second. Spissu (1.84 meters, 26 years old) arrives from boyhood club Dinamo Sassari, where he spent the past four years. He averaged 13.0 points, 5.5 assists and 1.6 steals in 27 Italian League games last season. Spissu was also a member of the Italian national team this summer at the Tokyo Olympics. He has spent time on loan at Italian clubs Sant'Orsola, CUS Bari, Casalpusterlengo, Reggio Calabria, Derthola and Virtus Bologna. Spissu helped Virtus win the Italian second-division Cup as the MVP in 2017. He won the FIBA Europe Cup in 2019 with Sassari. Spissu, who will make his EuroLeague debut with UNICS, also becomes the first Italian player to ever sign for the club.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ru" dir="ltr">МАРКО СПИССУ <a href="https://twitter.com/minispi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@minispi</a> – новый разыгрывающий УНИКСа! <br>⠀<br>Впервые в истории клуба подписано соглашение с итальянским баскетболистом!🇮🇹 <br>Контракт рассчитан на текущий сезон с опцией продления на следующий. <a href="https://t.co/w4v09iCb4C">pic.twitter.com/w4v09iCb4C</a></p>&mdash; BC UNICS Kazan (@unicsbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/unicsbasket/status/1428379843972960257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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UNICS adds Spissu to backcourt

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz added frontcourt depth by signing big man Steven Enoch on a two-year contract, the club announced Thursday

Baskonia bolsters frontcourt with Enoch

Enoch (2.08 meters, 23 years old) played last season with Monbus Obradoiro and posted 9.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in 36 Spanish League games, playing 15.7 minutes per game. That was the first professional season for Enoch, who previously played four years of college basketball for the universities of Connecticut and Louisville. Enoch has also played for the national team of Armenia in youth categories in 2016 and 2017. He is now set to make his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut.



<div style="display: grid; place-items: center;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">👉 Baskonia´s 🆕 guy, <a href="https://twitter.com/StevenEnoch?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StevenEnoch</a> ‼️<br><br>Welcome, 𝗘𝗻𝗼𝗰𝗵! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoazenBaskonia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoazenBaskonia</a> <a href="https://t.co/myjiEehKKI">pic.twitter.com/myjiEehKKI</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1428291698275332097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz added frontcourt depth by signing big man Steven Enoch on a two-year contract, the club announced Thursday.

In its third season in the competition, Zenit goes from the hunter to the hunted. That's what last season's Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoff appearance will do to the club. Apart from the overall expectations being higher, playing the third consecutive season in the competition also allows certain new rivalries to start to take shape. Here is a look at five Zenit games to keep an eye on this season.

## Round 3: Challenging CSKA

Some of the clashes between Zenit and CSKA Moscow have turned into the greatest Russian derbies. And while domestically Zenit had its share of success against CSKA, the Muscovites have dominated their EuroLeague encounters: four games and as many wins by an average margin of 13.8 points with each win by at least 8 points. Zenit cannot wait to get another crack at CSKA.

## Round 5: A playoff rematch

Zenit and Barcelona played a fantastic five-game playoff series in May with Zenit becoming the first No. eight seed to force a deciding Game 5. The two teams also split regular-season wins and it all led to a bit of a long-distance rivalry developing. And don't forget that Zenit head coach Xavi Pascual coached Barcelona from 2008 until 2016. In those seven-plus seasons, he guided the club to 19 trophies, including the 2010 EuroLeague title.

## Round 8: Giving the champs another fight
Last season Zenit was tied for the second-best road record in the EuroLeague with 10 wins in 17 regular-season away games. That included a 69-73 win over Anadolu Efes Istanbul in the season opener. It was a part of Zenit's season sweep against the eventual EuroLeague champs. A year earlier at Sinan Erdem Dome, Zenit rallied before Efes pulled out a 90-88 decision. Coach Xavi Pascual's team obviously like splaying against Efes and facing the reigning champs will make this trip extra intriguing.

## Round 18: Loyd's Belgrade homecoming

Jordan Loyd left quite a mark on the Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade record books last season when he set a club record with an average of 17.3 points per game. He will now return for the first time to play his former club. He should be able to get plenty of advice about how to deal with the emotions from teammate Billy Baron, who spent two seasons with Zvezda and had 7 points last season when Zenit pulled out a thrilling 75-76 road win. Loyd missed the potential game-winner for Zvezda that night.

## Round 32: Emerging rivalry

Playoff newcomers last season, both Zenit and FC Bayern Munich want to prove they are contenders for good. In their first playoff appearances, both took their respective series to the maximum five games, but were eventually ousted. The two clubs are very familiar with each other as their rivalry dates back to their 7DAYS EuroCup days. They have faced off eight times since 2016 and both feel they have something to prove in this game. Last season both games were decided by 4 points or less. This one, coming so late in the season, could have major playoff implications.



Playing a third consecutive season in the EuroLeague allows certain new rivalries to start to take shape. Here is a look at five Zenit games to keep an eye on this season.

2021-22 Games to Watch: Zenit St Petersburg

AS Monaco powered up its frontline with the signing of veteran center Donatas Motiejunas, the club announced on August 18th 2021.

Monaco plugs in Motiejunas at center

Motiejunas (2.13 meters, 30 years old) will make his return to the EuroLeague after nine seasons away. 

In his previous EuroLeague campaign, Motiejunas set the competition record with 18 rebounds in a game for Asseco Prokom Gdynia in December 2011. He finished that season second in the regular season with 7.9 rebounds per game.

Motiejunas has spent most of the past four seasons in China. First came two seasons with the Shandong Golden Stars and then a season each with Shanghai Sharks and the Xinjang Flying Tigers. 

Last season he averaged 21.5 points and led the Chinese League with 13.7 rebounds per game. He also posted 4.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game. 

Motiejunas is a product of the Zalgiris Kaunas youth system and has played professionally for Aisciai Kaunas in his native Lithuania, Benetton Treviso in Italy, Asseco Prokom in Poland, and for Houston, New Orleans and San Antonio in the NBA. 

He also won a silver medal with Lithuania at EuroBasket 2013.



<div style="display: grid; place-items: center;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">✍️ 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗮𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗷𝘂𝗻𝗮𝘀 renforce l’AS Monaco Basket ! 🏹 Doté d’un shoot et d’une capacité au rebond, l’intérieur lituanien 🇱🇹 (2,13 m, 30 ans) apportera sa grande expérience de la <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a> (262 matchs) et de la scène internationale 🔥<br>👋 𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 <a href="https://twitter.com/DonatasMot?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DonatasMot</a> 🇲🇨 <a href="https://t.co/KInIwLRhPp">pic.twitter.com/KInIwLRhPp</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1427897273657217024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

AS Monaco powered up its frontline with the signing of veteran center Donatas Motiejunas, the club announced Wednesday.

donatas-motiejunas-asseco-prokom-eb11.jpg

Olympiacos Piraeus had a golden age in the 2010s when it won two of its three Turkish Airlines EuroLeague titles (2012, 2013) and reached championship games in 2015 and 2017. The Reds, however, have not been to the playoffs in the 2020s. As the club looks for a quick turnaround, here are five important dates marked in red on the Reds' 2021-22 EuroLeague calendar.

## ROUND 2: Pure history

Some of the best - and worst - moments in Olympiacos history are linked to Real Madrid. Olympiacos has played in eight EuroLeague championship games and three of them were against Los Blancos. Olympiacos prevailed in 2013, rallying from a 17-point deficit to defeat Real 100-88 behind 22 points from Final Four MVP Vassilis Spanoulis. Real beat Olympiacos in the 1995 and 2015 championship games. These teams will face each other this season for the 45th and 46th times; Real has won its last four games against Olympiacos.

## ROUND 4: A traditionally tough matchup
In recent years, things have not been easy for Olympiacos when Zalgiris Kaunas stood in its way. Zalgiris eliminated Olympiacos in the 2018 playoffs despite not having the home-court advantage. In 2019, Zalgiris won again at Peace of Friendship Stadium late in the regular season and that victory eventually helped the Lithuanian champs make the playoffs. Last season, Olympiacos lost against Zalgiris twice. The good news for Olympiacos, however, is that Thomas Walkup switched teams and will be wearing Red this time.

## ROUND 18: A modern classic

Olympiacos and CSKA have faced each other 42 times, but their rivalry took off in earnest on May 13, 2012, when the Reds rallied from a 19-point deficit in the final 13 minutes to lift the EuroLeague trophy. Olympiacos went on to beat CSKA in the semifinals in 2013, 2015 and 2017. All those legendary moments for Olympiacos fans should be the talk of the town when CSKA visits Piraeus because it is always special for the Reds’ faithful when the Russian powerhouse checks in at Peace and Friendship Stadium.

## ROUND 30: Greece's biggest game

Olympiacos and Panathinaikos OPAP Athens have not faced each other many times in European competitions - only 19 previous clashes. In the last two seasons, however, the Greek derby could only be seen in the EuroLeague, which makes each showdown between the teams even more important. Last season, Panathinaikos stole a 77-88 road win at Peace and Friendship Stadium and that will be in the back of everyone's mind when they meet again in that arena. This is a unique rivalry between true rivals that only gets better with fans back in the stands.

## ROUND 33: A great rivalry
Olympiacos has enjoyed great battles against FC Barcelona over the years. The fifth showdown between the teams was the 1997 EuroLeague championship game. Olympiacos topped Barcelona 73-58 behind 26 points from Final Four MVP David Rivers. It took Barcelona 13 years to take revenge, but eventually, it did, downing Olympiacos 86-68 to win the 2010 EuroLeague crown. Olympiacos knocked off Barcelona in the 2012 semifinals and the 2015 playoffs. Last season, the teams traded road victories. Olympiacos's last home win against Barcelona came in 2016.



Here are five important dates marked in red on the Olympiacos Piraeus calendar for 2021-22. 

2021-22 Games to Watch: Olympiacos Piraeus

ALBA Berlin appointed Israel Gonzalez as the new head of bench, replacing Aito Garcia Reneses who has taken a sabbatical.

ALBA appoints Gonzalez as new head coach

Gonzalez, 46, has been with ALBA for the past four years as part of coach Garcia's staff. He was promoted to an associate head coach position in November, and now takes over the team from the German capital. 

Last season Gonzalez served as a head coach for five mid-season EuroLeague games and six domestic fixtures when coach Garcia was out due to COVID-19, and ALBA won seven of those clashes.



ALBA sports director

With Israel as head coach, we are opening a new chapter at ALBA. We have prepared for this step in the long term, starting with his role as assistant coach and then switching to associate head coach last fall. 
Israel has a great understanding of the game, he shares our basketball idea and our values in the club. We look forward to going into the future with him. Our big thanks go to Aito, with whom we have had great pleasure over the past few years and who has helped to decisively develop the club. A door will always be open to him at ALBA.

<div style="display: grid; place-items: center;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">Israel González ist neuer ALBA-Headcoach und übernimmt den Posten von Aíto! Mit González Beförderung zum Associate Headcoach vor einem Jahr wurde eine behutsame Staffelübergabe eingeleitet, die sich nun vollzieht. Wir freuen uns auf dieses neue Kapitel mit dir, <a href="https://twitter.com/Israelcoach?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@israelcoach</a>! 🎉 <a href="https://t.co/nATJzLtEAT">pic.twitter.com/nATJzLtEAT</a></p>&mdash; ALBA BERLIN (@albaberlin) <a href="https://twitter.com/albaberlin/status/1427562951217668098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Gonzalez started his coaching career in 2004 as an assistant with Spanish second division club Cantabria Baloncesto, and became a head coach there in 2007. 

A year later he moved to Gran Canaria, where he worked for a year with U20 team, then spent eight years as an assistant coach before coming to Berlin. 

During the past four years with Gonzalez as part of the staff, ALBA reached 7DAYS EuroCup in 2019, won German League and Cup titles in 2020, and defended the German League crown earlier this year.

Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade announced on Monday night the addition of swingman Austin Hollins, who signed a one-year deal

Zvezda adds scoring punch with Hollins

Hollins (1.93 meters, 29 years old) has spent the last two years with Zenit St Petersburg, and last season he started in 34 of his 38 appearances, helping the team reach the EuroLeague Playoffs averaging 8.2 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals. With his unlimited range, Hollins knocked down more than 50 triples in each of the last two seasons. He also posted 10.2 points and 2.0 rebounds in VTB League action. Hollins started his pro career in the French second division, with Denain Voltaire, between 2014 and 2016. He spent the following year with Kauhajoen Karhu of Finland before making his stop in Germany, first with Geissen 46ers then with Rasta Vechta.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Američki košarkaš Ostin Holins novo je pojačanje KK Crvena zvezda!<br><br>Welcome to Crvena zvezda! 🔴⚪️<br><br>Detaljnije: <a href="https://t.co/RAp4HLAdqb">https://t.co/RAp4HLAdqb</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kkcz?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kkcz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TogetherWeCan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TogetherWeCan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreTheTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreTheTeam</a> <a href="https://t.co/Zht6CzPQfR">pic.twitter.com/Zht6CzPQfR</a></p>&mdash; KK Crvena zvezda (@kkcrvenazvezda) <a href="https://twitter.com/kkcrvenazvezda/status/1427390583769813001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade announced on Monday night the addition of swingman Austin Hollins, who signed a one-year deal.

austin-hollins-zenit-st-petersburg-eb20-be77y9ogmmat6hnp.jpg

Reigning Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion Anadolu Efes Istanbul added more power in the paint by signing ABA League MVP Filip Petrusev on Tuesday

Efes inks ABA League MVP Petrusev

Petrusev (2.11 meters, 21 years old) dominated last season with Mega Bemax to the tune of 23.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 21 games played. He led the league in scoring and performance index rating (28.0), was second in rebounds and third in blocks. Petrusev also made 1.2 threes per game at a 41.9% success rate.

Petrusev played high school basketball in the United States and spent two seasons playing college ball for Gonzaga University. He was the West Coast Conference Player of the Year in 2020. Petrusev has been a member of the Serbian national team and many age groups, including the senior national team at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament earlier this summer. He helped the U-18 side to back-to-back European championships in 2017 and 2018.

<div style="display: grid; place-items: center;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Sırp pivot - uzun forvet <a href="https://twitter.com/PetrusevFilip?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PetrusevFilip</a> ile 1 yıllık sözleşme imzaladık!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Welcome?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Welcome</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhereIStand?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhereIStand</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BenimYerimBuras%C4%B1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BenimYerimBurası</a></p>&mdash; Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK/status/1427688695994404871?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Reigning Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion Anadolu Efes Istanbul added more power in the paint by signing ABA League MVP Filip Petrusev on Tuesday.

filip-petrusev-photo-mega-soccerbet-ivica-veselinov.jpg