FCBARCELONA.CAT

01.05.2009 12:12

CSKA v Regal Barça: Did you know?

Roger Bogunyà (enviat especial)

It’s the hour of reckoning. CSKA Moscow and Regal Barça meet this evening for a place in the Euroleague Final, a game that offers plenty of curiosities.

- Regal Barça met CSKA Moscow in the semi finals on their last two Final Four appearances, in 2003, Barça won, but in 2006 the Russians came out tops.

- In total, the teams have met 17 times in European competition, with 8 wins for Barça and 9 for CSKA.

- Regal Barça, along with Maccabi Tel Aviv, is the team that has played in the most Final Fours since they were created: 10.

- Navarro is the only survivor of the Barça side that won the title sin 2003 in their home city. He and Barça have played in the Final Four every three years: 2000, 2003, 2006 ans 2009.

- Navarro, Basile, Grimau, Trias and Sada all remain from the side that played the Final Four in 2009.

- David Andersen is the first player to have reached the Final Four with four different teams. Previously he played there with Kinder Bologna (2001), Montepaschi Siena (2004) and CSKA Moscow (2005, 2007 and 2008).

- Since the Final Four started in 1988, only two teams have managed back to back wins: Jugoplastika Split (1989 and 1990) and Maccabi Tel Aviv (2004 and 2005). CSKA are looking to become the third.

- CSKA are playing their seventh consecutive Final Four. Holden is the only player who has appeared in all of them.

- The Russian club’s coach, Ettore Messina, has never lost a Euroleague semi final. He has taken clubs to seven, and always made it to the final.

- The Italian coach is the only man to have won more than one title with different teams: Kinder Bologna (1998 and 2001) and CSKA (2006 and 2008).

- Basile, Smodis and Lorbek will be facing each other this evening, all of whom played for Fortitudo Bologna in the Final Four challenge in 2004.

- There will be three Slovenians playing tonight. For Barça, Lakovic; for CSKA, Smodis and Lorbek.

- CSKA have the winner of the last Final Four MVP Award, Trajan Langdon, and also that of the last Euroleague, Ramunas Siskauskas.