Fenerbahce Finish the Job as Jasikevicius Strikes Gold

Fenerbahce knew they were in for a fight but, as the confetti rained at the Euroleague Final Four, it was Sarunas Jasikevicius and company who could celebrate. The final proved one game too far for Vassilis Spanoulis in his maiden season with a gallant AS Monaco.

The Big Yellow Machine had a lot of new friends in the building compared to Friday night. Fenerbahce fans travelled in large numbers, with talk of €1,000 being charged by scalpers for tickets. The conclusion of the Euroleague Final Four, of the whole season, was effectively a home game for Fener against AS Monaco. Those travelling fans were forced to sweat but, in the end, Sarunas Jasikevicius and his men delivered.

Dynamic discipline

AS Monaco began the game like it was just any other. On both ends of the floor, everything ran smoothly. Offensively, they identified the first and second options quickly, speedily creating solid scoring opportunities.

Defensively, they played a form of man defence that looked like a zone. It confused the Fener players who struggled to work out where they could create any space. It was breathtaking execution, with Vassilis Spanoulis letting his side press a harder tempo on both ends than in Friday’s game.

Save for a couple of trips to the free throw line, Fenerbahce’s front half of the first quarter was irrelevant offensively. Such as the confusion caused by the Roca Team’s approach. Matthew Strazel and Tarik Biberovic got into it. This led to offsetting technicals but, more importantly, a bonus timeout for Sarunas Jasikevicius during the review. He needed to use it to get his side out of their funk.

BallinEurope is ramping up its YouTube game this season. Subscribe to our channel now for player exclusives, analysis videos, and much more.

Grind and reset

It would be excessive to say all was right with Fenerbahce after that unplanned interval. The Big Yellow Machine however started to get the gears turning again. They forced a more physical affair with AS Monaco.

It’s not that the Roca Team aren’t up for a fight but this bumping interrupted their tempo mightily. Mike James, who raced to 8 points in the game’s first 5 minutes was restricted to taking some low percentage efforts.

Fenerbahce had to the Euroleague Final Four seeking to find a way to win by whatever means necessary. If it meant moving out of their owned preferred style into a more drawn out fight, so be it. They had stemmed the bleeding by the end of the first quarter.

BallinEurope has a book, a real life actual book called I Like it Loud, and you can buy it on Amazon now. It’s here as a book and here in Kindle form.

Phone box basketball

Anyone who was expecting record scoring in this game was sure to be disappointed. The switch in style by Fenerbahce meant both sides were playing an exhausting form of man D. While they retook the lead for the first time since the opening bucket, it wasn’t as though the Istanbul club was dominated.

AS Monaco were taking their chances where they could. An Alpha Diallo slip inside made their lead multiple possessions approaching the mid-point of the second quarter. Still, the fouls were ticking up for the Roca Team. Sarunas Jasikevicius wanted a war of attrition, a game where his depth could overcome whatever Vassilis Spanoulis did.

The one thing that wasn’t working for Saras was his side’s shooting. The few open looks they were getting were wasted. That’s not good at any time of the season, let alone the closer of the Euroleague Final Four. Once more, he needed to reset.

Devon Hall, what a HALF!

Two HUGE Dunks #F4GLORY pic.twitter.com/qwYzxS1iah

— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) May 25, 2025

The Alpha Dog

As has been the case with Vassilis Spanoulis this season, the player he sets into go mode often catches you by surprise. Alpha Diallo has always been a baller. He was never a star. Diallo was the thinking man’s baller if you will. At this Euroleague Final Four, he was proving to be an absolute wonder for AS Monaco.

During the drag it out fight, when Fenerbahce was largely having its way defensively, he found a way through. When he couldn’t go through, he went around.

Fenerbahce didn’t falter defensively. Sarunas Jasikevicius kept it in the drawn out style. With fouls to give, they used them. Everything was about slowing and frustrating the opponent. It wasn’t thrilling for the neutral but it was undoubtedly effective.

You can’t win a game in the first half, you can only lose it. Fenerbahce were working to ensure they prevented the latter. Devon Hall ensured they did so in rude health. First came the one handed slam. Then, almost at the buzzer, he pushed the Turkish side back in front with an and-1 play to give his side a 2 point edge at the break.

Keeping the pressure on

A Marko Guduric three was the only bucket of the first two minutes after the break. Fenerbahce had a plan and it was to grind this AS Monaco side in a slog. Sarunas Jasikevicius didn’t need his side to be perfect, he just needed them to stop the Roca team from rolling.

Vassilis Spanoulis had another issue to think about. His core unit had already logged heavy minutes in the first half. Fenerbahce were, while far from perfect, the much fresher looking outfit. Spanoulis wasn’t helped by his extended use of Jaron Blossomgame in their Euroleague Final Four opener. Blossomgame had logged 37 minutes against Olympiacos and was on the floor for 17 of the game’s first 23 minutes here.

Mike James, while not enjoying the same shooting freedom he had at the start of the game, was still contributing. He proved a foul drawing magnet, with 5 committed by Fener players against him by the midpoint of the third quarter. That both forced adjustments from Saras and created space for other Monaco players.

Roused and rising

The fatigue was really starting to show on the floor for AS Monaco. Wade Baldwin could smell blood and the Fenerbahce man started cooking. The Fener fans were in full song as they looked to get their team up that extra level.

Alpha Diallo kept fighting back for the Roca Team. He didn’t come to the Euroleague Final Four just to take part. In a game where his side needed men to stand up, he was doing so with authority.

Still, the Fener numbers game kept proving telling. For every adjustment Vassilis Spanoulis could make, Sarunas Jasikevicius looked like he had the luxury of two. There was only a possession between the sides at the end of the third but it felt like AS Monaco needed that something extra.

Fenerbahce fans turned the Euroleague Final in Abu Dhabi into a home atmosphere, backing their team loudly throughout the 2025 championship game.

A matter of measurement

The Olympiacos fans that had hung around from the third place game were comfortably the loudest in the arena in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. That spoke to the tension amongst Fenerbahce fans. A Wade Baldwin three brought the Yellow throngs to life. That gave Fenerbahce an 8 point lead with 7 minutes to play.

With Alpha Diallo picking up his fourth foul early in the quarter, the options were getting thin for Monaco. It was time for Vassilis Spanoulis to gamble but heaven knew what he could think to pull in this scenario.

Erick McCollum made it a double-digit lead a few moments later. The Big Yellow Machine was making its move. The veteran, who shone brightly in the big moments of their Euroleague Final Four opener, was stepping up again.

Consistency bears fruit

Heading into this Euroleague Final Four, there were two main things people said about Fenerbahce. They were the most consistent side in Euroleague and Sarunas Jasikevicius had ensured they were the deepest due to his rotation management.

In the deciding minutes of the season, with AS Monaco throwing everything at them, that pedigree was tested. Vassilis Spanoulis and his side never let up, their fight was brilliant. They simply ran out of options.

Fenerbahce had to grind. They had to fight. In the end, the work was worth it. Saras, in his fifth straight Final Four as a coach, finally won the championship. Fener had matched Anadolu Efes by taking their second trophy. The Yellow Legacy had truly been written by the Big Yellow Machine.

The post Fenerbahce Finish the Job as Jasikevicius Strikes Gold appeared first on BallinEurope.