The moment has arrived. Valencia Basket stands just one victory away from reaching the Euroleague Final Four and securing a spot among Europe’s top four teams for the first time in club history. The team that once played in Liga EBA and was purchased 40 years ago by Juan Roig—who fell in love with the Spanish national team’s silver medal run at the Los Angeles Olympics under coach Díaz-Miguel—now faces the biggest game of its life.
This decisive clash takes place at the Roig Arena, the state-of-the-art sports complex inaugurated in October, where the owner invested €400 million. The venue has become Valencia’s calling card across Europe, and tonight it will be packed to the rafters with 16,500 souls cheering on their team, most dressed in orange, for Game 5 against Panathinaikos (9:00 PM local time). Regardless of the outcome, this series will be remembered forever.
Though only a little over a month has passed, the regular-season game between Valencia and Panathinaikos—where Pedro Martínez’s squad dominated the Greek side—already feels distant. “The Lakers would have lost against this Valencia,” Ataman said sarcastically, setting the stage for a playoff rematch with plenty of drama. Once again, “Los Angeles” appears in this Euroleague showdown. Tonight’s appointment isn’t just with history—it’s with the angels. Lowercase, as written.
Panathinaikos has used every trick, both on and off the court, to try to knock Valencia out of the playoffs. The orange team has navigated every trap: criticism of the Roig Arena’s coaching staff, provocations after their second win, the face-off between Pedro and Ataman, pressure on the team and referees, and constant reminders that Panathinaikos is a historic powerhouse and a co-owner of the competition. They’ve tried everything to make the on-court action irrelevant. But on the court, despite Giannakopoulos spending €40 million on his roster (plus fines for exceeding salary caps), Valencia has been the better team—by a slim margin but consistently. Over the four games, the aggregate score is 352-348 in favor of Valencia, making this the tightest series in Euroleague playoff history. That said, of the 23 previous series that went to a Game 5, 21 were won by the home team. Only Fenerbahçe (against Maccabi) and Olympiacos (against Barcelona) broke that trend in 2024.
Today, however, only what happens in those 40 minutes (plus potential overtime) matters. Nothing else counts: not Panathinaikos’ two wins at the Roig Arena, not the epic comeback that leveled the series at OAKA, not Hayes-Davis’ buzzer-beater in Game 2, not Montero’s 29 points in Game 4. It’s all about here and now.
HOW THEY ARRIVE
Valencia Basket: After a hard-fought regular season, Valentin and his team have shown resilience. Key players like Jones, Montero, and Davies have stepped up, but the team’s depth and home-court advantage could be decisive.
Panathinaikos: Athens giants boast a star-studded roster led by Sloukas and Lessort. Despite a roller-coaster series, they remain dangerous, especially with their playoff experience.
ROSTERS
Valencia Basket: Jones, Montero, Davies, Pradilla, Claver, Touré, López-Arostegui, Puerto, Harper, Alexander, Rivero.
Panathinaikos: Sloukas, Lessort, Grigonis, Hernangómez, Nunn, Vildoza, Mitoglou, Balcerowski, Mantzaris, Kalaitzakis, Papapetrou.
