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| Micic repeats as Final Four MVP! |
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Vasilije Micic came through in the clutch in both games of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four to lead Anadolu Efes Istanbul to its second consecutive championship.
Micic was named 2021-22 Final Four MVP and joined a very short list of stars to win that trophy in consecutive seasons. He poured in a game-high 23 points with 4 three-pointers and had 2 rebounds and 2 assists in Efes’s hard fought 57-58 win over Real Madrid in the championship game. That came after he collected 15 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists in the 74-77 semifinal win over Olympiacos Piraeus, which he sealed with a last-second three-pointer to win it.
He became just the fourth player to win back-to-back Final Four MVPs joining Toni Kukoc in 1990 and 1991 with Jugoplastika Split, Dejan Bodiroga in 2002 with Panathinaikos Athens and 2003 with FC Barcelona and Vassilis Spanoulis with Olympiacos Piraeus in 2012 and 2013. It was Spanoulis who handed him the MVP Trophy in the post-game ceremony.
“Thank you every one for being in the gym. Thank you to all the fans who participated in the Final Four. Honestly, I am speechless because four years ago I played here and finished third and I came up short. And this time we won the title,” said Micic after the game, referring to taking third place at the 2018 Final Four with Zalgiris Kaunas in the same Stark Arena where he would celebrate back-to-back crowns with Efes in 2022.
“This one also feels amazing. Still, I’m speechless. These things for all my life will stay with me, forever. It will be a marker in my heart. Again, nothing without my teammates is possible. Four amazing years together, two titles, and this [MVP] title, but once again, a team title is more important.
“Tonight, everywhere will be very, very hot, everywhere in Belgrade. I’m going to take all my team together and we will celebrate like never before,” Micic, who spent half his childhood in Belgrade, added almost with a sly grin.
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