Why the EuroLeague semifinal was Bryant Dunston's redemption game / News - Basketnews.com

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Reigning EuroLeague champions Anadolu Efes Istanbul will have the chance to defend their title after downing Olympiacos Pireaus in dramatic fashion on Thursday night.

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The Stark Arena was full of the Reds fans who turned Belgrade into Piraeus, but still, Ergin Ataman's squad was able to pull off a last-second win thanks to a Vasilije Micic buzzer-beater.

Micic was, of course, the man of the night for Efes, but Bryant Dunston did a lot of heavy lifting for the Turkish powerhouse.

The veteran center got into foul trouble pretty early and played less than 21 minutes, however, he got to score 12 points on a perfect 4/4 from the field, plus one steal and two assists.

Efes started on a scrappy 1/7 from the three-point line but went on to hit 7 of their next 10 shots from the perimeter. One of the highlights was Dunston's long-range shot that initiated a 0-11 run for the Turkish side.

"I'm a last-second shooter. When the shot clock is running down, give me the ball," the big man joked, talking to BasketNews. "That's if I'm still in the game and don't foul out."

"We were missing shots but started testing their defense, and then, eventually, we started making them."

Olympiacos went up by seven (39-32) in the second quarter, their biggest margin in the game.

"But played more physical on defense," Dunston noted. "We made some fouls, but we showed them we're here. We started increasing the tempo of the game."

Efes tied the all-time record for three-point shots made by a team in a Final Four game, hitting 14 against the Reds. Dunston thinks that his teammates made big shots.

"Especially Elijah Bryant and Chris Singleton. It was a big game, and big players stepped up."

Player of the Game EFF 21 Shane Larkin Points 21 Accuracy 6-18 Rebounds 0 Assists 7

Some of the long-distance shots were contested, but the majority were more or less open. According to Dunston, one thing that really helped his team recover multiple times during the game was the fact that they "understood that we had to attack the basket a little bit more. Maybe hit the ball outside but coming from the inside."

"But we never panicked, and we kept our focus," he adds.

Dunston played his first EuroLeague playoffs in the Anadolu Efes jersey in 2017. The opponent was Olympiacos, as the Greeks won the battle by 3-2 to make the Final Four.

From that point on, a lot of things have transpired. Efes have grown into a bigger and, more importantly, winning organization whilst counting on the services of top players like Vasilije Micic and Shane Larkin.

"It's a completely different team. We were all young back then. I think we were up by 17 in the third quarter of Game 5, and I blame myself for that game."

Dunston, 36, left Olympiacos in the summer of 2015 as a EuroLeague finalist to join the ranks of an up-and-coming Efes squad that was constantly underachieving.

"I was leading the team back then, but I didn't really lead the team the right way," he reflects, comparing his 2017 self with his more mature current version.

"Even if I fouled out tonight, I was still on the bench talking to guys, trying to make sure everyone was focused. People make mistakes. Now, our team has a lot more experience," Dunston admits.

In any case, the night belongs to Vasa Micic to a large extent. The Serb, who won both EuroLeague season and Final Four MVP honors last year, had gone 3/10 from deep before hitting the game-winner.

"I asked him if he's ready for this type of game," Dunston says.

"A lot of people were supporting him, and he said it's just another game. He had been here before, but he didn't play in a big final. His experience plays a lot in this stage."

What definitely didn't surprise Dunston was the number of Olympiacos fans that showed up in the Stark Arena.

"I knew it was going to be crazy. Greek fans always show up in these moments. Even in the regular season, it was a sold out. We understood how it was going to be. I think that the fans we had today are going to be there and go crazy for us," he concludes.

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