Pick and Prediction for Real Madrid vs. Anadolu Efes on Saturday, May 21 (2022 EuroLeague Final)

With under a second left before the end of the Anadolu Efes vs. Olympiacos game, Vasilije Micic took a three-pointer shot. Did he score? Yes, he did, taking Efes to the EuroLeague Final where this team will have a chance to win the title for the second straight season.

The only obstacle on their road to retaining the title comes in the form of Real Madrid. Los Blancos got themselves a place in the final of the EuroLeague after defeating the #1 favorite Barcelona. If they were able to slay the biggest giant of European basketball, they shouldn’t have problems to do win again, right?

Well, that’s the question I’ll try to answer in this EuroLeague preview.

I took the odds from MyBookie Sportsbook. I did it on purpose as this online sportsbook thinks the team from Spain is more likely to win. Many other sportsbooks disagree, giving much shorter odds on Efes.

As you’ll learn later in my EuroLeague Final prediction, I also don’t think Real Madrid should be thought of as the favorite. So, if you’re going to back Efes, my advice is to do it at MyBookie or any other basketball betting site that’s giving odds of 1.95 or longer on the reigning champs.

I think the explanation behind Real Madrid being the betting favorite at a number of sportsbooks lies in the fact that this team defeated Barcelona in the semifinal. The final score was 86-83, which may not seem too impressive, but what happened on the court sure is impressive.

The thing is that Barca’s best player Nikola Mirotic – the 2022 EuroLeague MVP – was in the mood for playing basketball that day. He recorded double figures once again, scoring 26 points and making 12 rebounds (as well as 5 assists). Still, that wasn’t enough for his team to stop Real Madrid.

Instead, Los Blancos relied on team spirit with all of the players excelling both in the offense and defense. The evidence of this is that nine different Real Madrid players scored at least 3 points, while three of them scored 15 or more.

Before the EuroLeague semifinal match with Olympiacos, Anadolu Efes was priced at 1.64 to win the game. If you’re not too much into this competition, you would’ve thought that the oddsmakers were correct.

However, Anadolu Efes was playing against a team that was practically playing on home turf. Not only did Olympiacos fans buy most of the tickets to the EuroLeague Final Four, but the locals were supporting them as well.

That said, the game proved to be much tougher than what bookmakers expected. Nevertheless, Anadolu Efes still managed to win it. And they did it in style – Vasilije Micic scored the match-winning three-pointer in the last second of the game, shutting up Olympiacos fans at Belgrade’s Stark Arena.

The last season’s MVP was superb in that game, although we did see Micic missing some free throws in crucial moments of the game. Still, the thing he pulled off in the last second has certainly boosted his confidence. That said, we can only expect him to do better on Saturday.

Even if he doesn’t, his teammates might. Even though Micic was the one to steal the show in the semifinal, he wasn’t the best player in that game. Elijah Bryant scored one point more than him, while Shane Larkin absolutely destroyed Olympiacos with 21 points and seven assists.

Real Madrid and Anadolu Efes went 1-1 in the regular season with each team winning on home turf. In the final of the 2022 EuroLeague, they’re playing on neutral ground, so what’s going to happen?

Although oddsmakers think of Real Madrid as the favorite, I think Anadolu Efes is more likely to win. What this means is that if you agree with my EuroLeague final pick, you’re in for making nice money. If you back Efes at 1.95, you can almost double your stake.

That said, my advice is to head to one of the top betting sites with attractive EuroLeague odds and back Anadolu Efes!