#ABAMemories: The day when Budućnost VOLI claimed the throne

Led by head coach Aleksandar Džikić from the bench and with players Filip Barović, Bogdan Bojić, Justin Doellman, Kyle Gibson, Nemanja Gordić, Aleksa Ilić, Nikola Ivanović, Srđan Kočić, Kyle Landry, Danilo Nikolić, Zoran Nikolić, Petar Popović, Suad Šehović, Sead Šehović and Milić Starovlah on court, Budućnost VOLI have stunned the competition in the Playoffs. After they have grabbed the second place in the standings in the Regular Season with 17 wins on their record, two less than the first placed after regular season Crvena zvezda mts, they have first overcome Cedevita in the Semi-finals with a 2:1 score in victories and Crvena zvezda mts in the Final series.

The red and white of Belgrade have had the home court advantage in the Finals, but the Podgorica squad have prevented them from grabbing the trophy anyway. Already in the opening game of the Finals, the guests have upset Zvezda in Belgrade, to get away with the 80:76 win. After Crvena zvezda mts tied the series in Round 2 and were hoping to bounce back completely on the road in Podgorica, they just did not manage to do it.

Budućnost VOLI won both home games in the series, first with the tight score of 78:77 in Round 3 and then 77:73 in what turned out to be the decisive Round 4 game in packed Morača Sports Hall. Budućnost VOLI have won their first ABA League championship trophy in their club’s history.

In the decisive game of the Finals, Nemanja Gordić has led the way in scoring for the blue and white, as he scored 18 points, while adding 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and a valuation of 19 to his stats. He was followed by Nikola Ivanović, who had 17 points and Filip Barović, who contributed 14.

Nemanja Gordić was the star of the Playoffs in a whole in this season, as he was also named the Playoffs MVP. His performances during the peak of the season were just brilliant, as he led Budućnost VOLI to the trophy with an average of 17 points, 3.9 assists, 2.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals and a valuation of 16.9. He was celebrated as a hero by his teammates and the fans after the Round 4 game of the Finals, as his teammates have carried him on their hands, as the took the Playoffs MVP trophy.

Those are for sure one of the sweetest memories for the Podgorica basketball fans, ever experienced.

2017/18 ABA League Finals, Round 1, Monday, 9.4.2018:

Crvena zvezda mts – BUDUĆNOST VOLI 76:80 (22:25, 16:12, 19:26, 19:17) STATS

Round 2, Tuesday, 10.4.2018:

CRVENA ZVEZDA MTS – Budućnost VOLI 69:59 (17:13, 14:18, 16:17, 22:11) STATS

Round 3, Friday, 13.4.2018:

BUDUĆNOST VOLI – Crvena zvezda mts 78:77 (24:23, 18:24, 26:17, 10:13) STATS

Round 4, Saturday, 14 April 2018:

BUDUĆNOST VOLI – Crvena zvezda mts 77:73 (22:15, 14:23, 24:19, 17:16) STATS