ATHENS (Greece) - Coming back to Athens after a rough defeat in Game 2 on the road in Badalona, AEK BC needed their superstars to step ahead in the Quarter-Finals of the Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL.
Both RaiQuan Gray and Frank Bartley didn’t disappoint, combining for 31 points in an overall low-scoring encounter. But to make the extra effort, you need everybody to emerge.
That’s why, with forty seconds to go and AEK up by just one point (68-67), Dimitris Katsivelis had the ball in his hands. Forget about it: call him Dimitris Clutchivelis.
One dribble after another, he found himself close to the basket: game-winning play.
"We wanted to attack Jabari Parker on the pick-and-roll; it was me and RaiQuan [Gray] running it. The initial play was either for me to pass it to him or get the switch and try to create something out of it," Katsivelis recalls to the BCL website.
"I got the switch, I thought about driving to the lane and, if somebody helped, I would have tried to find an open teammate. Nobody helped, so I drove to the rim and had a good look. I just took that advantage and made the best out of it," he follows.
He finished with 7 points, clutch plays, and an ignited yellow-and-black crowd ready to lift him as one of the heroes in Season X for the Queen, returning to the BCL Final Four for the second straight season.
"We're very grateful that we're going to compete among the best four teams in the Basketball Champions League. It was very important for us to get there; it was one of our goals since the beginning of the season," he comments.
"We are very happy for our team and for our fans that we've made it there. We're very excited to play and compete for the title," Katsivelis follows as well.
Back to Badalona
Once the Round of 16 ended, everybody couldn’t wait to see AEK and Asisa Joventut square off.
On one side, the 10-time participants in the competition, which won the league back in 2017-18, and were coming off a Final Four ecstasy last season in Athens.
On the other hand, the newcomers that entered Season X on an historical nine-game unbeaten streak, ready to conquer it all in their debut campaign in front of their people, in Badalona.
This Quarter-Final series had everything to be cemented in the competition’s history books, and it didn’t disappoint.
Game 1 was a nail-biting spectacle decided only in the final possessions; Game 2 featured Joventut’s pride and desire to fight back; Game 3 was the essence of a do-or-die clash.
"We’ve managed to overcome all the difficulties during such a long campaign like this. Competing against a team like Badalona in the Quarter-Finals was a really tough challenge, as they’re a great team, built to get to the Final Four," Katsivelis says.
The Greek international states it correctly: despite this being Joventut’s first season competing in the BCL, they had the star power and enough experience at such a stage to conclude it in early May.
"They’re a team with individual talent and a lot of experience at the highest level in basketball. Ricky Rubio played in the NBA for so many years, just like Jabari Parker. It was a really tough series," Katsivelis adds.
But what really made the difference to grab the victory in the win-or-go-home deciding game, back at Athens’ SUNEL Arena? Mainly, two things: fans and defensive effort.
Let’s start with the first, which happens to be the loudest of the two as well.
It was amazing since Game 1, and I honestly believe that as the games went on, the arena was more and more intense. They were on fire.
"They really boosted us because we needed them. We needed the energies from the crowd to compete at this high level," Katsivelis follows.
Joventut averaged 86.0 points per game in the first two encounters of the series against AEK, but in Game 3, they were limited to 70. To be precise, they put up a 67-point losing effort.
"We played a really tough game, mostly defensively. We tried to stop their way of playing and what makes them special overall. In Game 2, they were moving the ball and finding all the open shots," he says.
"We knew we had to stop this to get the win, and that’s what we did. We kept them below 70 points. And that was really important to lead us to the victory," Katsivelis mentions.
New team, same friends
For the second consecutive season, Dimitris Katsivelis will represent a Greek team in the final stages of a European competition.
In 2024-25, he suited up in the FIBA Europe Cup Finals with PAOK; in 2025-26, as said, he will be fighting for the BCL trophy with AEK.
He’s not the only one who has gone through such a trajectory.
I really like playing with him, and he played a big part in my decision to move to AEK, knowing he would be here too. We enjoyed our last year with PAOK.
"Frank is an amazing guy and an even better teammate. He gives everything he has on any given night."
"He not only provides amazing offensive skills, but a competitive attitude that boosts everybody around him. He knows what he had to do in order for the team to win. And he loves winning," Katsivelis continues about Bartley.
Both the 34-year-old Greek veteran and one of the candidates for the MVP of the Season were observing what was happening five hours driving away from Thessaloniki.
"I have friends who played here last year, and they had an amazing season. I followed the BCL Final Four from afar, but I immediately realized what was taking place in the arena."
Obviously, he hopes that the final outcome will be different this season, with AEK bringing home a gold medal rather than some bronze hardware - like they did in 2024-25.
"I don’t think these two seasons have been so different from each other," he explains.
"Coach Sakota knows how to run the team, and the way they were playing last year is kind of similar to what we are trying to do this season as well."
"If I can draw some differences, defensively, we are much more solid than last year. Our defensive capabilities have reached another peak," Katsivelis also says.
After all, AEK have the 2nd best Defensive Efficiency Rating (103.69) among teams that competed in the Quarter-Finals, only behind Unicaja (101.27).
AEK’s legacy in the BCL isn’t stopping
One of the main reasons why the Queen keeps on being competitive at the highest level, not only in Greece but in the BCL as well, is related to the club’s legend on the sideline.
Already a multiple-trophy winner with the black-and-yellow powerhouse, having led them to a Greek Championship in 2001-02, and to a Greek Cup and the BCL in 2017-18, Dragan Sakota keeps on being the difference-maker for AEK.
"It’s amazing to get something from him each and every day," Katsivelis says about Sakota.
He’s a legend in this club and of European basketball, with a lot of years of experience behind his back.
"He just knows how to get things done, and it’s really easy for us to play for a coach and person like this."
Years passed by, but both Coach Sakota and AEK are still there, giving their best to stay at the top of the BCL.
Alongside La Laguna Tenerife and Filou Oostende, they’re the only team that haven’t skipped a single campaign in the competition since its birth in 2016-17.
"Being constantly in the BCL has really helped a lot. This is a team that haven’t only competed in the competition throughout 10 years, but they have also reached multiple BCL Final Fours and won a title. AEK have been a certainty in the BCL," Katsivelis mentions.
"I think playing in this league really contributed to maintaining a certain high level, attracting valuable players, and building a solid name again after some rough years prior to the Makis Angelopoulos’ administration."
And now, it’s Badalona time. BCL Final Four time. Once again, they will go up against last season’s opponents in the Semi-Finals, the defending back-to-back title-holders.
"We have a lot of respect for Unicaja. They are back-to-back champions for a reason, after all. They’re a great organization, well-coached, with some BCL stars. But it’s one game at a time and we’re gonna give everything we have in order to be in the Final."
If AEK manage to overcome the obstacle represented by Ibon Navarro’s team, they will dress up for the gala night of Season X either against Tenerife or Rytas Vilnius.
"Tenerife are one of the main favorites to win it all, considering how much experience they have on their side," he says.
"Rytas, on the other hand, had an unbelievable last part of the season, really deserving to compete in the BCL Final Four. I wish them luck," the Greek expert adds on the Lithuanians.
Unable to lift a trophy last season alongside Frank Bartley, Dimitris Katsivelis hopes everything will be different at the beginning of May in Badalona.
There’s an historic legacy that needs to keep on being written. The Queen’s ready to mark their sign.