2003–04 Euroleague
The Final Four was held at the Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv
Number of teams24
Finals
ChampionsIsrael Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv (4th title)
  Runners-upItaly Skipper Bologna
Third placeRussia CSKA Moscow
Fourth placeItaly Montepaschi Siena
Awards
Regular Season MVPLithuania Arvydas Sabonis
Top 16 MVPLithuania Arvydas Sabonis
Final Four MVPUnited States Anthony Parker
Statistical leaders
Points United States Lynn Greer 25.1
Rebounds Lithuania Arvydas Sabonis 10.7
Assists United States Ed Cota 5.7
Index Rating Lithuania Arvydas Sabonis 26.3

The 2003–04 Euroleague was the fourth season of the professional basketball competition for elite clubs throughout Europe, organised by Euroleague Basketball Company, and it was the 47th season of the premier competition for European men's clubs overall. The 200304 season featured 24 competing teams from 13 countries. The final of the competition was held in Nokia Arena, Tel Aviv, Israel, with hosts Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv,[1] defeating Skipper Bologna, by a score of 118-74.

Team allocation

Distribution

The table below shows the default access list.

Teams entering in this round
Regular season
(24 teams)
  • 4 best-placed teams from:
Top 16
(16 teams)
  • 3 group winners from the regular season
  • 3 group runners-up from the regular season
  • 3 group third-placed teams from the regular season
  • 3 group fourth-placed teams from the regular season
  • 3 group fifth-placed teams from the regular season
  • 1 group sixth-placed team from the regular season
Final four
(4 teams)
  • 4 group winners from the top 16

Teams

The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round (TH: EuroLeague title holders)

  • 1st, 2nd, etc.: League position after Playoffs
  • WC: Wild card
Regular season
Italy Benetton Treviso (1st) Spain Unicaja Málaga (3rd) France Adecco ASVEL (2nd) Germany ALBA Berlin (1st)
Italy Skipper Bologna (2nd) Spain Tau Cerámica (6th)WC Slovenia Krka (1st) Israel Maccabi Elite (1st)
Italy Lottomatica Roma (3rd) Greece Panathinaikos (1st) Slovenia Union Olimpija (2nd) Lithuania Žalgiris (1st)
Italy Montepaschi Siena (4th) Greece AEK (2nd) Turkey Efes Pilsen (1st) Poland Idea Śląsk (3rd)WC
Spain FC Barcelona (1st)TH Greece Olympiacos (4th)WC Turkey Ülker (2nd) Russia CSKA Moscow (1st)
Spain Pamesa Valencia (2nd) France Pau-Orthez (1st) Croatia Cibona VIP (2nd)WC Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Partizan Mobtel (1st)

Regular season

The first phase was a regular season, in which the competing teams were drawn into three groups, each containing eight teams. Each team played every other team in its group at home and away, resulting in 14 games for each team in the first stage. The top 5 teams in each group and the best sixth-placed team advanced to the next round. The complete list of tiebreakers was provided in the lead-in to the Regular Season results.

If one or more clubs were level on won-lost record, tiebreakers were applied in the following order:

  1. Head-to-head record in matches between the tied clubs
  2. Overall point difference in games between the tied clubs
  3. Overall point difference in all group matches (first tiebreaker if tied clubs were not in the same group)
  4. Points scored in all group matches
  5. Sum of quotients of points scored and points allowed in each group match
Key to colors
     Top five places in each group, plus highest-ranked sixth-place team, advanced to Top 16

Group A

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1.Spain FC Barcelona 141221086937+149
2.Croatia Cibona VIP 148611221101+21
3.Turkey Ülker 148610231050-27
4.Slovenia Union Olimpija 146810931123-30
5.France Pau-Orthez 146811411130+11
6.Greece AEK 146810661099-33
7.Serbia and Montenegro Partizan Mobtel 146810811078+3
8.Italy Lottomatica Roma 144109971091-94

Group B

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1.Russia CSKA Moscow 141131118984+134
2.Israel Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv 1411312611169+92
3.Italy Skipper Bologna 148612061173+33
4.Italy Montepaschi Siena 1486114211420
5.Greece Panathinaikos 147711411113+28
6.Lithuania Žalgiris 146810831068+15
7.Spain Unicaja Málaga 1441010511111-60
8.Slovenia Krka 142129471189-242

Group C

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1.Turkey Efes Pilsen 1410410661002+64
2.Italy Benetton Treviso 1410411851067+118
3.Spain Pamesa Valencia 149511491089+60
4.Spain Tau Cerámica 149511831127+56
5.Greece Olympiacos 147711091108+1
6.Poland Idea Śląsk Wrocław 146811101163-53
7.Germany Alba Berlin 1431110751170-95
8.France Adecco ASVEL 142129821133-151

Top 16

The surviving teams were divided into four groups of four teams each, and again a round robin system was adopted resulting in 6 games each, with the top team advancing to the Final Four. Tiebreakers were identical to those used in the Regular Season.

This was the last season in which teams advanced directly from the Top 16 to the Final Four. A quarterfinal round was introduced in the 2004–05 season.

The draw was held in accordance with Euroleague rules.

The teams were placed into four pools, as follows:

Level 1: The three group winners, plus the top-ranked second-place team

Level 2: The remaining second-place teams, plus the top two third-place teams

Level 3: The remaining third-place team, plus the three fourth-place teams

Level 4: The fifth-place teams, plus the top ranked sixth-place team

Each Top 16 group included one team from each pool. The draw was conducted under the following restrictions:

  1. No more than two teams from the same Regular Season group could be placed in the same Top 16 group.
  2. No more than two teams from the same country could be placed in the same Top 16 group.
  3. If there is a conflict between these two restrictions, (1) would receive priority.

Another draw was held to determine the order of fixtures. In the case of two teams from the same city in the Top 16 (Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, Efes Pilsen and Ülker) they were scheduled so that every week only one team would be at home.

Key to colors
     Top place in each group advanced to Final four

Group D

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1.Russia CSKA Moscow 651477436+41
2.Spain Tau Cerámica 642505477+28
3.Croatia Cibona VIP 624422449-27
4.Greece Olympiacos 615436477-41

Group E

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1.Italy Skipper Bologna 651484457+27
2.Turkey Efes Pilsen 642427390+37
3.France Pau-Orthez 624452486−34
4.Slovenia Union Olimpija 615438468−30

Group F

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1.Italy Montepaschi Siena 642498461+37
2.Italy Benetton Treviso 642510494+16
3.Spain FC Barcelona 624445452−7
4.Greece Panathinaikos 624460506−46

Group G

Team Pld W L PF PA Diff
1.Israel Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv 642452406+46
2.Spain Pamesa Valencia 642418421-3
3.Lithuania Žalgiris 633520507+13
4.Turkey Ülker 615449505−56

Final four

Semifinals

April 29, Nokia Arena, Tel Aviv

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Montepaschi Siena Italy 102–103 Italy Skipper Bologna
Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv Israel 93–85 Russia CSKA Moscow

3rd place game

May 1, Nokia Arena, Tel Aviv

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Montepaschi Siena Italy 94–97 Russia CSKA Moscow

Final

May 1, Nokia Arena, Tel Aviv

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv Israel 118–74 Italy Skipper Bologna
2003–04 Euroleague Champions
Israel
Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv
4th Title

Final standings

Team
Israel Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv
SilverItaly Skipper Bologna
BronzeRussia CSKA Moscow
Italy Montepaschi Siena

Awards

Top Scorer

Regular Season MVP

Top 16 MVP

Final Four MVP

Finals Top Scorer

All-Euroleague First Team 200304

All-Euroleague Second Team 200304

References and notes

  1. The venue for each year's Final Four is determined before the previous year's Final Four, before it can possibly be known who will advance.
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