Spartak Repeats Atop Euroleague

Congratulations are in order for Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson. Their Spartak Moscow team won its second straight Euroleague Championship Sunday, defeating host Gambrinus Brno 75-60 in the culmination of the Euroleague Final Four. Spartak was never really challenged after opening the game with a 12-2 run, leading by 10 after one quarter and 16 at the half and after three quarters.

Bird and Jackson both played key roles in the win; Bird was on the court for nearly 39 minutes and Jackson went the full 40. Bird scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Jackson had 18 points and 12 rebounds, both game highs. Ultimately, Spartak won this game with defense, limiting Brno to 31.3% shooting.

Bird now has two Euroleague titles, while Jackson won her first to go along with the WNBA championship they won together in 2004 and too many other titles to count.

UPDATE: Looks like I overstated how easy the win was for Spartak. Brno got as close as seven in the fourth quarter before Spartak finished the game on an 8-0 run. Jackson was named Final Four MVP.