Real Madrid have returned to where they always belong: the EuroLeague Final Four. The series against Hapoel Tel Aviv ended 3-1, and the fourth game was decisive - 87-81 for the Spaniards, and that without their main defensive player Walter Tavares. For coach Sergio Scariolo, this is not just a success. This is, as he himself put it, a "triple success".

"It is a great achievement to be in this EuroLeague Final Four this year," Scariolo told EuroLeague TV after the game. "But it is a double achievement, because we played against a great team with an extremely high and well-used budget. And it is a triple achievement, because we did it without our main player." Translated: Hapoel arrives with one of the most expensive rosters in the league, we go in without our defensive cornerstone, and we are still in the Final Four.

The team deserves the credit, Scariolo said. "They really made a huge effort. It is true that, in essence, we have returned to where Real Madrid should be, but the circumstances were quite tough." In coach-speak: we knew we had to be there, but no one expected it would happen like this.

Scariolo is not yet ready to think about the final. "We take it one game at a time. Now we have a few league games, and then we'll try to prepare and see what we can do in a different scenario. Obviously, we have to raise our level. But as I said, for now, let's enjoy this - we'll think about the Final Four when the time comes."

A Balkan fan knows what Real in the Final Four means. It means the other three teams have to be ready for the most experienced club in European basketball. The Macedonian, Serbian, Greek fans who treat the EuroLeague as their second national sport - now have one more reason not to miss a single game. Real does not come to the Final Four to be decoration. And they know it.