Veni, Vidi, Vici. When Julius Caesar sent this message to the Roman Senate in 47 BC after his victory over Pharnaces at the Battle of Zela, he could never have imagined that twenty centuries later, those same words would be used to describe another moment of glory — not on a battlefield, but on a basketball court. In an arena near the ancient Roman Forum — where triumphant generals once paraded in glory — a new kind of warrior, a general of the hardwood, would lead the red-and-white legion into battle, dismantling every defensive formation thrown at them.

After Paris turned Green the year before the Rome F4 would only see one fate .... Antreas continues his FFF series so lets roll back the years once more. Here is how the F4 story continued to unfold...

After the failures in two consecutive finals in Tel Aviv & Zaragoza and the green triumph of their arch-rival in Paris just a year removed, Olympiakos had made some huge changes ahead of the 1997 campaign. Duda Ivkovic replaced Ioannidis at the helm, Christian Welp re-enforced the frontline, but the absolute X factor would turn out to be a nifty American guard that –unbelievable or even insane as it may sound now- remained on the Olympiacos roster more out of necessity than choice, after coach Dušan Ivković failed in his efforts to sign either Byron Dinkins or Saša Đorđević. Rivers narrowly avoided being cut from the team. Following a surprise demoralizing loss to VAO in the domestic league, a moment many saw as rock bottom, Ivković made the bold decision that would change everything. He promoted Milan Tomić to the starting lineup, aiming both to rein in Rivers and to liberate him from the burden of playmaking duties.

From there, the team began to click. With confidence growing, Olympiacos swept their eternal rivals Panathinaikos in the quarterfinals and travelled to Rome full of belief, determined to exorcise the demons of past failures. Ivković voiced that belief at the airport, declaring:

“We’re the best team here — and we’ve come to win it.”

In the semifinal against Olimpija Ljubljana, Rivers made his mark with 28 points and led the reds to the final. Barcelona awaited there having beat another surprise team in ASVEL and hoping to claim what Panathinaikos had denied them in Paris a year ago. Unfortunately for the Catalans, they were met by an Olympiacos squad determined to seize the imperial crown. Ivković, in a masterstroke, took his players to Ostia beach the day before the final to toss pebbles into the sea — a symbolic and calming gesture to release the pressure.

Even when the Catalans stormed to a 9–0 lead and Nakic missed a layup on the break, Ivković didn’t flinch. Applauding from the sidelines, he urged his players on with the words:

“Come on, boys, it’s alright.”

He knew the comeback was only a matter of time — and he was right. Rivers lived up to his name, flowing through the Spanish defence like a torrent. Dribbling through the court and scoring a lay up in an iconic 3 seconds, he also neutralized Đorđević, who had only recently returned from injury and was a summer transfer target threatening his spot in the Olympiakos’ roster. Artūras Karnišovas was tangled in the defensive grip of Giorgos Sigalas, while only the veteran Andrés Jiménez offered any resistance.

The final score of 73–58, the largest margin ever in a EuroLeague final at the time, meant the coronation of a new Caesar. On April 24, 1997, David Rivers crowned Olympiacos as kings of Europe, earning thunderous acclaim from the club’s ecstatic supporters, who had turned Rome’s Palaeur arena into a modern-day coliseum  It was a moment of ultimate vindication for the undersized American guard, who had spent the previous season under intense scrutiny.

Redemption for the reds as Panagiotis Fasoulas lit a victory cigar on the bench. Sigalas, the captain, saw his prophecy from the Greek Cup final fulfilled, when -foretelling the Triple Crown that Olympiacos would ultimately achieve in that unforgettable season- had shouted:

“The first one, the first one!”