What happens if the FIBA Intercontinental Cup is reorganized like the FIFA Club World Cup?
Play In Tournament
FIBA Africa Play-In Tournament
Teams:
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Al Ittihad Alexandria (EGY)
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Interclube (ANG)
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River Hoopers (NIG)
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WO Boufarik (ALG)
Semifinals
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Al Ittihad 82 – 74 River Hoopers
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Al Ittihad’s veteran backcourt controlled tempo; River Hoopers hung with athletic transition play but Al Ittihad’s perimeter shooting in Q2 separated them.
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Interclube 78 – 76 WO Boufarik
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Tight game. Interclube hit two late free throws; WO Boufarik missed a game-tying three at the buzzer.
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Final
Al Ittihad 85 – 80 Interclube — Qualifier: Al Ittihad Alexandria
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Al Ittihad’s mix of interior scoring and pick-and-roll defense overcame Interclube’s quickness. Interclube made a late run but Al Ittihad’s experienced point guard closed it.
Africa qualifier advancing to Main Draw: Al Ittihad Alexandria (EGY).
FIBA Asia Play-In Tournament
Preliminary Qualifying (to determine two entrants into Asia Play-In)
Teams (7): Pelita Jaya (INA), Dunkin Raptors (THA), Saigon Heat (VIE), NS Matrix (MAS), Pampanga Giant Lanterns (PHI), New Taipei Kings (CTP), Khasin Khuleguud (MGL).
Format: single round robin, top 2 progress into the Asia Play-In groups.
Top two finishers (simulated):
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New Taipei Kings (CTP) — smart, balanced team.
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Pelita Jaya Bakrie (INA) — homecourt/region fight.
New Taipei Kings and Pelita Jaya advance to the Asia Play-In group stage.
Asia Play-In group stage (6 teams total including the ones you listed)
Teams:
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Liaoning Flying Tigers (CHN)
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Ryukyu Golden Kings (JPN)
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Busan KCC Egis (KOR)
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Tasmania JackJumpers (AUS)
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New Taipei Kings (CTP) (from preliminary)
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Pelita Jaya Bakrie (INA) (from preliminary)
Format: two groups of 3, top two in each group go to semis; semis winners (2 teams) qualify to Main Draw.
Groups
Group 1: Liaoning, Tasmania, Pelita Jaya
Group 2: Ryukyu, Busan KCC, New Taipei Kings
Group results (simulated)
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Group 1 winner: Liaoning (2–0). Tasmania second (1–1). Pelita 0–2.
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Group 2 winner: Ryukyu (2–0). Busan KCC second (1–1). New Taipei 0–2.
Semifinals
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Liaoning 88 – 81 Busan KCC — Liaoning wins on pick-and-roll and midrange control.
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Ryukyu 84 – 79 Tasmania — Ryukyu’s guard play and late three-point shooting decides.
Asia Play-In Final (for pride)
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Liaoning 92 – 86 Ryukyu (close, entertaining game).
Asia qualifiers advancing to Main Draw: Liaoning Flying Tigers (CHN) and Ryukyu Golden Kings (JPN).
Main Tournament
Group A — (Real Madrid / Franca / Petro / Chiba Jets)
Final standings
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Real Madrid (3–0)
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Chiba Jets (1–2) — better head-to-head over Franca
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Franca (1–2)
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Petro de Luanda (1–2)
Key games & notes
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Real Madrid demolished Franca 92–72: Madrid’s ball movement and size in the paint (dominant center) broke Franca’s defense.
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Chiba Jets upset Petro 86–79: Chiba’s guard penetration and quick closeouts neutralized Petro’s post threats.
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Franca beat Petro in the final round 88–83 to try to squeeze through but lost on point differential. Real’s steadiness ensured top seed.
Why teams won/lost: Real — superior spacing and veteran Euroleague cohesion. Chiba — fast tempo and disciplined pick-and-roll. Franca & Petro — both had flashes but inconsistent 3-point shooting cost them.
Group B — (Panathinaikos / Boston Celtics / Al Riyadi / Al Ittihad)
Final standings
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Boston Celtics (3–0)
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Panathinaikos (2–1)
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Al Riyadi (1–2)
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Al Ittihad (0–3)
Key games
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Celtics 104 – 86 Panathinaikos: NBA athleticism and depth overwhelmed the Greek bigs.
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Panathinaikos narrowly beat Al Riyadi 79–77: methodical half-court defense and late isolation plays.
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Al Riyadi beat Al Ittihad 90–84 for consolation but Al Ittihad’s earlier fatigue from Play-Ins showed.
Why: Celtics’ professional NBA-level depth and transition scoring; Panathinaikos used tactical sets to finish second.
Group C — (Bayern / Boca Juniors / Sagesse / Liaoning)
Final standings
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Bayern Munich (3–0)
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Liaoning Flying Tigers (2–1)
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Boca Juniors (1–2)
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Sagesse (0–3)
Key games
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Bayern 95–73 Boca: superior size and shooters.
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Liaoning 88–85 Bayern (shock): Liaoning’s experienced Chinese backcourt upset Bayern in a wild finish — this simulated upset is central to the drama. But Bayern still tops on points/day? (In my sim Liaoning actually finished 2–1; Bayern 2–1 and topped on tiebreakers.) — final order adjusted: Bayern top, Liaoning second.
Why: Liaoning’s guard play and midrange execution allowed it to compete with Euro athleticism.
Group D — (CSKA / Quimsa / Niners Chemnitz / Meralco)
Final standings
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CSKA Moscow (3–0)
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Quimsa (2–1)
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Meralco Bolts (1–2)
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Niners Chemnitz (0–3)
Key games
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CSKA 91–82 Quimsa: CSKA’s disciplined defense and half-court sets.
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Quimsa 99–85 Meralco: South American flair, excellent ball movement and three-point accuracy.
Group E — (Unicaja / Paris BC / Diablos Rojos / Ryukyu)
Final standings
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Unicaja Malaga (3–0)
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Paris BC (2–1)
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Ryukyu Golden Kings (1–2)
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Diablos Rojos (0–3)
Key games
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Paris 88–84 Ryukyu: Paris’s athletic forwards and better rebounding.
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Unicaja 93–78 Paris: excellent spacing and defensive rotations gave Unicaja the top spot.
Group F — (AS Monaco / Criollos / Olimpia Milano / Rytas)
Final standings
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Olimpia Milano (3–0)
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AS Monaco (2–1)
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Rytas Vilnius (1–2)
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Criollos de Caguas (0–3)
Key games
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Milano 98–90 Monaco: Milano’s star scoring night in a high-pace game.
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Monaco handled Rytas 85–76; Rytas punched above its weight once but lacked consistency.
Group G — (Crvena Zvezda / Oklahoma City Blue / Fenerbahçe / Nacional)
Final standings
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Fenerbahçe Beko (2–1) — top via tiebreaker
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Crvena Zvezda (2–1)
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Oklahoma City Blue (1–2)
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Nacional (0–3)
Key games
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Crvena 87–84 Fenerbahçe: had Fenerbahçe not lost elsewhere, tiebreak made them second.
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OKC Blue upset Nacional 95–88 with high-tempo offense.
Group H — (Olympiacos / Paris BC / Pelita Jaya / New Taipei Kings)
(Instead of confusing duplicates, I made Group H a balanced mix of a Greek powerhouse, an invited European club, and two East Asian teams.)
Final standings
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Olympiacos Piraeus (3–0)
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New Taipei Kings (1–2) — surprise second on head-to-head & point differential
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Pelita Jaya (1–2)
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Paris BC (1–2) — tiebreakers pushed them down
Key games
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Olympiacos dominated group, classic physical defense and transition offense.
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New Taipei pulled an upset over Paris BC in a blowout game to claim second on points.
Knockout Stages
Round of 16
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Real Madrid (A1) vs Panathinaikos (B2) — Real 89 – 85 Panathinaikos
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Tight Greek-Spanish duel. Panathinaikos used scrappy defense and late runs; Real’s depth and clutch guard made difference late.
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Boston Celtics (B1) vs Chiba Jets (A2) — Celtics 110 – 92 Chiba
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NBA level athleticism and transition points overwhelmed Chiba. Celtics bench destroyed in Q3.
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Bayern Munich (C1) vs Liaoning (C2) — Bayern 96 – 94 Liaoning
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Nail-biter. Liaoning shot lights out but Bayern’s last-minute defense forced turnovers.
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CSKA (D1) vs Quimsa (D2) — CSKA 88 – 80 Quimsa
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CSKA’s half-court sets and defense stifled Quimsa’s scrappy offense.
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Unicaja (E1) vs Paris BC (E2) — Unicaja 84 – 80 Paris
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Physical defense and clutch free throws peaked for Unicaja.
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Olimpia Milano (F1) vs AS Monaco (F2) — Milano 101 – 96 Monaco
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Offensive clinic; Milano’s star scorer delivered 32 points.
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Fenerbahçe (G1) vs Crvena Zvezda (G2) — Fenerbahçe 89 – 87 Crvena
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Brutal defensive contest; last-second attempt by Crvena rimmed out.
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Olympiacos (H1) vs New Taipei Kings (H2) — Olympiacos 92 – 78 New Taipei
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Olympiacos size and veteran savvy see them through.
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Quarterfinalists: Real Madrid, Boston Celtics, Bayern Munich, CSKA Moscow, Unicaja, Olimpia Milano, Fenerbahçe, Olympiacos.
Quarterfinals
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Real Madrid vs Olympiacos — Real Madrid 95 – 91 Olympiacos
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Euro tactical battle; Real’s bench 3-point barrage late sealed it.
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Boston Celtics vs Fenerbahçe — Celtics 103 – 94 Fenerbahçe
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Celtics’ length created turnovers that turned into fastbreak points.
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Bayern Munich vs Unicaja Malaga — Bayern 88 – 86 Unicaja
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Unicaja kept it close but Bayern’s athleticism and one explosive quarter won it.
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CSKA Moscow vs Olimpia Milano — Milano 100 – 97 CSKA
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Milano’s offense past CSKA’s disciplined defense in a high-scoring thriller.
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Semifinalists: Real Madrid, Boston Celtics, Bayern Munich, Olimpia Milano.
Semifinals
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Real Madrid vs Olimpia Milano — Real Madrid 104 – 98 Olimpia Milano (OT)
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A heavyweight tactical slugfest. Milano’s star scored 36 but Real’s bench and a last-second three forced overtime where Madrid’s defense tightened.
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Boston Celtics vs Bayern Munich — Celtics 109 – 102 Bayern
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Celtics again used superior depth; Bayern shot well but couldn’t match second-unit scoring.
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Final: Real Madrid vs Boston Celtics.
Third place game: Olimpia Milano vs Bayern Munich — Milano wins 95–90 (Milano claims bronze; gritty veteran performance).
The Final — Real Madrid vs Boston Celtics
Score: Real Madrid 98 – 96 Boston Celtics (final minute dramatics)
Game story
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First half: Celtics used transition and size to build a slender lead; Real Madrid’s ball movement kept them within a few points.
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Second half: Madrid’s perimeter shooting heated up; Celtics’ bench maintained pressure.
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Clutch: In the final 90 seconds, Celtics up by 3 after a timely steal. Real answers with a step-back three to tie. Celtics draw foul, make one free throw to lead 96–95. With 12 seconds left, Real runs a horns set — Madrid’s point guard penetrates, draws a double, kicks to corner where the veteran wing (simulated Madrid star) hits a cold-blooded three: Real up 98–96. Celtics inbound, attempt a last-second heave blocked at the rim. Real Madrid wins the 2025 FIBA Intercontinental Cup.
Why Real won: exceptional ball movement, clutch shooting, and experience in late-game execution. The team’s depth and a balanced attack produced just enough to stave off NBA athleticism.
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