Finland’s Cinderella run in EuroBasket 2025 just keeps going.

After upsetting reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokić and Serbia in the Round of 16, Finland beat Georgia 93-79 to advance to the semifinals.

All eyes have been on Finland over the past week. No one saw this coming after the team went just 3-2 in the group phase, including a 30-point defeat at the hands of Germany in the finale. Finland has shocked everyone since, winning two straight to set up a rematch against that same Germany team—undefeated so far in this tournament—in the semifinals. It’s Finland’s first-ever EuroBasket semifinal in history.

Another upset may be unlikely, but Finland can’t be counted out after what it has shown in this year’s EuroBasket.

Lauri Markkanen will have to be outstanding for Finland to have a shot at the final. He starred in the win over Serbia, dueling Jokić all night and finishing with 29 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and four steals in 34 minutes. In the quarterfinals against Georgia, he added 17 points, six rebounds, and two assists in just 26 minutes as Finland built a double-digit lead early which  allowed him to pick his spots.

The 28-year-old forward has been brilliant all summer, averaging 24.7 points, two three-pointers per game, 7.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.6 steals. He looks like a near lock for the all-tournament team at this point and if Finland somehow wins it all, the MVP will be his for the taking.

None of this should surprise anyone. Markkanen has developed into a bona fide NBA All-Star over the past three seasons with the Utah Jazz, averaging 23.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game while the team carefully managed his minutes. He was the NBA’s 2023 Most Improved Player, the same season he made his first All-Star team.

What many forget is that Markkanen’s breakout year in Utah came on the heels of EuroBasket 2022, where he was the tournament’s revelation, averaging 27.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists before Finland fell in the quarterfinals to Spain. Judging by his form this summer—and his overflowing confidence as Finland’s top option—he could be in for another big year in the NBA.

Before he heads back to the Jazz, though, Finland has unfinished business as they enter their  rematch with Germany. Finland has already made history with this run, but after the past two games, they have shown that they can be more than just token participants in this semifinal. Germany awaits, and with Markkanen in this kind of form, Finland’s Cinderella story looks like it could still have one more chapter left.