S.L. Benfica (basketball) close to reach the Top 8, and for a third season in a row Benfica managed to reach the Top 16 again in the European Champions' Cup, in 1995–96, grabbing a win against Panathinaikos, the eventual champions. This period was followed by a dark era in which Benfica was internally overshadowed by Ovarense, Portugal Telecom and FC Porto. Even though this period is considered to be a dark one, Benfica did manage to reach the LPB final once as well as winning Super Cups and finishing runners-up in the national cup and in the league cup. Also noteworthy is an
1983–84 S.L. Benfica season and Michael Manniche. Benfica started the season by winning the Portuguese Cup Final of the past season and the Iberian Cup. In the league, Benfica started strong until their drop points in October. A home win against Porto propelled them into first place, which they never lost. Twelve consecutive wins followed until they were stopped in February. In March, Benfica was knocked out of Europe and lost for the first time in the league. They reacted with five wins and a draw in the next month, before losing for a second time in late April. In May, Benfica confirmed their