Anadolu Efes turned President Tuncay Özilhan’s 25-year dream into reality in Cologne yesterday.
Exactly 25 years ago, the Navy-Whites who raised the Korac Cup with the legendary coach Aydın Örs as the “locomotive” of Turkish basketball in Milan, then raised the bar and set the goal as the championship in the number 1 cup.
Efes, which made its debut in the final four in Thessaloniki in 2000, took part in the Final-Four in Thessaloniki, then joined the Euroleague formation, but despite making it to the final in Vitoria in 2019, the cup flew out of his hands again.
In the last year’s pandemic season, Anadolu Efes, which went very well, wreaked havoc and moved towards the championship, this time entered the cup with the corona virus.
In the season they started this year with the motto of “unfinished duty”, they moved towards the goal of the cup with the eye-catching basketball, where team identity was at the forefront, and this time set out for the Final-Four in Cologne.
Here, yesterday, after the CSKA Moscow win in the semi-finals, Barcelona, where the bone sounds came, broke, and perhaps the “longest” final match in history, did not avoid both its unfinished mission and no sacrifice, and the name of the club changed. Anadolu Efes players brought the cup, which embellished the dreams of President Özilhan, who did not stop investing in basketball even though he cried.
Yes, it was really a crushing match… Barcelona coach Jasikevicius set up the two stars of Ephesus Larkin and Micic as “guards”, Bolmaro and Claver, who were one head above them, with the help he brought with Davies and most importantly He managed to brake with an incredibly hard defense. With the numbers of Kuric and Davies in the offense, the difference increased to 10 points at once. Sertaç Şanlı started out perfectly and continued like that. But when he got into the foul problem, Anadolu Efes’ coach Ergin Ataman, who was accustomed to achieving firsts in history, drove Pleiss to the field to solve the problem. While the German center prevented Efes from breaking with two critical three pointers sent to the opponent’s basket, it was the name that stood firm on the defense and set the match on fire again on behalf of the Navy-Whites. Moerman, Anderson and Beaubois, who came from the sidelines, were also involved, especially when they got involved in the defense, and Efes, who took control of the game, managed to get ahead in the locker room with a great series like 21-4.
In the third quarter, Larkin, the two silent first-half names, this time managed to wear off the hard defense not with his shots but rather with his punches. When the opponent’s slightest timing errors squeezed the three-pointer, the difference increased to double digits. However, Barcelona had no intention of giving up either. They resisted until the end. But with names like Larkin-Micic familiar with the MVP award, they did not allow Barça to come back.
While Anadolu Efes was going to the championship, the most important reason for this was that the “team” identity was at the forefront. From Ergin Ataman, who was one of the three coaches of Europe to win 4 different trophies, who once again proved himself with his skill in creating team chemistry, who was the first coach to raise the Euroleague cup, to General Director Alper Yılmaz, to all the troubles of the players. From the remedy team manager Özgür Alyüz, to physiotherapist Murat Çağlar, who took the injured players to the field as soon as possible, from Ozan Şirikçi, who protected them from injury and made them to the field in the strongest way, to masseur Suat Kuruçay, all the names I have not mentioned here are in this success. shareholder…
But Aslan’s share is to President Tuncay Özilhan, who, patiently, despite all difficulties, without giving up, without backing down even when he is alone, who he sees as a child of Anadolu Efes (Efes Pilsen)… This cup is your work, congratulations …
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