In the fifth match of the ING Basketball Super League Play-Off Semi-Final Series, Anadolu Efes defeated Galatasaray Nef 104-77 and went ahead 3-2 in the series and became Fenerbahçe Beko’s opponent in the final. Making a statement after the match, Anadolu Efes Head Coach Ergin Ataman stated that the series gave excitement and added color to Turkish basketball and said:
‘We took the field with a different staff structure’
“In the first game, we started with complacency due to the celebrations and lack of concentration, we ate a huge difference. But then we started our normal game. Galatasaray also gave a very respectable fight. Especially in all the previous matches, there was a great hardness, defensive concentration, smart play in attack, they brought the series to the fifth game. This was the final game of the series, we were aware of that. We took the field with a different squad structure, we used two 4’s, Moerman and Singleton. We left out the flash player of the season, Pleiss, but we wanted to be tougher, so our plans worked.”
‘I congratulate Galatasaray’
“We defended better today outside the first period. From the end of the first half, we broke the match, especially with Micic’s scoring game and Larkin’s participation. Micic’s injury got us in trouble. I don’t know how your injury is. But on the other hand, when Göksenin was injured in Galatasaray, their defense resistance was broken, which gave us an advantage. It was a good series. I congratulate the Galatasaray team for this struggle, especially at the end of the season, for the basketball they played and the excitement they added.”
‘I hope it will be a good championship series’
Answering the question about Fenerbahçe Beko, which they will meet in the final, Ataman said, “I don’t know their situation, but we are tired, this is a fact. It’s been two weeks since the EuroLeague final. In these 2 weeks, we played one quarter-final match with Pınar Karşıyaka, we played 5 semi-finals of Galatasaray. We played 6 very important and tough matches. You are tired right now. There is still time. There is a break of 2 days. Tomorrow the team will rest completely, and then we will play the game. Fenerbahce is a very good team, top of the league, they have the field advantage. But we are also the defending champions. I hope it will be a good championship series,” he concluded by saying. (DHA)
