Efes dominates regular season, flies to playoffs
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Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 12, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Efes Pilsen shows that all goes well within its rebuilding process and dominates the regular season in the Beko Basketball League. The Brewers fly off to the playoffs on top form, but Telekom, Fenerbahçe Ülker and Galatasaray Cafe Crown will try to beat the odds
Efes Pilsen ended the regular season as a runaway leader of the Beko Basketball League, with Türk Telekom, Fenerbahçe Ülker and Galatasaray Caf Crown trailing from a distance.
Efes Pilsen beat Mersin Municipality 84-77 on the last weekend of the season, wrapping up the season with a bright winning record of 28-2. The Brewers also became the highest-scoring team of the division with 2,615 points, which averages to 87.2 per game.
The Istanbul side’s winning total was six more than its closest followers, Türk Telekom and Fenerbahçe, equaling its own record of finishing a regular season with the biggest difference. Efes Pilsen had previously ended the 1992-1993 season with the same achievement, again over Fenerbahçe.
Coach Ergin Ataman’s side will be hoping that this regular season domination will be translated into a victory in the playoffs and has a reason to believe that it will happen. Since the playoff system was installed during the 1983-1984 season, Efes Pilsen finished the regular season 10 times and went on to win the league on six of those occasions.
Following last year’s disappointing performances under the helm of American coach David Blatt, Efes Pilsen launched a squad rebuilding process this year, and so far it seems to have worked out well.
With the addition of Croatian center Mario Kasun and American guards Charles Smith, Bootsy Thornton and Preston Shumpert to an already all-star line up of Turkish internationals Kerem Tunçeri, Ender Arslan, Mustafa Abi, Kerem Gönlüm and Kaya Peker, Ataman’s main problem would be trying to make a good blend of a group from those players.
As a team that has won its 28 league games with an average of 15.8 points, Efes Pilsen seems to have managed the adaptation part. However, it will be seen if that form would win the title in the playoffs that starts next week.
Efes Pilsen will play Darüşşafaka Cooper Tires in the playoffs’ first round, while the second place Türk Telekom is drawn to take on Mersin Municipality. Fenerbahçe Ülker matched up with Antalya Municipality and Galatasaray Caf Crown will start its playoff campaign with the derby battle against Beşiktaş Cola Turka.
Efes Pilsen, Telekom and Fenerbahçe will start their series with a 1-0 advantage, as they won their regular season series over their opponents. The Galatasaray-Beşiktaş tie starts 0-0.
The first round will be played as a best-of-five series.
Telekom hopes to end Efes Pilsen’s regular season domination, hoping to bring the trophy to Ankara after 35 years. The only team from the capital city to win the league was Muhafızgücü, which reached a victory in the 1973-74 campaign. Coach Ercüment Sunter believes his team has showed character to become the runner up of the regular season.
Troubled times over
"We had our long troubled times but we are over them, thanks to my players, led by captain Tutku Açık," said Sunter. "Now it is time to go on for something more."
"We are starting the series ahead and we have the home court advantage," added Sunter. "We hope to end this series without getting too tired, so we can be on form before the next round."
Meanwhile, Mutlu Akü Selçuk University was relegated from the league, following an 82-74 defeat to Darüşşafaka, and surprise victories from Kepez Municipality and Aliağa Petkim. Casa TED was already relegated from the league, getting only three wins in 30 games this season.
Efes Pilsen beat Mersin Municipality 84-77 on the last weekend of the season, wrapping up the season with a bright winning record of 28-2. The Brewers also became the highest-scoring team of the division with 2,615 points, which averages to 87.2 per game.
The Istanbul side’s winning total was six more than its closest followers, Türk Telekom and Fenerbahçe, equaling its own record of finishing a regular season with the biggest difference. Efes Pilsen had previously ended the 1992-1993 season with the same achievement, again over Fenerbahçe.
Coach Ergin Ataman’s side will be hoping that this regular season domination will be translated into a victory in the playoffs and has a reason to believe that it will happen. Since the playoff system was installed during the 1983-1984 season, Efes Pilsen finished the regular season 10 times and went on to win the league on six of those occasions.
Following last year’s disappointing performances under the helm of American coach David Blatt, Efes Pilsen launched a squad rebuilding process this year, and so far it seems to have worked out well.
With the addition of Croatian center Mario Kasun and American guards Charles Smith, Bootsy Thornton and Preston Shumpert to an already all-star line up of Turkish internationals Kerem Tunçeri, Ender Arslan, Mustafa Abi, Kerem Gönlüm and Kaya Peker, Ataman’s main problem would be trying to make a good blend of a group from those players.
As a team that has won its 28 league games with an average of 15.8 points, Efes Pilsen seems to have managed the adaptation part. However, it will be seen if that form would win the title in the playoffs that starts next week.
Efes Pilsen will play Darüşşafaka Cooper Tires in the playoffs’ first round, while the second place Türk Telekom is drawn to take on Mersin Municipality. Fenerbahçe Ülker matched up with Antalya Municipality and Galatasaray Caf Crown will start its playoff campaign with the derby battle against Beşiktaş Cola Turka.
Efes Pilsen, Telekom and Fenerbahçe will start their series with a 1-0 advantage, as they won their regular season series over their opponents. The Galatasaray-Beşiktaş tie starts 0-0.
The first round will be played as a best-of-five series.
Telekom hopes to end Efes Pilsen’s regular season domination, hoping to bring the trophy to Ankara after 35 years. The only team from the capital city to win the league was Muhafızgücü, which reached a victory in the 1973-74 campaign. Coach Ercüment Sunter believes his team has showed character to become the runner up of the regular season.
Troubled times over
"We had our long troubled times but we are over them, thanks to my players, led by captain Tutku Açık," said Sunter. "Now it is time to go on for something more."
"We are starting the series ahead and we have the home court advantage," added Sunter. "We hope to end this series without getting too tired, so we can be on form before the next round."
Meanwhile, Mutlu Akü Selçuk University was relegated from the league, following an 82-74 defeat to Darüşşafaka, and surprise victories from Kepez Municipality and Aliağa Petkim. Casa TED was already relegated from the league, getting only three wins in 30 games this season.