By Toprak Kağnıcı/ info@eurohoops.net
Anadolu Efes practically salvaged the season in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague at the last moment. It all came down to the final round, and Shane Larkin and his teammates made it to the Play-Ins thanks to a crushing victory over Crvena Zvezda at home.
The star player of the Istanbul team praised coach Tomislav Mijatovic for turning the season around after taking over from Erdem Can in February.
“I can say that Tomislav revived our spirits. Tomislav is one of the most positive and best people I’ve ever seen around me. His positive energy and assurance made people trust him and the team. Most of the players on the team are playing at this level for the first time. It’s the first time they have such high expectations around them. This situation has been somewhat heavy for them throughout the year, but after Tomislav took charge, he started instilling confidence in people. He told the players that they could be good players at this level. Right now, different players are stepping up in different matches, which has helped us get to where we are now,” Larkin said to Eurohoops after the game.
Anadolu Efes finished the Regular Season with a 17-17 record and ninth in the standings, meaning they need two wins to move from Play-Ins to the Playoffs. If they advance, their rival in the quarterfinals will be EuroLeague leaders and defending champions – Real Madrid.
“A few months ago, despite not having a full squad, we played a very solid game there. At the end of the day, our first goal is to make it to the playoffs, and then anything is possible. So, we need to focus on our next opponent. We can’t look too far ahead because nothing is guaranteed. So, first, we need to see who we will play against in the play-in. If we win our two matches, then we can focus on Real Madrid,” Shane Larkin concluded.