By Bugra Uzar/ info@eurohoops.net
Fenerbahce was the one to celebrate in the Euroleague Turkish derby against the Anadolu Efes. That was the eighth (!) consecutive victory for Zelico Obradovic‘s squad in the competition and now the team is straight on its way to the second consecutive Final Four in the club’s history.
We are talking about the only Turkish team that has managed to qualify in a Final Four in the history of the competition in the modern era, after 2000-01. While Fenerbahce accomplished that last year, it now emerges again as a strong favorite to repeat this achievement and advance to the best four teams in Euroleague twice in a row.
As the only undefeated team in the Top 16, Fenerbahce has already taken a lead ahead of its opponents for the home court advantage of the playoffs. But that’s not the only “omen” that shows why Fenerbahce is already close to the Final Four. With the victory against Anadolu Efes, the team reached 8 straight wins (2 in the last games of the Regular Season and 6 in the Top 16) reaching its own biggest winning record that has created last year. Fenerbahce won 9 games in a row then in the Top 16 opening the door that led to the playoff home court advantage and, subsequently, to the Final Four.
These streaks are two of the biggest that a Turkish team has ever managed to accomplish in Euroleague. Ever!
Anadolu Efes has managed to win 7 consecutive games twice (during the 2004-2005 and the 2012-2013 seasons), while the rest of the Turkish teams that have played in the Euroleague, have much smaller records. Galatasaray has won only three straight games, twice during the 2013-2014 season and Besiktas with Darussafaka Dogus have only won two matches in a row, during the 2012-2013 and 2015-2016 seasons respectively. Pinar Karsiyaka has never managed to make consecutive victories in its “Cinderella year” in Euroleague.