Anadolu Efes Istanbul: 2023-24 games to watch

Anadolu Efes Istanbul went from winning back-to-back Turkish Airlines EuroLeague championships in 2021 and 2022 to missing the playoffs last season. With a core of champions still leading the team, few teams will be more motivated than Efes to bounce back and challenge for another EuroLeague crown. Here are some of the main obstacles it will find throughout the regular season.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul regular-season schedule

Can Larkin have another monster game against Barça?

Round 1: FC Barcelona vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul

Efes has been a tough foe for Barcelona since Shane Larkin joined the team. Larkin has had some of his best games against Barça. In 2019, Larkin had 30 points, missing just one shot, in a 68-102 playoff win at Palau Blaugrana. When Efes returned to Barcelona the following season, Larkin had 26 points and a PIR of 35 in leading Efes to an 82-86 win. Larkin had 23 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and a PIR of 37 in a 2020-21 regular season game, and 21 points in the 2021 Championship Game, leading Efes to its first title. Barça was 7-5 against Efes in Istanbul before Larkin came in, and 3-6 ever since. What will Barca coach Roger Grimau prepare against him?

Not your ordinary derby

Round 17: Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul

There are many storylines to this year's Istanbul derby. Fenerbahce reached the playoffs last season by eliminating Efes with a resounding 103-86 road victory in Game 33. Efes coach Erdem Can spent nine seasons as an assistant at Fenerbahce nine seasons. Can and Fenerbahce head coach Dimitris Itoudis worked on the staff of the great Zeljko Obradovic for a combined 20 seasons, so they come from the same basketball school. It is a natural rivalry, as these teams are favorites to win every domestic title and are the only two Turkish teams to win the EuroLeague. Fenerbahce has won six of its last nine EuroLeague games against Efes at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall, which adds more spice to this showdown.

A replay of the 2022 EuroLeague championship game

Round 19: Real Madrid vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul

Remember that legendary playoff series in 2021? Efes had a 2-0 lead against an injury-plagued Real, which fought back to bring the series to Istanbul. With Game 5 on the line, Krunoslav Simon buried an iconic shot to send Efes to the Final Four. Efes and Real met in the 2022 championship game, which came down to the final play. It is a battle between the last two EuroLeague champions, which is already a good reason to grab some popcorn and enjoy the show. Real hasn't made things easy for Efes in Madrid: it is 16-2 in their last 18 games in the Spanish capital. Efes should be eager to change this situation.

After last season's instant classic, we all want more from Efes and Baskonia.

Round 32: Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul

Anyone who watched these teams' last showdown at Buesa Arena should be eager to see Baskonia welcome Efes again. Last season, Baskonia needed overtime to beat Efes 114-111. It was the second-highest combined scoring mark in EuroLeague history. Baskonia matched a club record with 31 assists and Efes tied its all-time scoring record. Darius Thompson, who had 19 points and a club-record 16 assists for Baskonia that night, now plays for Efes. In addition, Efes players Shane Larkin, Rodrigue Beaubois and Tibor Pleiss all played for Baskonia in the past. Efes returned to a EuroLeague Final Four for the first time in nearly two decades in 2019 to reach the championship game at Buesa Arena. Both teams have marked this game in red on their calendars: it should be a great one.