The Istanbul Derby returns to the EuroLeague for its 21st edition since 2014 on Thursday.
Istanbul Derby promises 'the ultimate level of competitiveness'
Makale
2 Dk okuma
The first Istanbul Derby of the 2023-24 season coinciding with the half-way mark in the race for the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs is about as much as any fan could ask for to start the last round of the calendar year on Thursday.
The last time these teams played in the EuroLeague, host Fenerbahce ended the two-year reign of Efes as continental champion with a resounding 103-86 home victory that knocked its archrival out of the playoffs.
As such, the emotions that will be at work in Thursday's rematch on Efes's home court across the Bosphorus Strait are many
"Of course, it's a huge derby," says Efes head coach Erdem Can, who was on Fenerbahce's bench as an assistant in past editions of the derby.
"Any game you play against Efes is special," says Fenerbahce veteran Melih Mahmutoglu, who calls the Efes coach a friend.
Even newcomers to the rivalry, like Fenerbahce big man Georgios Papagiannis, know exactly what's at stake.
"It's going to be important to see who is actually the king of the city," he says.
And it may not be a coincidence that Efes center Tibor Pleiss will return from injury for the occasion.
"We want to be the number one team in Istanbul," Pleiss says.
Most telling of all, perhaps, is how a superstar who grew up far from Europe has taken to this particular derby.
"It's one of the most intense games you can ever play in," Efes guard Shane Larkin says. "It's definitely an intense atmosphere. It's the ultimate level of competitiveness between two teams and coaches and fans. It's just something that you can't really describe in words. You have to come see it yourself."