With Anadolu Efes Istanbul just one step from repeating as Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champions, the possibility of celebrating with its fans makes the challenge even more special.
Efes seeks a proper celebration... with fans
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3 Mins read
A title is a title. There are no doubts about that. But doing so in front of empty stands and being unable to share the joy with your fans takes away from the celebrations. That was Efes's situation last season when it lifted the trophy in Cologne during the pandemic.
“Last year, obviously, it was still an amazing moment for us to win a championship. But fans are what makes this event so special”, All-EuroLeague guard Shane Larkin explained. “So, if we are lucky enough to go out there, play well and walk away as champions, and be able to lift up that trophy in front of fans with all the atmosphere that this weekend brings, it would be even more of a storybook for us”.
His teammate Rodrigue Beaubois imagined how it would be after Efes's semifinal victory over Olympiacos Piraeus that was decided in the closing second: “I’m sure it would be to be amazing. The other day was amazing”, he said.
"The atmosphere was incredible, the gym was packed, the fans were very loud, especially the Olympiacos fans, so it was definitely a great feeling, and we love it. When you manage to win a game like this in front of a full crowd, that’s a great feeling.”
Even though he did not want to lose focus before such an important game, Beaubois could not stop himself from smiling when thinking of a potential celebration with fans.
“I don’t want to think too much about it now, I want to stay focused on the game, but for sure, if somehow we win, it’s going to be like crazy over there”, he admitted.
Like many of his teammates, Chris Singleton felt something special at Stark Arena, something that provides him with additional passion. "You get more emotion out of everybody with fans in the stadium. The semifinal felt like a road game, especially with the majority of fans rooting against us”, he confessed.
“And then the way we won, you saw the emotion at the end of the game, with Micic and the team running on the court and stuff like that. You get a special feeling, you get a better feeling than we got last year, even though we did win it last year. I'll never take away from that. But it's just a different feeling."
Therefore, many Efes players are dreaming of capturing the trophy again to make the winning experience even more breathtaking, as well as turning it into extra motivation.
"It would excite me a lot”, center Tibor Pleiss added. “We worked really hard this season for that moment. Last year, we had some family members, but celebrating with the fans who pushed us the whole season is definitely something that would be really special for us, so it will push us even more."