Efes is now 10-0 against ALBA on its home floor this century
Efes ‘still looking for its best level’, despite crushing ALBA
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There were many reasons for Anadolu Efes Istanbul to worry ahead of Friday’s game against ALBA Berlin, but coach Luca Banchi’s team went out and registered a no-doubt-about-it 98-73 triumph.
The worries were because Efes was in a must-win situation against a team playing with nothing to lose, all while facing uncertainties about the availability of Shane Larkin and Dan Oturu. Moreover, the game was coming after a two-week break, with Thursday’s outcomes showing the unpredictability that Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games carry.
“It’s never easy after three weeks off,” Coach Banchi said in a EuroLeague TV interview after the game. “The results yesterday proved how difficult it is to rediscover the rhythm, and ALBA is the worst opponent in this situation.”
However, after some first-quarter struggles, all those worries just about disappeared in the second quarter as Efes built a double-digit lead and never looked back.
“It was an all-round great effort by the whole team, I hope we can just keep going,” said Jordan Nwora, who led Efes with 18 points and 7 rebounds.
He was one of many players who stepped up as Efes had five guys score in double figures, while Larkin and Darius Thompson combined for 15 assists.
It was a feel-good win that improved Efes to a 13-14 record, one win behind a 10th-placed Real Madrid, but Coach Banchi refuses to look at it from that point of view.
“This is important to find team identity,” Banchi stressed. “It is not about the goals, it’s a matter of talking about a team still looking for its best level. It’s about becoming a better team, a more consistent team, and a more accountable team.”
Still, the goal is to reach the postseason and the win against ALBA was the step in the right direction. The key was, according to Vincent Poirier, on the defensive end.
“We helped each other on the court, that’s the most important thing. On the defensive side, we always had someone ready to help, that should be there every game.”
Poirier, who finished with 14 points and 6 rebounds, stressed the importance of intensity and aggressiveness.
“We are still fighting, every game is like a final for us to get in the play-in and the playoffs,” the big man said.
“We have seven more games, and every night we have to go out with the same energy and the same desire to prove ourselves,” Banchi added.