The Fenerbahce shooter netted five three-pointers… and a memorable fluke
Tarik Biberovic rode his luck to send Fenerbahce to Abu Dhabi
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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul’s progress to the Final Four was anything but easy, as Paris Basketball pushed the Turkish titan to overtime with a gutsy performance in its first-ever home playoff game.
Indeed, when TJ Shorts scored the last two baskets of regulation to make it 80-80 and force that additional period, it was tempting to think that Paris had grabbed all the momentum and would be able to ride the wave to a memorable victory.
Tarik Biberovic had other ideas.
The Fenerbahce swingman changed the course of the action by scoring the first 7 points of overtime in a memorable and ultimately decisive passage of play.
First, Biberovic netted his fifth three-pointer of the evening, followed by a smoothly dispatched baseline jumper. And to complete the hat-trick, he took advantage of a bizarre moment which totally deflated the home team. A Paris possession ended with Shorts trying to find Nadir Hifi but, with wires crossed, the pass was heading out of bounds until it hit a referee on the sideline and bounced straight to Biberovic, who had an open route to the rim for an uncontested layup.
It was a surreal and rarely-seen moment, but entirely within the laws of the game as the referee counts as part of the playing surface, and credit must go to Biberovic for being quick-witted enough not to hesitate, heading straight to the basket to make the most of his fluky fortune.
Even without that strange score, Biberovic’s contribution was highly significant as he finished with a team-high 21 points, also underlining his all-round game by delivering 3 assists and snaring 3 steals.
Reflecting on his game-changing overtime flurry, Biberovic told EuroLeague TV: “To be honest, I was really exhausted! But overtime is all about mental toughness and we prepared for this.
“We worked hard for this moment and every single player is dreaming about this moment. I’m very thankful to have that opportunity and seal the game in this way, but basically it’s a team effort. We played really great basketball throughout the series, we didn’t give up when they were coming at us in Game 3 and this is the reason we’re going to the Final Four now.”
And even if he might have benefitted from a little bit of fortune along the way on Tuesday, there’s no doubt that Biberovic will be a major weapon for Fenerbahce in Abu Dhabi next month.