A crucial moment for Besiktas in BasketballCL
In spite of the bad start of the season in both competitions, Besiktas Sompo Japan remains a strong team. They are already 1-3 in BasketballCL and 2-5 in Turkey, which is bad enough but not impossible to overcome. Tomorrow they will host in Istanbul the revelation of the European competition, Falco Szombathely – a Hungarian team that came from the qualifiers rounds and showed till now a great character.
A victory in this game is indispensable for the Turkish club if they want to have a chance in the Basketball Champions League race. Yesterday, Besiktas ceased at big fight the derby away at Fenerbahce in the Turkish league, leading the Euroleague powerhouse till the last minutes. Eventually, Fenerbahce won the battle with 84-80, but Besiktas showed they are motivated to fight for every possession and they can beat anybody.
The time has come for Besiktas. It’s not only about winning against Falco tomorrow, which won’t be a big deal but to open a winning streak to fix the situation. Besiktas has a lot of luck with PAOK, if not they would be the bottom of the group D, which is unacceptable with this roster. The situation is difficult for Besiktas because the group D of the BasketballCl contains many teams that are hoping for the playoffs. There are at least 4 strong candidates: Dijon, unbeaten till now, Neptunas, Brindisi and Zaragoza. And of course Falco and Telekom Bonn, teams in front of Besiktas at the moment. That’s why the switch has to be now or never.
Besiktas has a quality roster, a good coach, Dusko Ivanovic and their rotation is impressive. It remains just to see some results starting from now. If this is the goal of the entire Besiktas organization, they can qualify from the group, reaching the BasketballCL playoffs and even superior stages.
Photo: championsleague.basketball
Gratian Cormos
