The Turkish side stunned Gran Canaria on the road in the EuroCup Eighthfinals
Besiktas sent a message by taking down the champs: ‘This is just the beginning’
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For Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul head coach Dusan Alimpijevic, facing Dreamland Gran Canaria had not been a fun proposition in the past.
The 37-year-old, who is in his first year as Besiktas boss, had previously gone 0-4 against the Spanish outfit – all with Frutti Extra Bursaspor – and that includes a tough 72-66 defeat in last season’s BKT EuroCup Eighthfinals. Gran Canaria would later go on to become the EuroCup champion.
On Wednesday night, though, Alimpijevic managed to exact some revenge as his Besiktas squad stunned Gran Canaria by winning 78-80 at Gran Canaria Arena, thus securing its passage to the quarterfinals.
“It was time for me personally [to win] after losing to Gran Canaria four times in a row,” Alimpijevic said with a wry smile in the post-game press conference. “It’s a difficult trip, tough time spent in the airplane.”
Responding in the best way possible
Besiktas finished the regular season with many doubts hovering over the team following three successive defeats, which came against Paris Basketball, Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv – the Turkish side’s opponent in the quarterfinals – and the London Lions. Yet, earlier in the campaign, Alimpijevic’s men became the first – and only – team to beat Paris, winning 63-68 in the French capital. It also recorded an eye-opening win at Joventut Badalona back in Round 1, 62-63.
As such, it was clear that Besiktas had the ability to turn its fortunes around, it was only a matter of whether it could do so in time. Well, unfortunately for Gran Canaria, the Turkish side stepped up at just the right time, particularly on defense.
Gran Canaria, meanwhile, also came into Wednesday’s fixture following three straight defeats at home in the EuroCup, but it had managed to beat Real Madrid and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in the Spanish League.
“The key to the victory was definitely our character,” Alimpijevic said in the flash interview after the game. “Big-time win. To come here and win against Gran Canaria, who’d just won a game against Baskonia, a EuroLeague team, and six games before they also won against Real Madrid.
“But we also watched their games [where they lost] against Valencia Basket, U-BT Cluj-Napoca and Turk Telekom Ankara and prepared very well for all the pluses and minuses of Gran Canaria.”
Doing it on both ends
Alimpijevic pulled off a tactical masterclass against Gran Canaria to upset the hosts. Besiktas’s defense may have forced the Spanish side to commit a season-high 21 turnovers, but its offense also stepped up in the second half. The Turkish side scored 44 points after the break, with as many as eight players ending the game with at least 8 points each.
“I’m really proud of my team,” Alimpijevic added. “Every single player showed character and toughness. We showed that we were very well-prepared for this game and that we are dedicated to our obligations.”
Mid-season signing Marko Simonovic produced a player-of-the-game outing at Gran Canaria Arena, where he almost recorded a double-double. The Besiktas center paired his 10 points with a season-high 9 rebounds, 5 of which on the offensive end, including one that led to a huge put-back to make it 75-80 with 11 seconds left on the clock. Add to that a season-high 3 steals and 1 block in what was a complete performance by the 24-year-old.
“I feel amazing,” Simonovic commented after the game. “This win is so important for us. We played exactly the way we prepared the game to play. I think that this is just the beginning. Next Wednesday, we have a game against Hapoel, so we have to prepare for that game and play like [we did] tonight.”
A meticulous Alimpijevic will be assigned with the task of preparing his players for that quarterfinal clash next week against Hapoel, the league’s second-best offense (96.1 ppg.). On Wednesday night at least, his players sent a strong message by proving that they can beat any team on the road. It remains to be seen whether Hapoel will find a way to effectively break down one of the most solid defenses in the competition.