Basketball: Turkish league finals to begin Tuesday

By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun

ANKARA

The Turkish basketball league's playoff finals will begin Tuesday evening when reigning champions Fenerbahce Dogus and TOFAS go head-to-head in a best of seven series.

The series will start at Fenerbahce's home court, Istanbul’s Ulker Sports and Events Hall, on Tuesday 9 p.m. local time (GMT1800).

Fenerbahce Dogus, which claimed the Turkish league title three times in the past four years, continued its dominance throughout the regular season. They finished the regular season in first place with 27 wins and three losses.

The Istanbul club started the playoffs by taking on Sakarya Buyuksehir Basketbol in the quarterfinals. They swept their opponents 2-0.

The semifinals saw a Fenerbahce-Banvit matchup, when the current title holders easily bested their opponents with a 3-0 series sweep to advance to the finals.

Bursa's TOFAS finished the regular season in second place with 24 wins and six losses. They defeated Eskisehir Basket 2-0 in the quarterfinal series and managed to oust Anadolu Efes with a 3-1 series win in the semifinals.

TOFAS advanced to the Turkish basketball league finals for the first time in 18 years when they won the league after beating then-Efes (now Anadolu Efes). The then-champions team featured such players as Mehmet Okur, David Rivers, Rashard Griffith, and Asim Pars.