Istanbul powerhouse Fenerbahçe hosts reigning European champion Anadolu Efes as the Turkish Basketball Super League Playoff Finals tip off Tuesday.
After finishing the regular season at the top of the table, Fenerbahçe saw off Bursaspor in the playoffs quarterfinal and eliminated Darüşşafaka in the semifinals to reach the finals.
Regular season runner-up Anadolu Efes, on the other hand, won the playoff quarterfinals against Karşıyaka and edged crosstown rival Galatasaray in the semis, to make its way to the finals.
The second game of the best-of-three series is scheduled for Thursday, while the final game will be played Saturday.
This year, Anadolu Efes and Fenerbahçe will fight for the Turkish basketball crown for the eighth time since the 1983-84 season, when Basketball Super League first introduced the playoffs.
While Anadolu Efes will try to clinch a third-straight domestic championship, Fenerbahçe will go all out to end its four-year title drought
Earlier in May, Efes successfully defended its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague title by beating Spanish giant Real Madrid 58-57.
Fenerbahçe, on the other hand, had a season to forget after crashing out in the regular season. It finished a lowly 12th in the points table.
The Yellow Canaries’ only continental title had come back in 2017, when it beat Greek rival Olympiacos in the EuroLeague final in Istanbul.
The match Fenerbahçe’s home court Ülker Sports and Events Hall will tip off at 8 p.m. local time (5 p.m. GMT).
