Shane Larkin hands Anadolu Efes the Turkish League title
Shane Larkin was unstoppable in Game 7 of the Turkish League Finals and helped Anadolu Efes win the title.
The American guard finished the game with a career-high 38 points. Thanks to his performance, Anadolu Efes rallied past Fenerbahce at the Sinam Erdem Dome (89-74).
Consequently, Efes won the series (4-3) and earned its 14th Turkish League title.
Although Fenerbahce remained competitive in the first half (21-23, 44-37), Anadolu Efes took over after that.
The hosts went on a 39-22 run to lead by as many as 21 points and seal the deal (83-62), as the visitors never turned things around.
Aside from Larkin, Vasilije Micic had 20 points for the winners. Kostas Sloukas (21 points) and Nikola Kalinic (19 points) were the best players on the losing squad.
This was the first Turkish League title for Anadolu Efes since 2009.
Anadolu Efes really had a great season. They reached the EuroLeague Championship Game and now also returned to the top of Turkey for the first time since 2009.
Coach Ergin Ataman and most of the players have re-signed and Anadolu Efes now has set its sights on the EuroLeague title.
On the other hand, Fenerbahce fought until the end, despite the problems they faced in the last part of the season.
Fenerbahce was forced to compete in the Turkish League playoffs without four injured key players.
Jan Vesely, Luigi Datome, Erick Green, and Joffrey Lauvergne could not recover on time and were unable to play.
Only Datome returned in Game 5 but got injured again. He was ready for Game 7, but scored just three points in 27 minutes of action.
These injuries probably also cost Fenerbahce the EuroLeague title. The team was unstoppable until the Final Four, but a series of injuries created chemistry issues.
As a result, Fenerbahce was defeated twice in the EuroLeague Final Four and finished fourth, although they were considered the favorites at the beginning of the season.
Head coach Zeljko Obradovic will most likely make changes to the roster ahead of the new season. His target will certainly be to bring the team back to the top of Europe and Turkey.