The Other Side of the Semi-Final Begins: Beşiktaş GAİN — Bahçeşehir Koleji

On Tuesday evening, one of the most exciting matchups at the peak of Turkey's basketball season takes to the court. The first match of the 5-match series between Beşiktaş GAİN and Bahçeşehir Koleji in the Türkiye Sigorta Basketball Super League semi-final will be played. After the match where Fenerbahçe Beko came back from 18 points down at Ülker Sports and Event Hall on Monday night and defeated Anadolu Efes 60-59, the other face of the semi-final opens. This matchup is also a comparison: which team passed the regular season more dominantly, will that dominance also apply in the semi-final?

Beşiktaş GAİN, as the team that completed the regular season at the top, came to the semi-final with high morale. They have also advanced in the EuroCup, which keeps the team's motivation at the peak. The black-and-whites, who defeated their opponent 2-1 in the quarter-final and completed the series, are shown as one of the most stable basketball teams of this season. The difficulty they experienced in the third match was seen as a "warning" while entering the semi-final; but the team recovered in critical moments and embraced the series. There is a balanced Turkish-foreign player mix in their squad. The Beşiktaş community seriously believes in BSL championship this season — the last championship was in the 2011-12 season, meaning there is a 14-year drought.

Bahçeşehir Koleji is the "dark horse" of the tournament. The orange-and-whites, who surprised in the quarter-final by eliminating one of the favourites of the regular season, had also successfully come out of difficult matchups before. Their offensive plays are fast and flank-focused; they take high accuracy from the three-point line. Bahçeşehir Koleji, as a Turkish club, has not yet won the BSL championship — this could be a historic moment for them. They had also made important surprises in the playoff in previous years.

In two matches played between the two teams in the BSL this season, there was one win each; that is, there was balance in the regular season. While it is reminded that Bahçeşehir Koleji defeated Beşiktaş GAİN 95-88 in one match, Beşiktaş GAİN used the home advantage in the second matchup. Which team's home Tuesday night's first match will be played at is an important psychological factor. Normally, since Beşiktaş GAİN finished higher in the rank, the home advantage is theirs; however, this will be confirmed as BSL's schedule announcement becomes clear.

In the other semi-final, Fenerbahçe Beko took the lead 1-0 with a 60-59 Game 1 victory; the 2nd match is at Ülker again on Wednesday. This also increases the value of the Beşiktaş GAİN-Bahçeşehir Koleji semi-final. If Bahçeşehir Koleji continues the surprise, a new Istanbul derby like Fenerbahçe-Bahçeşehir Koleji may emerge in the final; in case of Beşiktaş GAİN's passage, a classic Beşiktaş-Fenerbahçe final — a historic moment for the fans who have not seen a Beşiktaş championship for the last 14 years.

Image: ntvspor.net