Fenerbahce have done what a lot of teams in the Euroleague have not been able to accomplish, but the fight is not over.
They now must advance to the quarter-final playoffs, something they have not managed to do since the 2007-08 season, when Montepachi Siena ousted them in two games.
Sure the Turkish side’s win over CSKA Moscow was superb teamwork mixed with flawless execution, en route to becoming the first side since Barcelona in November 2012 to win at the University Sports Hall CSKA, but that was only a minor hurdle jumped.
The big obstacle is Madrid, and Fenerbahce, aiming to be the first Turkish side to reach the Final Four since 2001 are taking it one game at a time.
“I would like to see my team playing like this all the time, to trust in our abilities,” Zeljko Obradovic said after their 91-85 win over CSKA.
“In Istanbul both teams had the chance to win the game, now we were more lucky. We will continue to fight and we will see how the Top 16 ends.”
Indeed their opening Top 16 clash was close, CSKA edged Fenerbahce 84-81 back on January 2, but crucially for the Turks, with their latest success in Russia, they hold the head-to-head advantage should it come down to a tiebreaker at the end of the Top 16.
That is only if the two teams, currently on 6-2 records fall desperately out of form in their remaining games.
Unless that mighty collapse occurs, coach Obradovic looks to have steered Fenerbahce to the quarter-finals, something that was expected for the last two seasons, but never happened.
And with that, they have passed another minor obstacle. They got over the first by qualifying for the Top 16, they jumped another by owning the head-to-head on CSKA Moscow, now the next one will be qualification to the quarter-finals.
The final obstacle though remains a spot in the Final Four in May. Obradovic knows that work is still yet to be done.
