Turkey delivered a masterclass in defense, holding Greece superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo to a personal EuroBasket tournament-low 12 points on 6-of-13 shooting, powering a dominant 98–64 semifinal victory.
The performance marked one of the most effective strategies ever deployed against the Greek Freak, as Turkey’s disciplined and aggressive approach neutralized his usual impact.
Coach Ergin Ataman broke down the defensive plan in detail.
“We played aggressive defense. Everybody was taking one step back for Giannis. We denied him. We always forced him to take one strong dribble inside and then always trapped him with Alperen Sengun. Ercan Osmani aggressively denied him and every time he tried to beat Osmani we came to help inside with Sengun.
“He never found his space. As I said in a press conference, this isn’t the NBA. In European basketball if you prepare your defense inside the paint well and your players are aggressive in closing in and out of him, it’s not very difficult to stop him.”
While Osmani excelled defensively, he also carried Türkiye offensively. The Anadolu Efes forward exploded for 14 points in the first quarter alone, helping Turkey build an early 26–16 lead, and finished with a total of 28 points on 6-of-8 three-pointers, along with six rebounds.
His performance earned praise and even a joking warning from Ataman about NBA attention.
“Osmani played great defense against Giannis. I don’t know if my friend, Efes general manager Ismail Senol, will be in trouble that many NBA teams will come to Osmani to try to stop Giannis. But he’s very happy with Efes. He did a great job, very smart and aggressive,” Ataman said.
With this victory, Turkey has reached the EuroBasket Final for the first time in history and will face reigning world champion Germany for the gold medal.
Ataman emphasized that despite the emphatic win, the team is still focused on the bigger prize.
“We took an amazing victory but it’s not enough for us. We’re ready to fight for the title.”
🇹🇷 Ataman recaps Turkish win, Osmani combining a career-high in points with effective defense versus Giannis
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) September 12, 2025
“I don’t know if my friend, Efes general manager Ismael Senol will be in trouble that many NBA teams will come to Osmani to try to stop Giannis”https://t.co/RqAtZ8M8Vl
