What was supposed to be the clash of the day between Greece and Turkey in the EuroBasket semifinal quickly turned into a one-way street that ended in a 94-68 blowout win for the Turks. Turkey was chasing its first-ever final, which would guarantee the country’s first-ever medal won outside of home soil, while Greece was hunting for its first medal in 16 years.
It was also a duel between two NBA superstars, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Alperen Sengun. Even though both put up solid numbers, the show was stolen by Ercan Osmani, a member of Turkish powerhouse Anadolu Efes, where he is a role player, who was tasked with guarding Giannis one-on-one. He exploded with 28 points on offense, including 6-for-8 from beyond the arc. After the game, Ergin Ataman spoke about the game plan Turkey had prepared for the Greek Freak.
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“As I said, this isn’t the NBA. In European basketball, if you prepare well, protect the paint, and your players stay aggressive, you can be successful, it’s not that hard to stop him. I think Osmani played excellent defense against Giannis. I don’t know if my friend, the GM of Anadolu Efes, will be in trouble because many NBA teams might come after Osmani to stop Giannis. But I believe he’s happy at Efes. He stopped him really well, with both intelligence and aggression” Ataman said.
Turkey built a wall in front of Giannis
Ataman is known for his bold statements, so it was no surprise that he took a little jab at Giannis and Greece after the game. But when you look at the numbers, Giannis, who had been averaging 30 points on 70 percent from the field in the tournament, was held to just 12 points, five turnovers, and 6-for-13 shooting. It’s clear that Turkey’s game plan was executed to perfection.
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Osmani, who is relatively slim and somewhat undersized, surely couldn’t have guarded the Milwaukee Bucks forward all by himself. Help came from Sengun where Turkey built a wall in front of Giannis, forcing him into tough passes. Sengun said after the game that they knew Giannis wasn’t a great passer, so their plan was to force him into that exact role.
Unlike the NBA, FIBA basketball does not have a three-second defensive violation, which allows players to pack the paint. This makes life much more difficult for players like Giannis, who thrive on the open floor, where their athleticism creates a significant advantage.
This tournament is crucial in building Sengun’s confidence heading into the new NBA season
Either way, the final game for the gold will feature Turkey and Germany. Despite all the hype of this being the strongest EuroBasket ever with the presence of Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Antetokounmpo, the final will instead showcase Franz Wagner and Sengun, players who, at least for now, belong to the second tier of European NBA stars.
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As for Sengun, he has outplayed Kristaps Porzingis, Jokic, and Antetokounmpo in direct matchups, which only confirms the hype surrounding him at this tournament, where he is currently the leading MVP candidate. This tournament could be crucial in building his confidence heading into the new NBA season with the Houston Rockets, who built a championship roster ready to compete for the NBA title.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 13, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
