Euroleague: “Two wins against the same opponent – Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul – over the last three weeks has allowed Anadolu Efes Istanbul to remain in the thick of the playoffs race with an 8-8 record. Efes ranks third in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague in scoring this season (84.3 ppg.) thanks to a very athletic and physical lineup that runs the floor and overpowers opponents. One of its main pillars has been forward Derrick Brown, who is playing a stellar role for Efes this season. Brown leads the team in scoring (13.7 ppg.), is second in rebounds (6.5 rpg.), and ranks fifth in the competition in average performance index rating (18.8). Moreover, Brown has been extremely consistent until now, scoring 7 points or more in every games and reaching double digits 13 times. Brown has boosted his numbers up to 15.3 points and a 24.4 index rating over the last eight games, showing he is getting even better as the season goes on. A team player, Brown believes defense is the only way for Efes to be successful, as he pointed out several times in this interview with Javier Gancedo of EuroLeague.net. ‘The main thing is getting defensive stops at the end of the game,” Brown said. “I think that you can see we can score against any team in EuroLeague, but to be a playoffs team and reach our goals, we have to get defensive stops late in the game. If we can do that, the sky’s the limit.’Hello Derrick. Congratulations on beating Galatasaray, a team that knows Efes well. What were the keys to get that win? ‘It is always difficult to play a team that knows you well and plays in your same city and the same league. Both teams are very familiar with each other and in the end, I just think we came together and got the victory.'” More..
