RIGA (Latvia) - Türkiye reached the Quarter-Finals for the first time since 2009, and they have won six straight FIBA EuroBasket games in Riga, promoting themselves to medal favorites.
"We came here with a great roster, all players with a great motivation," coach Ergin Ataman said after defeating Sweden.
"We sacrificed from the last week of July, we're working very hard, and now we are ready to advance for the medal. This is our only goal," the playcaller added, confirming this winning run is what they had in plan all summer long.
The only time they won more than six in a row in a single event was back in 1957, but those seven consecutive wins all happened in the Classification Round, good enough for a ninth-place finish.
Their streak in Latvia sparked debates, including the one we're focusing on here: Is this the best Turkish lineup ever?
The obvious other choices are the two medal winning lineups.
We came here with a great roster, all players with a great motivation.
In 2001, Türkiye reached the Final of the EuroBasket event they hosted, with coach Aydin Ors creating a well balanced team, dangerous inside and outside of the three-point arc.
Ibrahim Kutluay led the team in scoring with 21.7 points per game, making almost four threes per game, nearly half of what the entire team averaged in 2001.
The other outside weapon was a 22-year-old Hedo Turkoglu, a nightmare matchup for defenses, finishing with 15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
Mirsad Turkcan, Huseyin Besok and Mehmet Okur presented the inside options, getting a combined 30.4 points and 21.3 rebounds per game.
In 2010, Türkiye reached the Final of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, again as the hosts. Coach Bogdan Tanjevic was in charge, now getting a 31-year-old Turkoglu to run the offense.
The point forward had 12.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, with another forward joining him in double digits in scoring in Ersan Ilyasova. In fact, the 23-year-old Ilyasova was the top scorer and rebounder of the team, with 13.4 points and 7.6 boards per contest.
This team had plenty of elite role players, too. Omer Onan averaged 9.6 points, Semih Erden and Omer Asik protected the rim, while Kerem Tunceri played as the point guard, dishing out a team-high 4.0 assists.
Other notable Turkish teams that just missed out on the medal battles include the lineup from 2014, 2009 and 2006.
The one from 2014 saw the nation reach the Quarter-Finals of the World Cup with Ergin Ataman at the helm, and a 19-year-old Cedi Osman getting a spot on the roster.
In 2009, the roots for the 2010 medal winners were planted, nearly missing out on a spot in the Semi-Finals, while 2006 saw the mixture of the two generations that reached the two major Finals.
Which Turkish team do you consider the strongest ever?
FIBA