Japan's men's basketball team was completely tamed by Turkey in Sunday's FIBA World Cup contest. The Europeans bewildered the Akatsuki Five on both ends of the court and wound up earning the important "W" with a 86-67 score at Shanghai Oriental Sports Center.
But ahead of the game, some Turkish reporters were reluctant to believe their national squad would cruise to victory over the rapidly developing Japanese team.
Fatih Sabovic, a reporter from major Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, spoke of Turkish sports fans' affinity for Japan, which he said started when the two countries squared off in the Round of 16 at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
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