Maccabi Tel Aviv demonstrates toughness and perseverance in Euroleague triumph

Maccabi Tel Aviv not only showed a ton of toughness and perseverance in defeating Milano 98-90 earlier this week in Euroleague play, it also lifted a nation that is embroiled in a war against the evil enemy Hamas.

After a subpar performance in a loss to Monaco the prior week, it was clear to all and especially to head coach Oded Katash that what occurred in the Principality could not happen again.

The effort had to be there, not just from the tip-off but way before the referee tossed the ball in the air. While the defense was soft as a baby’s bottom for the first half, something that both Katash and Bonzie Colson admitted during the halftime interviews, the yellow-and-blue was able to batten down the hatches in the second half and down the stretch to take the eight-point victory and move its record to 3-2.

There is no question that Milano has plenty of issues – it is extremely weak on the defensive end as bench boss Ettore Messina said in his postgame comments, going as far as describing it as embarrassing to see his team allow Maccabi to do as it pleased on offense. But Maccabi took advantage of the matter at hand, did what it needed to do and now will get ready for its first home game at its temporary abode in Belgrade.

Maccabi is going to have many ups and downs ahead due to the situation that is very far from what any player on the team bargained for, foreigner or Israeli. Yes, the team not only represents the country, more so than any of the players thought they were going to have to when they signed a contract to play, and yes the standard is going to be higher than any other team in Israel because Maccabi plays in the continent’s premier competition in the Euroleague.

Everyone on Maccabi, from the team doctor to massage therapist, from equipment manager to star player, is going to have to put all of the difficult challenges aside and focus for 40 minutes plus preparation time beforehand in order to put in the best showing that they can game-in and game-out going forward.

And that’s what they did in Milan.

There are 29 games to go in the Euroleague, so hopefully for the yellow-and-blue the contest in Monaco was just a one-off and not vice versa.

“It’s a great win for us, in the last three weeks at the press conferences between us I talk less about basketball because everything is different,” Katash explained. “Our thoughts and minds are with the people of Israel.“I’m very proud of the guys and we came after a big loss,” the bench boss continued. “We stuck together and showed some character.”

Lorenzo Brown, the game’s MVP, was able to ratchet up his play in this game after a couple of rough performances that saw him turn over the ball too many times. The point guard, who notched 20 points, 12 assists while going 4-of-8 from deep, coughed up the ball just four times in close to 31 minutes to lead Maccabi to the victory. Brown knew he had to raise the level of his play, especially with the absence of Wade Baldwin, who is still out of action due to a back issue but should be returning next week.

“We are just going through a lot this month, but we are finding a way to balance it out and play as a team,” Brown said. “Lack of practice and lack of games, but we have to come in every night and play with intensity and that’s what got us this win. We have to stay focused, that’s our main goal right now as it’s a weird situation and we are trying to stay together as a team.”

With a so-called home game against Bayern Munich in Belgrade’s legendary Pionir Arena next Thursday, the yellow-and-blue will try to make its home away from home as comfortable as possible. However, there will be no fans which will harken back to the days of COVID, when supporters were forced to watch the games from their homes.Maccabi will no doubt miss its supporters and miss the way that they can influence a game, but Pablo Laso’s team, which now features NBA champion Serge Ibaka, should be a win on paper. Center Josh Nebo, who scored 14 points with a number of huge baskets to help close out the game against Milano, understands the pain the fans are feeling due to the war and not being able to see their heroes live and in person.

“It was a great all-around team performance. For the fans, we feel for them and it’s tough not to play in front of them but hopefully this win is something special for them and pretty soon we will be able to play in front of them again.”

Nebo’s compatriot in the paint, Jasiel Rivero, joined Maccabi in the offseason to replace Alex Poythress, who signed with Milano. The Cuban featured for Valencia last year and had some Euroleague experience before joining the yellow-and-blue, but questions have been abound if he would be the right fit for this team.

If Katash or fans had any doubt, they put to bed quickly in Italy to the tune of 21 points, four boards, 8-of-9 from the field, a 26 efficiency rating and a +12 for the big man. Not bad at all for Rivero, who celebrated his 30th birthday in style.

A fan favourite

While the fans would love to see Rivero live and in person, right now that will not be an option due to the situation that the country is now in. They would eat him up with the energy that he brings to the court. A fan favorite, without a doubt is in the making.

Hopefully, Maccabi’s home away from home will be a very short term temporary one for so many reasons as the war will be a heavy cloud over the club’s head until they do return to the friendly confines of Yad Eliyahu.

Katash is spending plenty of his own energy to keep the guys as focused and as comfortable as possible.

“That is our challenge – it’s even bigger off the court than on the court, to play Euroleague is challenging. Our thoughts and our minds are back home with the people and the soldiers of Israel. We spent a lot of time on the road and we miss home. It’s not only about missing home, it’s a tough situation. War is never good for anyone, but we must win. Maccabi Tel Aviv, like the Israeli people, we never give up and that is what we did tonight. Hopefully things will be better for all of us. I wish we will have more solidarity. I don’t want to get into politics, but it’s challenging and not easy.”

In other basketball action, Hapoel Holon picked up a win in Basketball Champions League play as it downed Bonn 75-74 with CJ Harris leading the way with 17 points.

Hapoel Jerusalem defeated Galatasaray in overtime 99-96 as Khadeen Carrington starred for the Reds with 27 points.