1 A feeling of satisfaction prevails in Maccabi Tel Aviv after the 62:76 over Zalgiris Kaunas which was the Yellows' third consecutive victory in the European framework and raised their balance to a positive 2: 4.
"Except for a few minutes we had a really good game and this victory we deserve one hundred percent," said the team there, both pleased with the defense that disrupted the Lithuanian team's game and the attack that worked well in large parts (14:19 assists for Maccabi, 11:15 with losses to Zalgiris ).
"We responded well to the ball and also delivered well."
2. Maccabi is mainly satisfied with Derrick Williams' entry into matters.
The talented and athletic forward was one of five players infected with Corona, and he contracted the virus in the most difficult way.
As a result, it took him a long time to get back to playing fitness.
Yesterday he already scored 17 points on an excellent percentage, took 7 rebounds and finished with 23 index points (the most on the team), and mostly looked involved and active.
Williams of Basut.
Satisfaction in the hand of Elijah,
"Derrick is an athletic player who plays with high energy and his aggressiveness and work are known," complimented Yannis Sapropoulos.
"He's on the way up and he's going to have more good games to learn our philosophy."
His friend Angelo Cloiaro added: "When the team gets better he finds his way. You can throw him the ball and he can make the game for you. You need these guys on your side, it's better to play with him than against him."
Williams himself said: "I like to bring energy and engage the crowd. They pay a lot of money and we want to give them a performance," and also referred to the good shooting percentages in recent games: "I work hard on my shots."
Yannis Sapropoulos.
Admits that pressure to bring Evans, Photo: Alan Schieber
3. Another player who is slowly adapting and yesterday already looks like a kind of home side on offense is Keenan Evans who scored 13 points and delivered 4 assists while his back line mate and the man who usually goes through him, Scotty Wilbkin, suffered a weak 5-point shooting west.
According to reports circulating during the summer, the team had discussions about whether to keep Chris Jones or bring in Evans, who excelled last season at Hapoel Haifa.
Sapropoulos was the one who preferred Evans claiming that his glass ceiling was higher and he could be another yellow "theft" like some anonymous guards who came to Maccabi Tel Aviv over the last decade and became the best guards on the continent.
"Keenan is our leading coordinator and I strongly believe in him," the Greek coach said, confirming the reports: "I really wanted him in the summer. This is not only his attack but also his defense is excellent because he gives us something different when he hits the ball. I am very happy with the way he is "He is functioning. This is his first year at such a level and I am sure that later he will feel even more comfortable."
Maccabi Tel Aviv celebrates in the hall at the expense of Kaunas, tonight, Photo: Alan Shiver
Evans himself said: "I wanted to be aggressive in every part of the game. Whether it was on offense to find my teammates or looking for the comfortable shot for me, or whether it was on defense, diving on the floor and snatching balls. I wanted to be everywhere on the pitch."
4. The first thing they did in the team immediately after the final whistle was to check Barcelona's result against Fenerbahce.
The players and the professional team in yellow saw the dramatic victory basket scored by Nikola Mirotic for their next opponent on Thursday.
"It would have been better for the game to be dragged to seven overtimes, but it didn't happen," said one of the players with a smile.
Zizic hovering in the hall, Photo: Alan Schieber
Williams sounds confident in his and his teammates' ability to continue the streak of home wins over the Catalan team: "They are a good team, but I do not want to give them too much credit. In the end they also have to keep us, and if we get aggressive we will be fine."