Despite the negative climax: Sapropoulos' status should not be debated

Maccabi Tel Aviv has a decision in principle that if there is no professional collapse, the coach will continue.

The possibility of joining Germer Galli was examined.

Frustration with the bad start against Zenit and Wilbkin's mistake on the buzzer: "It seems that no matter what happens, we will not come away with a victory in a close game"

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24/12/2021

Friday, 24 December 2021, 06:20

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Yannis Sapropoulos sums up the loss to Anadolu Zero (Video Photography: Danny Maron Video Editing: Assaf Drori)

17 seconds before the end of the match last night (Thursday) in St. Petersburg, the people of Maccabi Tel Aviv saw the light at the end of the tunnel, their losing streak ended after a huge comeback against a good team at home.

But the light went out very quickly, and Maccabi Tel Aviv also came out of the away game against Zenit with a disappointing 73:71 loss in what was their seventh consecutive loss, the club's longest losing streak in the Euroleague.

The people of Maccabi Tel Aviv looked broken at the entrance to the locker room.

The team wanted the win so much and felt it in hand already, but a big move by Billy Barron turned the score around, and Scotty Wilbkin missed an opportunity to send the game into extra time.

More on Walla!

Yannis Sapropoulos: "It's hard to talk after the way we lost"

To the full article

More on Walla!

• Elias Papatiouduro approaches Maccabi Rishon Lezion

• Seven bites: Maccabi Tel Aviv surrendered 73:71 dramatically to Zenit St. Petersburg

• Saving from the first moment: How to start saving in four simple steps

His record game in the yellow uniform.

Reynolds (Photo: Official Website, courtesy of Zenit St. Petersburg)

The team were disappointed with the way they started the match, allowing Zenit to escape to a 15-point lead after just one quarter, and despite comeback attempts in the first half, went down by a similar margin at the end of the half.

Only in the second half, especially with the awakening of Wilbkin, Derek Williams who helped Jaylen Reynolds in his best game in the yellow with 24 points and 11 rebounds, did the Yellows manage to get back into the game.

"The way they run their method won the game," the

disappointed

concluded

the game, "they played harder than us, no doubt we fought, it was a close game, I take my hat off to them. We have to stay together and keep going, we have to bring the The energy from the second half also in the first half, we were not aggressive at all in the first half. "

He added: "We didn't start the game the way we wanted, we started running after them and we managed to catch them, but they scored a big shot and that's how basketball sometimes goes. We were not missing anything in the second half, they scored a good shot."

"They scored a good shot, that's how basketball sometimes goes."

Taylor's explanation (Photo: Official website, Zenit St. Petersburg website)

2. We will start from the bottom line - unless there is a big change in the management position of Maccabi Tel Aviv in the coming days, Yannis Sapropoulos is supposed to continue in the team, with the intention being to let him finish the season. In a number of talks last week, it was decided for various reasons not to shock the coach's position, unless there was a real professional collapse, and the fact that Maccabi was one step away from ending the losing streak should give the Greek coach credit.

In the player segment, Maccabi will continue the search for a player who will strengthen the staff. The team said last night that another player in the guard positions could give the solution at the start of the game, when nothing went, and despite the comeback at the end, there is general agreement that Maccabi needs to strengthen the staff if it wants to stay alive in the playoffs.

Walla!

Sport learned that one of the names that has come up recently in the context of Maccabi Tel Aviv is Germar Galli, ex Hapoel Gilboa / Galil, who currently plays for the Gazintap team from the top of the Turkish league.

Galli, who stands at 19.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, was of great interest to the people of Maccabi Tel Aviv, but the interest did not continue into action as the Turkish team does not want to release him.

Will end the season unless there is a professional collapse.

Sapropolus (Photo: GettyImages, Sonia Canada)

3. As in the game against CSKA Moscow away, this time too Maccabi Tel Aviv came to the last shot with enough time to produce a good shot. She did not go in. According to Sapropoulos, Wilbkin had four options, three for delivery, James Nanley, Reynolds and Williams, and a fourth option to go with the ball to the end, and that's what he chose to do.

"It's our third loss in the last ball, it's symptoms a group that will be meeting its own, "said one of the club last night," we had a feeling with the triad of the closet that we could not make a basket win, it just sort these seasons, no matter what happens in the game tight, we can not go out with a win. "

Maccabi told Because Wilbkin took the offense very hard during the last and went down to the locker room when he did not believe he could not win the game, "it will take him time to recover from this thing."

Took hard on the miss at the end.

Wilbkin (Photo: Danny Maron)

After just 10 minutes, Zenit led St. Petersburg by 15 points.

Maccabi Tel Aviv looked in these minutes offensive as it looked in its weak game against Olympiacos, and as it looked in its weak first quarter against Hapoel Galil Elyon earlier this week.

The Yellows improved the defense in the second quarter, but were unable to return to the game.

Maccabi pointed to the experience that Yannis Sapropoulos made in the opening of the game, when he came up with Taylor and Jake Cohen in a team that was not tried in the league games this season, and the result was a breakdown under the baskets.

Cohen was better later in the comeback, but the pit the Yellows created was very significant.

"We have to ask ourselves, how can it be that we are opening another game like this? What are we not doing right in preparation for this happening?".

Finally, those who led the Yellows' comeback were Wilbkin, Williams and Reynolds, who, as mentioned, recorded his best game in the Yellows.

And yet, this fact does not encourage anyone.

"The fact that we are showing character again this time is beautiful, but our victory column has not moved since mid-November," concluded one of the team members.

"Show character, but the column of victories does not move."

Maccabi Tel Aviv players (Photo: Danny Maron)

5. If there is anything that can cause a shock in Maccabi Tel Aviv, it is the derby that will be held on Sunday.

Maccabi recently said that as long as there is stability and success in the local framework, they will be able to try and continue in the current situation, but a loss to Hapoel Tel Aviv is something that is never accepted by Eliyahu.

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