The confidence in the sky, the atmosphere is great and only the experience behind Maccabi Tel Aviv

After a long flight, the players arrived in Madrid smiling.

They are not thrilled by the disadvantage of Dek and are ready for a "different game from the other series".

In a city that does not know much about the existence of the series, the Yellows want to get closer to the Final Four and bring Avi Even closer to the position of coach next season as well.

Or Shakedi, we sent to Madrid

20/04/2022

Wednesday, April 20, 2022, 08:35

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Summary: Real Madrid - Braugen 65:90 (Sport 1)

Seven years after the previous time she played in the Euroleague playoffs and ended in disappointment with a 3-0 loss to Fenerbahce, tonight (Wednesday, 22:00) Maccabi Tel Aviv will go up for the first game in the playoff quarterfinal series against Real Madrid at the Visink Center.

The excellent momentum with which the Yellows reached this point was felt excellent in the late evening, after the team had finished dinner and the players made their way to their rooms.

The smiles on the face did not hide the good feelings with which Maccabi arrives for the series, with the club admitting that there is a great atmosphere and a very positive feeling ahead of the first game in the series.

Some of the club members went out to catch their breath late in Madrid and encountered surprising rain.

The flight from Israel to Spain was not easy for the players, as this is one of the longest trips the Euroleague has to offer, and it is necessarily true for the Yellows who only played in Barcelona two weeks ago.

Although the team players won more space than the crowded fan plane, they also said that the flight is one of the most tedious they went through in their careers before a game, which does not detract from the good feelings.

This morning, the two teams will hold a shooting practice at Boizink Center, with Maccabi being the first to taste the hall in the current journey.

Even before boarding the flight from Ben Gurion Airport, Maccabi discovered that Gabi Dek, one of the significant players in Real's current squad, had fallen ill with Corona and would miss at least the first two games in the series. Tompkins who have been absent from him lately after they were almost released.

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The man who can lead Maccabi Tel Aviv next season as well?

Avi Even (Photo: Danny Maron)

2. The one who stands at the center of the play and did not believe he would be in such a position until two months ago is Avi Even.

The coach who replaced Yannis Sapropoulos until the end of the season originally, may find himself at the end of the current series with Real as the sole candidate for next season, if he manages to lead the team to the Final Four.

The club has a growing feeling that Even is the right man, at least on the eve of the series, who can take Maccabi forward.

Even reaches the big moment in his coaching career accompanied by his family members who came to Madrid, while at Maccabi India during the last few days the bet on Stone reaches the most significant stage so far.

"There is no doubt that so far the decision to take my father was a great decision. If he manages to get past Real, it will be possible to mark it as a change of coaches during the most successful season we have made since Pini Gershon."

Even will try to enter the honorable list that to this day includes only Pini Gershon and David Blatt, as coaches who led Maccabi to victory in the playoff series in the Euroleague.

In recent days, Even's team has been dealing with many issues that arise in the context of the playoff series, when Maccabi knows that the physiological side and recovery between games may also be an important part of the road back to the Final Four for the first time since 2014.

Will have to transcend.

Maccabi Tel Aviv players (Photo: Udi Citiat)

The late arrival at the hotel in Madrid and dinner prevented Maccabi from watching the first playoff game between Andulo Zero and Milan, they also did not get to see the first half between Barcelona and Bayern Munich, but the team members expected the different style of playoffs that may not characterize their series against real.

"That no one would expect our series to have 50-60 point games like in Milan against Andulo," said one of the Maccabi tonight, "We play basketball in a certain style that led us here, and it is known that sometimes in the playoffs it is a little harder to play. The adjustments against a group at such a level and in such a class. "

Although Maccabi mentions the advantage they have in the momentum over Real, and perhaps also in the ability in certain positions, there is no doubt that when it comes to experience, the Yellows have a significant disadvantage against the Blancos in every possible position on the field.

"The players will have to know how to rise while on the move," the club said.

Not much has been heard about the series in Madrid, but Maccabi fans are already here (Photo: Walla !, Or Shakedi)

4. If anyone was expecting some excitement from the series between the two big rivals of European basketball, then he is too optimistic.

As expected, nowhere, including at Wizink Center, is there no mention of the game, with the only ones who still mentioned the name Maccabi being the sellers in the tacos shop next to the hall.

The signs that are still related to sports rather than football in the city invite the crowd to the masters tennis tournament he hopes for next week, and until there is a picture of Sergio Yul in the city, it is smaller than the pictures of Marco Asensio and Teresa, Real boys and girls soccer stars next to him in the advertisement.

Taxi drivers were surprised to hear that people are coming to watch a basketball game from somewhere else especially to Madrid and talked mostly about the important game the football team has tonight against Osasuna outside, so if anyone is expecting a special atmosphere in Madrid tonight, he is likely to be disappointed.

The goal: to return with a victory in Madrid and decide the series in Israel (Photo: Danny Maron)

5. The thing that Maccabi Tel Aviv does not want to hear about on the eve of the opening of the series is the possibility of returning to Madrid for a fifth game.

Apart from the fact that this will complicate the Yellows' game schedule in the Premier League and make the end of the season in the local framework crowded at a level that they will have a problem dealing with, in terms of schedule it is a problematic schedule.

Currently the Euroleague and Real Madrid refuse to advance the game, if it takes place, to Monday 2 May or postpone it to 5 May, so it will take place on Wednesday 4 May, the eve of Independence Day, while Real Madrid in football plays against Manchester Setter City in the Champions League semi-finals.

Despite the fact that this is an atmosphere that will be good for the Yellows, Maccabi wants to transfer the decision to Tel Aviv and end interest at home.

• sport

• basketball

• Euroleague and European basketball

Tags

• Maccabi Tel Aviv in basketball

• Real Madrid in basketball