It went hard, but at the end of an exciting evening, Maccabi Tel Aviv stood up to the task last night (Thursday) and registered its first victory of the season in the Euroleague, when it beat Zalgiris Kovna 83:84 in the opening game of the Euroleague season, in a game in which it controlled most of the minutes of the match but almost lost it in the second the last
"I'm very happy for the victory, we knew it wasn't going to be an easy game. We started a process and the preparation period was not easy. You could see today throughout the game that we still weren't stable enough for 40 minutes. We knew that Zalgiris would come to fight and not break and that's how it really was." , Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Oded Ketch said at the end.
In the final seconds when the Lithuanians won the last ball and could win the game, among quite a few Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and players there was the feeling that the game might slip away at the last second.
"The game ended in a dramatic way, I didn't know whether to be happy or not, whether to smile or not. Maccabi Tel Aviv and Zalgiris Kovna know how to provide tension in the hall, in the last minute Derek Sharp came to my mind", Ketch shared his feelings.
In the club, the ability of the pair of guards - Lorenzo Brown and Wade Baldwin, who stood out with 13 points and 15 points respectively, the former also adds 11 assists, when there are those among the hall's occupants who begin to fantasize about a pair that will set the hall on fire in the style of the combination between Jeremy Fargo to Doron Frankins.
The Yellows celebrate at the end, photo: Alan Shiver
"On the face of it, they play in the same position but with many different qualities, each can bring their own advantages. The connection between them is good and they sometimes even indulged each other too much. They will learn each other more and more over time. They are very significant."
Bonzie Colson, who made a wonderful debut in the Euroleague and led Maccabi scorers with 16 points, said at the end: "We played well as a team and met a stubborn and tough opponent. Personally, I feed off the crowd and try to do my best to help my friends win. We will have to continue working according to our principles, this game It was an important test for us."
Despite the victory in the club, they marked the clear loss 43:26 in the battle for the return balls, as a warning point and a signpost for the continuation.
"The story was the rebound, where they beat us significantly. There aren't many games in which we win even though we lose like that in the battle for rebounds," Ketch concluded.
The yellows of Ketch do not have much time to rest, and already tomorrow evening they will host Ironi Nes Ziona at Menorah Hall, in the first round of the league.
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