A reminder of the 2010 season
In the 2009/10 season, Maccabi Tel Aviv met for a critical game against Sienna by Yad Eliyahu, for promotion to the crossover from the top 16. The game was tough, the opponent was strong and athletic, with a tough coach (Simona Pianijani, who later also moved to Jerusalem).
At the time, the Yellows starred Alan Anderson, David Bluthenthal before he shortened the name, one Guy Panini, and a defensive anchor named Stephon Lazma.
And why the long introduction?
Because the fourth quarter of that game cannot be forgotten.
Pini Gershon is crazy on the lines, the fans are on the fences and inside the press box on my head, and Maccabi scores 43 points in the last quarter and wins by 15.
Probably the most wonderful and most disturbed quarter of the club ever.
Look for the video.
So yesterday's fourth quarter may be competing for second place.
And this is how every quarter should look, and not just in Eliyahu's hand.
Maccabi is moving in the right direction, and when Katz realizes that this is his and Maccabi's basketball, and turns the madness into a method, Maccabi will crush every opponent.
Learning without training...
The progress that Maccabi has made in the last month is real and fascinating, especially considering the fact that in such a busy season there is very little training between all the games, trips, flights, injuries and recovery training.
How much is left for real training that contains new learning?
That's why the team's progress is interesting and impressive, and is evident throughout all stages of the game.
One of the main signs of learning is avoiding mistakes: the players make fewer mistakes, take fewer risks, and thus Maccabi has more balls and fewer penalties.
Examples: Nebo does only what he knows, shoots 80% from the field, and takes the critical rebounds, Bonzie Coulson is everywhere, wins all 50/50 situations, and creates an atmosphere of confidence.
And Jaylen Adams, even though the threes didn't go in for him, keeps the ball and plays with zero ego.
He still hasn't realized how important he is to the current Maccabi, certainly in Baldwin's absence, but even after it returns.
The main element that has improved is the individual and group defense.
Maccabi has a collection of athletic players who can press and keep a simple and clear personality, and all the matters of the automatic exchanges only complicate it and loosen its hands and feet.
The big change in the fourth quarter came with Ketch's instruction to pass blocks and stay with your player.
catch
Defense simply makes all the difference, photo: Alan Shiver
How simple - how effective.
It produces other energies, leaves the right matchups, allows to grab balls under pressure, and also fixes the rebound thing.
Until a month ago, Maccabi had the worst defensive rebounding team in the history of the Euroleague (!), and every second ball went to the opponent.
And yesterday, 25-6 to the yellow under their basket.
And it all starts with the defense of the individual.
Ketch continues to improve in placing balanced and connected fives, with Jake Cohen continuing to produce a good rotation, every player has a substitute, and in every position two junglers.
10 players in rotation is the optimum, and it is effective and proves itself.
Five players in double digits is the mathematical proof of balance, but it is mainly felt in the joy of the game and in maintaining the high level sequence throughout the game.
The only place where Maccabi fell was at the end of the third quarter when Brown left for three minutes.
Oded missed with an unsuitable five (Hilliard, Adams, Martin, Nibo, Hollins) and Maccabi fell to minus 10. John Dee is the only one who can fix the game without Lorenzo.
So there is more to learn.
Jake Cohen.
Legitimate rotation player, photo: Alan Shiver
Maccabi's talent and depth screams to press the whole field, and the team is making progress in the quality of the pressure and its timing.
Yesterday, she also grabbed three balls at critical moments that turned into momentum-generating baskets.
But even beyond the steals, the pressure unites the team, inhibits the opponent, and fires up the crowd.
Give the fans madness and fighting and he will also forgive losses.
Just be the host.
And so in the fourth quarter of the films, Maccabi ran 2:22, and the great Eps scored the first basket 37 seconds to the end.
Maccabi suddenly became a threatening fourth quarter team, after traditionally being the one that usually falls apart at the end.
It also teaches a lot about the group's level of physical fitness and social connection.
The Zeros are still European champions
Maccabi's improvement can also be attributed to the quality of the opponent.
Playing against a great team pulls you up, to the limit of your ability.
And if yesterday a fascinating comparison between Eps and Golden State was published in our section, then there is a lot of similarity, and this also includes the ability of the guards, the weakness of the tall ones, and the problem in the away games.
Shane Larkin is still out of form, but Micic and Claiborne are two top players who challenge any defense.
Maccabi's defense produces difficult shots.
Together with Elijah Bryant (championship ring with Yanis in Milwaukee), there is a crazy level of talent, but on the other hand, it shows the fatigue of the material, lack of joy and defensive breakdown in the fourth quarter.
Continuity also has limits and will need new and fresh legs.
After a crazy first half with 12:14 from the field, the level gradually dropped and the yellows learned how to save.
Žižić yesterday.
Exciting ceremony, photo: Alan Shiver
And it's interesting that they didn't keep Box and One on Brown, after Bologna dismantled Maccabi with this defense.
Maybe it doesn't suit Atman, or he just concentrates on his group and doesn't try too sophisticated things.
After all, this is the European champion for the last two years, and actually for three (corona and unfinished business).
So now, when Ketesh has defeated two top coaches (Mesina and Atman) with half their budget - maybe we can end the hums and whispers and voices and let him work in silence?
How many aliens can you invent anyway?
The truth is that a lot could have been learned already from the game against Galil HaLeon this week.
Since Maccabi is dependent on Lorenzo Braun's battery status, they must allow him to rest in the league.
And since you can only dress 5 strangers, she goes up with the avatar Yeftah Ziv, who gets a place in the top five, plays excellently, then Thursday comes and he sees the 00 on his minutes balance again.
Say: this is life, but it sucks and annoys.
Manko has also experienced this extreme, and although he plays well in the league, he does not see the floor in Europe.
Maccabi uses the league to practice and teach what it doesn't have during non-training, even without Brown.
In Galilee, we saw the pressure defense, and it's important to practice before coming with it to the European champions.
And there we saw Ketch coming out of the cocoon, stormy, lively, arguing with judges and taking a challenge for nonsense in the first half.
Great, that's how it should be, and from there it flowed into madness against zero.
Maccabi has always complained about the restrictions on foreigners, and has always wanted more.
But when she gets rules that help her, she immediately moves on to the next destination.
When they allowed three foreigners she brought six, when they allowed four she brought eight, and now five are allowed but she is signing nine, and the tenth is on the way.
So maybe instead of filling up with foreigners, and complaining that there are two different teams for the league and Europe, choose five good ones and have one squad?
Maccabi is doing well at the moment because it finally has an organized rotation, and it's mainly because of the injuries to Baldwin and Poithers, it's unpleasant to say.
When Baldwin returns, the hierarchy will be shaken, and if they also make the effort to bring another high up to position four, all the fine work of connection will go down the drain.
And now the new Minister of Sports Miki Zohar is already talking about increasing the exemption for foreigners, to give Maccabi more options to mess up its roster and the league's image, which is already shaky and American.
I hope that smart people who hold Israeli basketball close to their hearts will talk to him, and tell him: "Turn it around! It's the state's job to take care of Israeli products, and invest in local talent."
Epilogue:
After that tremendous fourth quarter against Siena, Maccabi went to Madrid and beat Real there.
Something auspicious.
The problem is that in the crossover it was the favorite but lost the series with the home advantage to Alex Maric's Partizan Belgrade.
At the end of that season, the team also lost the league championship to Gilboa Galil of... Oded Ketch.
And here the small circle closes, and Maccabi will go to Madrid to show that it knows how to play and fight even outside Eliyahu.
And continue to learn and progress and improve her basketball.
Just let the cheer grow quietly.
were we wrong
We will fix it!
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