1.
Precisely when it had its back against the wall, 40 minutes away from elimination in the Euroleague, Maccabi Tel Aviv managed to deliver one of its record games of the season last night (Thursday) when it defeated Monaco 69:104 and tied the playoff quarterfinal series at 2:2.
This Wednesday in France, Maccabi will try to return to the Final Four for the first time since 2014, and on the way to make history and become the first team in the factory to win the fifth game in the playoffs away from home.
In the yellows' dressing room at the end of the game, real joy was felt for the victory combined with a sigh of relief.
Maccabi did not want to end the season with another home loss, and is now passing the decision and the pressure to the opposing team.
Despite the impressive result, it really wasn't easy.
Monaco started strong, leading by 7 points after the first quarter, but a 0:20 run led by John DiBartholomeo, Jake Cohen and Lorenzo Brown gave Maccabi a 13-point lead. Monaco reduced the gap to only 3 points, but Maccabi managed to close the The second quarter with a lead of 11. The second half was one-sided, and the yellows cruised to victory as they won 87:45 in the second, third and fourth quarters.
"These are two great teams that are fighting and want to reach the Final Four. This is the best and tightest series of all the series," said Wade Baldwin who scored 19 points.
Jake Cohen added: "There is still room for improvement, the final result does not show the differences between the teams. They did not score well today, that is part of it. They will score better in their home court, we still have work to do. We will not be satisfied with this victory, We would like to continue to progress as a team."
Another experience in the temple.
Brown and Baldwin (Photo: Danny Maron)
2.
As mentioned, Maccabi's highlights in the game were in the second quarter, with a 0:20 run.
Up to this point in time the tension in the hall, where the atmosphere was completely different from Tuesday, less festive, less militant at the opening, was at its peak.
Until led by John DiBartholomew, Jake Cohen and Lorenzo Brown, Maccabi exploded.
"How we opened the second quarter was a very big moment for us. The character of the team was revealed again when we have our backs against the wall. We did not have a good game on Tuesday, and we wanted to show the fans that we are better than that," said Jake Cohen.
"Our character is at a high level. It takes time to be a big European team, and we are on our way there. It's great to play with these players, I want to capture the moments I play with them."
Cohen, who barely played in the third game after starting in the starting five, came off the bench this time, but delivered the goods and was an important part of the Yellows' run.
"I always stay ready, it doesn't matter to me if I start in the starting five or come off the bench. I have the experience in both, which helps. If you stay ready, you don't have to prepare. That's my mentality and that of the team," he explained.
Wade Baldwin added: "The difference was mainly the speed with which we came to things. They did a good job of making us hot in the previous game, but when we play fast and smart, when we know how to stand at the right angles, it looks different. We were able to produce our game, and we will have to continue to play like that and understand what is needed do in the fifth game".
A triumph of character.
Maccabi Tel Aviv celebrates (Photo: Danny Maron)
3.
The star of the game was Lorenzo Brown.
After a very quiet series, some would say disappointing, Brown arrived in a big way.
He scored 22 points, 12 of them in the first half, made 6 three-pointers from 8 attempts, and was also active in defense, after quite a few noises surrounding his performance on this side of the court.
"Lorenzo has been a little quieter in the last few days. During a series there are things that happen, his fouls at the beginning of Game 3 took a little frustration out of him, you can feel that he took it a little personally. That's how you have to play against an aggressive team like Monaco. I'm proud of him, like the rest of the players Oded Ketch said at the press conference about his star.
Brown, in his own way, would look subdued with a facial expression that doesn't reveal anything in the locker room either.
"That's how Lorenzo is, you'll only get a smile out of him when we do something really big," said one of the team members, "we'll have to accept him with the same attitude in the fifth game as well."
explosion.
Lorenzo Brown (Photo: Danny Maron)
4.
On Tuesday you will leave Maccabi for Monaco.
The seats reserved for fans on the team plane were already filled in a few minutes since the sale opened last night.
Maccabi knows that Monaco will make it difficult for fans to come to the game, but they estimate that there will still be several hundred yellow fans in the hall on Wednesday.
Apart from the good ability of the opponent, the Yellows will have to deal with the history that states that no foreign team has managed to win the fifth game so far in the Euroleague.
"This is a perfect time to change history," said Jake Cohen.
Wade Baldwin commented on this statistic and the meaning of the difference from last night's game for the fifth game: "According to this, we have no chance, but we will not come into the game with this mentality. We already won a game in Monaco, and they won in Tel Aviv, so anything is possible. Two similar teams, with the same DNA , and Game 5 will be a new challenge that we will come prepared for. All these games were very different, also similar but mostly different. In the first game we won by double digits and then they won by double digits, they won here by 6-7 and we by 30. The game The fifth will be very difficult. They were in this situation last season, so we will have to be quick and smart."
The goal: to make history.
Cohen and Dibartholomew (photo: Danny Maron)
5.
And if the pressure of the fifth game in the playoff series in the Euroleague is not enough, on Sunday Maccabi Tel Aviv will play an away game against Hapoel Jerusalem, which currently seems less important but may turn out to be critical for the rest of the season in the league.
A loss in the arena, and Maccabi Tel Aviv will have to compete next weekend in the derby for first place in the table.
A victory in Jerusalem, and the yellows will guarantee the leadership of the table.
The team knows that the schedule of games in the playoffs in the Premier League will be very difficult if they manage to reach the Final Four, but as one of Maccabi's people said last night: "These are problems of the rich that we would like to deal with."
sport
basketball
Euroleague and European basketball
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Maccabi Tel Aviv in basketball