Double loss? This happened to Maccabi Tel Aviv against quite a few teams this season in the Euroleague. A double victory? It’s not something that happens to her too much in this horrible European era, so fans can enjoy a bit of the double on Zalgiris. But the difference is so big. The home win over Zalgiris (57:85), still without the crowd and before the collapse, left some hopes that the team would be able to connect and advance to the playoffs.
Yesterday’s (Thursday) victory came from a completely different place – in the first game after the mathematical chance was also lost, when Maccabi came on the one hand more liberated, and on the other hand with a desire to be already after the last round.
Yannis Sapropoulos managed to find the motivation he was looking for in the players, and it’s just a pity that the only thing that can really be taken away from this game is that Maccabi hit Zalgiris’ chances. This is usually not something that Maccabi Tel Aviv and its audience consider a kind of achievement.
It’s just that after the 17 losses it has already suffered this season, we have to make do with these things. At least the season will not end in one long and frustrating streak of defeats. This is a certificate of honor for the Yellows, who did not give up. The question is whether it is really possible to draw something from this for the future: the team has made it clear that it is not willing to give up what is left of its identity, which is great for its goals in the league, but it is hard to believe it will help some players build the next squad.
Another important point is that Maccabi was released from the trauma that accompanied it in many games this season, and not only the matter of the last minutes – in which Zalgiris actually made the mistakes – but also a return from an early delay.
The difference was that Maccabi knew how to stop the collapse in time this time. The change made by the bench players was significant, and even when Zalgiris made another mini-escape in the second half, Maccabi reacted calmly. In the excellent finish, 2:16 less than four minutes to go, the fans enjoyed themselves in front of the screen on the one hand and ate themselves on the other. Where was this Maccabi before? This time she stopped in time. After a double-digit lag by 13 points already during the first quarter.
Strange, everything went upside down, and for the better. Suddenly Dragon Bender is effective. Suddenly Chris Jones gets minutes and credit for leading the team. And maybe it’s all about Omri Caspi, who when he’s fit shows how important his ability to lead the team is. Too late, but at least it’s.