Maccabi was on the air with OAKA and can visit SEF

The semi-defunct Maccabi passed “air” from OAKA a month ago full of instability and with Giannis Sfeiropoulos paying for the marble and visiting SEF in the playoffs is not out of the question! With 7 wins in their last 10 games, the Tel Aviv side sit level on points with Efes in 5th place, so the results of the remaining three games determine the final standings.

With a record of 14-11 Maccabi hasn’t even mathematically secured the playoffs yet (still wants a win), it sees a place between 5th and 6th place so is potentially a possible opponent of Olympiacos and of course dependent on the final placement of the “Red-Whites”. Particularly interesting is the fight he will put up with Efes for the two positions that complete the six. Both teams have two games inside and one outside by the end of the regular season.

Maccabi welcomes Villeurbanne and Fener and plays away with Bayern, while Efes has Alba and Bayern inside and outside the Red Star. The draw favors Efes, who have twice beaten the Israelis. So, to lose the fight, the Turkish team has to win one less.

The release of energy

Maccabi doesn’t suddenly play quality basketball. It didn’t change overnight either, as Avi Even, successor to coach Sfairopoulos and with 4 wins in 5 games, made a small revolution. Just the enormous energy of the American squad of the Israel team was unleashed and is its great weapon in this EuroLeague final straight.

Maccabi has returned to his own principles. She plays like we’ve been taught to for so many years, relies on the pressure she puts on the ball, she wants to win rebounds to run on the open field, she relies a lot on one-on-ones, on three-pointers . She often plays basketball…without passing and if she pulls you into her rhythm, you’re out of luck.

This also happened in OAKA. From the moment Panathinaikos lifted the glove and went into the game with a lot of attacks, with the ball bouncing up and down, he was the next to dominate the best team on the field.

Maccabi is easier to manage when her opponent controls the rhythm, takes her rebounds and moves the ball properly. Of all these, Panathinaikos did only the third. The guests were the ones who wanted to play the game in many attacks without being afraid of their mistakes, knowing that they would not lose anything in the rhythm they chose and the course of the game.

That doesn’t mean they didn’t have a plan for the game. They wanted to put the ball in the racket right from the start, and they did so consistently for almost the entire duration of the game. Panathinaikos managed to defend mainly against Zizic in the first half, but from the moment Reynolds came in, the problems in the game started.

The 12/15 two-pointers that Maccabi’s stats record in the second half are partly due to the better performance of Maccabi’s taller players, and partly to their play on the open field, which resulted in a 12-0 goal in the last three minutes of the game. Essentially, the fight was judged at that point as it was the time Maccabi got the difference, which for the most part they never lost after that.

Also, when Panathinaikos tried to turn the match into a two-pointer from Derrick Williams, it cut off the legs of the “Greens” and finally tipped the scales in favor of the guests. Maccabi has not lost such phases. Think of two more three-pointers. One at the end of the first period by Ziv (behind center field) and another by Nanali, unbalanced, with attack time up.

Better to play (Mantzoukas)

The defeat leaves Panathinaikos in last place (along with Zalgiris), the weaknesses were visible tonight although there were good moments. Especially for Lefteris Mantzoukas, who caused a smile on the podium in his best performance so far with the “Greens”. Speaking of which, since Panathinaikos doesn’t want anything, it’s better for Mantzoukas (and the team’s other youngsters) to play. The only gain will be the 18-year-old striker with physical qualifications… a much older man and the prospect of further development over time.

One can easily understand the position of Dimitris Priftis. He analyzed it in the match with PAOK a few days ago: “It was probably my fault that the youngsters didn’t play anymore, because the difference wasn’t big, it could be reduced at any timeThe Panathinaikos coach has to calculate everything, especially in the league where his team is in the ‘well’ and so far has actually had an advantage by winning the SEF.

In the Euroleague, on the other hand, where everything has already been judged anyway, why the… Mantzoukes don’t play.

We will of course note that the return of Ioannis Papapetrou, absent for two months (and from important games), will play an important role, obviously not in the EuroLeague games his team has to give, but in the league games with the first and best upcoming derby on April 11 against Olympiakos.