By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, no matter what, remains a household name. From the moment you step into Menora Mivtachim Arena, you just get it. It’s not a modern gym, but the history of the venue and the ghosts of past greatness are still there, haunting every opponent.
There’s constant noise from the sold-out crowd that makes everything difficult for anyone challenging Maccabi and traditionally, it is one of the hardest, if not the hardest, arenas to play in the EuroLeague.
The numbers don’t lie. Maccabi currently has a 12-12 record in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, however, it also has the second-best home record, 9-2. It has lost only to FC Barcelona and two weeks ago by Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in a result that qualifies by all means as an upset.
“We have this adrenalin from the fans,” said forward Roman Sorkin after a win against Valencia Basket earlier this season and the good news for Maccabi is that its abilities at home are still its saving grace.
Six out of the team’s 10 remaining games in the regular season will be played in Tel Aviv, Which gives Maccabi a chance for a winning record even if it does not win again on the road. Moreover, Maccabi has a pretty good chance to get at least one road win against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, which is practically out of the playoff race.
Still, it will not be an easy task for Maccabi, considering that among others, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Real Madrid, and Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz will visit Tel Aviv, alongside FC Bayern Munich this week, and Virtus Segafredo Bologna and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in late March.
Maccabi has proven so far that it can get the job done by beating at home Olympiacos Piraeus, AS Monaco, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgarde, and two-time defending champion Anadolu Efes Istanbul.
As Bonzie Colson said about the fans after the win over Partizan: “I feed off their energy, we have the best fans in the EuroLeague and it is great to have them behind us every home game.”
Lorenzo Brown returns
What makes the rise of Maccabi even more possible, however, is not only the home court factor. Lorenzo Brown had been sidelined with an ankle injury suffered in the game against ALBA Berlin in Round 20 and he will make his return this week, ironically against another German team, Bayern.
Without him, Maccabi lost three games and won only one, on the road by 1 point at Valencia.
This was the second big blow to Maccabi’s season after the torn wrist ligament of Alex Poythress, which knocked him out of action already in early December.
Brown, however, has emerged as one of the EuroLeague’s most productive guards; he is third in the league with 6.0 assists per game and is seventh in scoring, just a fraction behind teammate Wade Baldwin with 16.6 points per game each. Brown’s return can immediately turn things around and put Maccabi back on track for the playoffs and once there, who knows what may happen?
After all, even without homecourt advantage, it’s hard to imagine anyone getting a road win in Tel Aviv.
There’s simply no place like home for Maccabi and at least this is a legacy that this version of the team cherishes and wants to protect.
Coach Oded Kattash put it eloquently after the big win over Olympiacos, arguably the biggest of the season so far for the Israeli club. While talking about how much the fans help the team, Kattash, a club icon as a player, said: “We are used to it, but we don’t take it for granted.”
And Maccabi simply feels that this year, it can give something back to that amazing crowd.