The lottery will send Maccabi to face off against Messina and Real Madrid, Siena and Efes Pilsen. The first game will be against Siena, the last in Madrid.
By Amy Samin
| Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H |
| Regal FC Barcelona | Real Madrid | CSKA Moscow | Olympiacos Piraeus |
| Panathinaikos Athens | Montepaschi Siena | Unicaja | Caja Laboral |
| Partizan Belgrade | Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv | Zalgiris Kaunas | BC Khimki Moscow Region |
| Maroussi BC | Efes Pilsen Istanbul | Asseco Prokom Gdynia | KK Cibona Zagreb |
The luck of the draw has placed Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv in Group F, along with Real Madrid, Siena, and Efes Pilsen, and not in the “killer” group, Group E, which includes Barcelona, Panathinaikos, Partisan Belgrade and Maroussi.
The two groups are linked; if Maccabi finishes first in its group, it will meet the second place team of group E, and vice versa.
Maccabi’s first Top 16 game will be a tough match-up in Siena. Immediately after, they will host Real Madrid and Efes Pilsen.
The final game will be against Real Madrid in Spain.
Top 16 Game Schedule
28 January @ Siena
4 February vs Real Madrid
11 February vs Efes Pilsen
25 February @ Efes Pilsen
4 March vs Siena
11 March @ Real Madrid
Maccabi head coach Pini Gershon had this reaction to the draw: “Obviously, it’s a tough group, but it could have been worse.
Any of the four teams in our group – including Efes Pilsen – could make it to the next round.
The fact that it’s a tough group might prove to be an advantage.
Obviously, in the Top 16 there are easier groups, such as CSKA’s, but there’s no doubt we could have drawn to a tougher group, like that of Barcelona and Panathinaikos.
We’ll cope with this group; no doubt it will be an interesting round with a high level of play.
A lot depends on the fitness of each team, because any of the teams in our group can make it to the Final Four.
It’s like our group is a preview of the Final Four.”
President of Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, attorney Shimon Mizrahi, said, “It’s going to be very exciting; we’re playing against three impressive teams. We need to prepare for those games; to face them in Nokia Arena will be very challenging.
All of the houses are strong; these are the teams that have made it to the Top 16 and there isn’t a single weak team.
This is what we’ve drawn in the lottery, and we’ll be ready.”
About the search for a new big man, Mizrahi said, “We won’t take just anyone.
If we take a new player for the 5 spot, we’ll take the player who, in the opinion of the coaches, is the best fit for our needs, and who will become integrated into the team for the years to come.”
Guy Pnini said, “We’ll be up against three of the best teams in Europe.
We’ve managed to avoid Barcelona and Panathinaikos, but if we make it to the next round we’ll have to face one of them, so it doesn’t really matter.
One thing’s for sure, things are going to heat up in Nokia Arena; it’s a challenge and I hope it ends well.
Ours is the most interesting group in the Top 16 with the highest level of play, and we’ll do everything we can to make it to the next round.
If we stay healthy, we should definitely be able to do it.
We never give up until the game’s over.”
The team is taking a two day break, and will return to practice on Wednesday, in anticipation of the upcoming away game against Barak Netanya, to be played on Sunday, January 24 at 20:50, and broadcast live on Channel 10.
Tonight (Monday), the team will be celebrating the bar mitzvah of DJ Sharp, son of team captain Derrick Sharp, who has just turned 13.
