It appears that the NBA lockout is coming to an end, and the Jewish-American point guard has started saying his goodbyes. “I’ll follow the team on the Internet. I’ve had fun; it’s a very special place.” Blatt: “Pnini is a symbol; he gave us a huge game.”
By Amy Samin
Before summarizing the game or talking about the end to the NBA lockout, we have to give an enormous thank you to the fans of Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv who, in spite of the high number of home games in the last two weeks, filled Nokia Arena night after night and supported the team in their important victories in the Euroleague and Adriatic League.
When asked if it was his last game at Nokia Arena, Jordan Farmar said, “I’m not sure, but it looks like it. It’s sad to say. I’ve had a great time, I’m glad to go out on top and in a positive manner, and the fans got to see me play one last time. I don’t know how I feel right now; I’m happy to be going back to life as normal, but I love these guys, they really hold a special place in my heart, and I hope they feel the same about me.” When complimented on his play in the last two games, Farmar noted, “First and foremost, it’s about the team. There were days when I didn’t play so well, and the guys and the fans picked us up. That’s being a team, and all twelve thousand or however many people are in there every night are definitely part of the team. It’s a special place, a special organization to be a part of and I’m really happy I got the experience.” When asked how far he thought Maccabi would go once he leaves, Farmar answered, “I have nothing but high hopes and great expectations for them. The way they run the program, the way Coach Blatt coaches, everybody holds each other accountable and it’s not just me out there, no matter what it says on the stat sheet or the scoreboard or the highlights. It’s a group of guys who work hard together every day and they’re very capable of doing a lot of great things. Some guys who you haven’t seen play as much will get a more prominent role on the team, and they’ll contribute a lot. And they might get someone else.”
“I have a real connection here with everybody from all the players, to the staff, management, coaching staff, and the fans,” Farmar continued. It’s been a great experience for me, personally, off the floor, to live somewhere away from home and get the chance to see my family grow by just being together, and knowing that wherever we are in the world it’s okay and we’ll be fine. And then, basketball-wise, it was a great opportunity for me to play basketball the way I know how; I got a great chance to do what I do well, for the first time really in my professional career. It was a great opportunity for me, and I tried to give as much as I could to the organization. I can’t thank them enough.”
Maccabi’s head coach David Blatt said, “You saw today a high, high, high level game, and not for the first time. Learn to appreciate it; you don’t see something like that all the time, twice in three days.”
About Guy Pnini’s excellent game (26 points) the coach said, “Well, that’s something that we knew would happen sooner or later. We especially needed that today, and he gave us a huge game. Guy is more than just a player here, he’s also a symbol. He’s a person with a lot of honor and character. He went through a difficult time, but he kept his head up, played four minutes in the last game. He was fine; I took him out because I felt he hadn’t come back to himself yet. The important thing is that he kept on and knew how to step up when we needed him. I have to take a minute here to thank our fans, who came and filled the arena night after night. They enjoy seeing the team play, and tonight they saw wonderful basketball.”
When asked for his thoughts about Jordan Farmar, Coach Blatt replied, “This might have been Farmar’s last home game, and we really needed him. It’s been a pleasure to have him here for as long as we did.”
