Blatt: “We were numb last week. Today we crushed Jerusalem”

By Amy Samin

“I think we crushed Jerusalem the whole length of the game, not just in the second quarter,” said David Blatt.
“We played well the whole game, in a manner suited to Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv.
We were numb last week.
We didn’t play well in two games, and we lost one of them.
If, because of that, we won tonight by 41 points, it was worth it.”

“Perkins was great tonight, not for the first time this season, but he didn’t play alone,” added Maccabi’s head coach.
“I could see the happiness even in the first quarter.
We’re back to normal.”
Blatt also talked about next week’s game against Bnei Hasharon:
“It’s always tough against [coach] Dan Shamir and Bnei Hasharon, who are having an excellent season.
If I’m not mistaken, they are in second place and rightfully so.
They are a team that is super-skilled, superbly coached and with outstanding players.”

“This was the best answer we could have given to all the doubters.
We played an outstanding game that was very important,” Blatt concluded.
“We came into this game with the gut feeling that the basketball we played against Rome had no resemblance to what we’ve done so far this season.
The guys played fantastic; they showed commitment and played the kind of basketball that suits Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv.
I told my players that we don’t have to do anything differently tonight, just show our usual commitment.
I’m happy that we didn’t have a good game when it didn’t matter, because then you all [the press] said what you had to say, and the result is the game you saw from us tonight.”

Doron Perkins, who was outstanding with a triple double (10 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists), said: “We played well, and I felt comfortable.
We played good defense, and it was fun.
We got a good result, and we did whatever we wanted, and I’m proud of the team.
The result isn’t important but the fact that we played aggressively is.
I hope we’ll keep it going.”

Chuck Eidson: “I think the win started on Thursday night.
Everybody really took to heart what happened against Rome, and kind of re-evaluated what kind of season we want to have.
I think everybody came out and showed the kind of heart we want to have here.”

Guy Pnini summed things up: “We didn’t think about point difference at the beginning.
The most important thing is that we’ve gotten back the spirit we’ve had all year.
We pressed hard on defense.
We have so many good players, on any given day someone else can have an excellent game.
I’m really happy for Mačvan, who really got into the swing of things.
He’s a huge talent.
He showed only a little of what he can do.
Bnei Hasharon is the second best team in the league; we always have a tough time against them.
We’ll prepare for that game like we do for the Euroleague.
It will be good preparation for the game against Caja Laboral [in the Euroleague quarterfinals].”

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