By Amy Samin

Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv’s head coach David Blatt spoke about the team’s 78-76 win over Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade: “We were determined to come home with a win, especially after our loss at home last week.  I’m happy we won and officially secured our spot in the Top 16. – which was one of our main goals for the short term.”

“We played extremely well for 35 minutes – some of the best minutes we’ve had this season – and despite the difficulties we had at the end, thanks to some good plays we got an important win. The atmosphere here in Belgrade is electrifying; the crowd is very passionate in their support of their team. Even when their team is down by a lot of points, they don’t give up or relax for a second, and that makes things very tough for their opponent.”

“We played tonight without Shawn James, who is not only our captain but one of our key players, because of a back injury. David Blu has been sick, and didn’t practice with us this morning, but he still played. Sofo gave us a fantastic game, especially under the basket, and Alex Tyus was the X Factor. It was his best game with Maccabi, and it was exactly for all of the things he gave us tonight – rebounds, athleticism, blocks and intensity – that we brought him to Maccabi.”

Club chairman Shimon Mizrahi said: “Before the game, I told the players how special this arena is and what enormous significance it has for Maccabi Tel Aviv. I told them how exciting it was for me to walk into Pionir Arena today, 36 years after our victory in the European Final of 1977. I’m happy the players showed so much intensity and brought home the victory. Even the final score was similar to that of the great Final of 1977.”

Veteran forward David Blu, who played despite being ill and who decided the outcome from the foul line, said, “It was a very tough and physical game. The atmosphere here in this historic Pionir Arena is amazing. This was a very important win for us not just for the standings but as a confidence-builder.”

“Tonight I also played in the 5 (as center),” Blu went on, “and I needed to be very tough on the finishes. I’ve felt lousy all day, tired and weak, with chills and a sore throat, but there was no way I was going to give up on this game. We’re happy with the win, and now we’re looking ahead to Monday’s game against Hapoel Jerusalem on their home court.”