By Amy Samin<\/FONT> In what was probably their best game of the season, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv defeated Olympiacos 96 \u2013 83 on Thursday night. After the game, Maccabi head coach Pini Gershon<\/B> compared it to the war in the Gaza Strip: \u201cThe best defense is a good offense. About the crowd booing former Maccabi player Yotam Halperin, Gershon said, \u201cI didn\u2019t notice the booing having much effect on him. About the game itself, the coach said, \u201cWe made a few mistakes. \u201cI\u2019m happy for everyone that we won, because I believe in putting on a good show. Lior Eliyahu<\/B>, one of the game\u2019s outstanding players, said, \u201cWe put on a good show, especially in the second half. Carlos Arroyo<\/B>, who scored 20 points and ran the game extremely well, said, \u201cI was very focused. D\u2019or Fischer<\/B> said, \u201cMy second half was good thanks to my teammates, who got the ball to me. Derrick Sharp<\/B>, who has lived in Israel for many years, also addressed the background against which the game was played: \u201cIt\u2019s weird, because on the one hand, we want to bring a little happiness to the people of Israel, and on the other hand we\u2019re thinking things like, \u2018why are we even playing?\u2019 Yotam Halperin<\/B> said, \u201cAt a time like this, with everything that\u2019s happening here, you\u2019d think the crowd would be concentrating on other things. \u201cEveryone feels badly about what\u2019s happening in Israel,\u201d Halperin added. Nikola Vujcic<\/B>, another former Maccabi player, said, \u201cWe didn\u2019t do the things you\u2019re supposed to do in important games. The game against Malaga next Thursday (15 January 2009) offers Maccabi three possible endings to the first round of Euroleague play:<\/FONT> Maccabi will finish first in Group A if:<\/U><\/FONT> 1. Maccabi defeats Malaga by 21 or more points in Spain; or<\/FONT><\/P> 2. Maccabi defeats Malaga by 8 or more points in Spain and Olympiacos loses at home to Le Mans<\/FONT> Maccabi will finish second in Group A if:<\/U><\/FONT> 1. Maccabi defeats Malaga by 8 or more points in Spain and Olympiacos defeats Le Mans; or<\/FONT><\/P> 2. Maccabi defeats Malaga by anywhere from 1 \u2013 20 points and Olympiacos loses to Le Mans<\/FONT>
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The team looked much better than they did in their previous game against the Greeks, in Piraeus.<\/FONT>
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I\u2019m not a politician, but in my opinion they are doing there what needs to be done.\u201d<\/FONT>
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We had an important battle here tonight, and we needed to win it.
On a national level, the support is very encouraging.\u201d<\/FONT>
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We had fouls to spare in the second quarter and we didn\u2019t use them.
We had six offensive rebounds.
We had only two charging fouls, and that\u2019s important if you want to win a game.
We were able to switch defenses without making mistakes.
We were able to use our advantages over their players, so we scored some easy points off Olympiacos.\u201d<\/FONT>
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We really celebrated in the locker room.
I don\u2019t know exactly what our chances are to get to first place (in Euroleague Group A), but we\u2019ll try and do whatever it takes next week in Malaga.
It won\u2019t be easy, but basically there are no easy games at this point in the season.
Fischer played very well; I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s a good thing that he knows he\u2019s a good player, but he did the job right and that suits me fine.
If the players want to be part of the league at this level, they need to keep on playing like they did tonight and do the maximum.
It\u2019s not easy, but today five players scored in double figures and played like a team.
The most important thing is not to deteriorate.
If I didn\u2019t think this team was good, I wouldn\u2019t have come back to Maccabi.
We already took a championship with $9.5 million; money isn\u2019t everything.\u201d<\/FONT>
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We played really well.
We got a huge second half from Fischer in every way; we all played very well, without exceptions.
It\u2019s a really important win for the future.
I hope we\u2019ve changed during the time off, but it\u2019s impossible to tell after only one game.
We had a great game and now we\u2019re getting ready for the next one.\u201d<\/FONT>
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We prepared very well for this game.
We played really well and were much better in some things.
This was a very important step forward for the team.
It was an impressive game; we have a great team and everyone on it is capable of scoring 20 points every night.
The most important thing is to keep on playing this way.
We\u2019re happy, and we\u2019re on our way to solving our problems.
In the end, everyone can see the improvement on offense and defense.\u201d<\/FONT>
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We showed that we\u2019re a cohesive team.
We showed that it\u2019s hard to stop us, and I hope we continue this way.
I feel like I\u2019m at home, and I hope the situation (in Gaza) improves.\u201d<\/FONT>
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As far as the game goes, we\u2019re enjoying ourselves, we have more energy, and we believe in one another.\u201d<\/FONT>
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Of course it\u2019s a bad feeling to lose.
We should have been more focused.\u201d<\/FONT><\/P>
\u201cI love this country, and the fans who supported me through good times and bad.
I wish Maccabi success; may they reach the Final Four.\u201d<\/FONT>
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It\u2019s hard for me to play in a rotation like this, and I need time to adjust to it.
We are trying to have a lot of players participate in the games, and it\u2019s hard to contribute a lot in a short amount of time.\u201d<\/FONT>
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