By Amy Samin<\/FONT> <\/P> Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv held a practice Thursday night in preparation for the first two games of the Adriatic League season, the first of which will take place in Novo Mesto, Slovenia on Saturday (the game will be broadcast on Sport 5 starting at 19:00 Israel time). The second game will take place on Monday in <\/FONT>La\u0161ko, approximately 70 kilometers north of Novo Mesto (that game will be broadcast on Sport 5 at 20:00). <\/FONT>Maccabi will hold one final practice in Israel on Friday afternoon before taking off for their five-day stay in Slovenia.<\/FONT> Following Thursday night\u2019s practice, head coach David Blatt said: \u201cWe\u2019ve got two tough games ahead of us. After watching some video (of Krka Novo Mesto and Zlatorog <\/FONT>La\u0161ko), we realized that these two teams are hard to play against, especially on their home courts. How ready are we? We didn\u2019t play many preseason games, mostly because the season is so long. We want to use these games first and foremost as must-win games that will serve as preparation for later stages in the season. We didn\u2019t really have much choice. We\u2019re ready, but we\u2019ll need to be at our best in order to win these games.\u201d<\/FONT> When asked his thoughts on the Adriatic League in general, Blatt replied, \u201cThere are a lot of great teams with excellent players. We know some of the teams a little better because they also play in the Euroleague. They have very complex plays that are tough to defend against, and very high levels of coordination and performance. There are a lot of great shooters, but also big men who know how to play with their backs to the basket, and who know how to pass the ball if necessary. These are not easy teams at all, they\u2019re perhaps more offensive by nature, and these will be very tough away games. I remember from the last time [Maccabi played in the Adriatic League], and I\u2019ve seen it in the films.\u201d<\/FONT>
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