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Barcelona\u2019s 63 \u2013 62 victory over Cant\u00f9 helped guarantee Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv\u2019s spot in the Top 8, and head coach David Blatt<\/B> knows very well things will not be easy in the future. \u201cThe truth is, we\u2019ve recently had a series of tough, important and close games, and it was to be expected that there would be a drop in energy. I was worried it would happen this time, but we got up off the floor and made a comeback. We were four meters under the ground,\u201d Blatt added with a grin. \u201cOur offense wasn\u2019t good but our defense was great. It\u2019s a very sweet victory.\u201d<\/FONT> When asked about the abilities of Theo Papaloukas, who was in large part responsible for Maccabi\u2019s comeback from a 17 point deficit, the coach said, \u201cI think Papaloukas was great. He\u2019s a very experienced player who knows when to step up his game; he deserves a lot of credit for the win. This is the reason we brought him to the team. Papa had a fantastic game and we owe him a lot for this victory.\u201d<\/FONT> <\/P> When asked why Papaloukas hadn\u2019t gotten much playing time up until now, Blatt answered, \u201cPapa didn\u2019t play because others were playing well. Tonight\u2019s win is thanks in large part to him, but you can see in his character that he doesn\u2019t think of himself, he thinks of the good of the team.\u201d<\/FONT><\/P> <\/FONT><\/P> \u201cIt was a very tough game, just like I expected. Not every team can get up off the floor like we did. We got back into the game in the second quarter, and we paid for it in the third quarter because we were tired. We came back one last time and found the strength, the will, and the heart to win the game. It was a real nail-biter. I definitely don\u2019t need to watch suspense movies – I work for Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv.\u201d<\/FONT> Theo Papaloukas<\/B> said, \u201cI think everyone played well. Our defense saved us. The most important thing to us is that we won the game. We came back from being down by 17 points; if we had lost this game our Euroleague season would be over. I feel like this was one of our best games, we were mentally strong.\u201d<\/FONT> <\/P> \u201cIt\u2019s not easy for me not to play, I\u2019ve never been in a situation like that. But I have a lot of support from all of the players on the team. My teammates are happier than I am that I played well, and that makes me want more. And of course the support from the fans does, too. I don\u2019t need to prove myself, I\u2019ve done a lot of good things in my career so far. I appreciate what they\u2019re doing for me and I would like to thank them. I don\u2019t know if I deserve that much love from the fans, but I appreciate it.\u201d<\/FONT> Keith Langford<\/B>: \u201cIt wasn\u2019t easy, but it was a credit to this team. Everybody stepped up and played well, so I\u2019m just happy for the team right now.\u201d After Barcelona defeated Cant\u00f9 and it became clear that Maccabi had qualified for the Top 8, the guard added, \u201cI\u2019m happy. I got the feeling that there were people who didn\u2019t want to see us advance to the quarterfinals. We\u2019ve worked hard and we\u2019re ready for the playoffs. It doesn\u2019t matter who we\u2019ll play, Panathinaikos or Kazan.\u201d<\/FONT> \u201cEverybody played well, and I\u2019m happy about the win and about my block at the end of the game,\u201d said Devin Smith<\/B>. \u201cEvery game is different. We didn\u2019t start the game well, but we improved as it went on and we won.\u201d<\/FONT>
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