Maccabi returns to the final four!!

After a one year absence Maccabi Tel Aviv is back in the Euroleague Final Four. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /><o:p></o:p>
Maccabi defeated <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” /><st1:City w:st=”on”><st1:place w:st=”on”>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:City> 88-<st1:metricconverter w:st=”on” ProductID=”75 in”>75 in</st1:metricconverter> the decisive Game 3 of the quarterfinals series on Thursday night at the Nokia Arena, advancing to a seventh Final Four in nine years. <o:p></o:p>
Waiting for Tel Aviv in <st1:State w:st=”on”>Madrid</st1:State> on May 2 (18:00 CET, 19:00 <st1:country-region w:st=”on”><st1:place w:st=”on”>Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> time) is Italian side Montepaschi Siena, which progressed to the Final Four with a 2-0 series sweep over Fenerbahce Ulker. <o:p></o:p>
Thursday's Game 3 was a fiery affair and threatened to boil over more than once. Maccabi's Vonteego Cummings, Derrick Sharp, and Esteban Batista were all ejected during the second half, with <st1:City w:st=”on”><st1:place w:st=”on”>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:City>'s Gianluca Basile also given his marching orders.


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Maccabi trailed for the first 10 minutes of the game, but took the lead at the start of the second quarter and never looked back. <o:p></o:p>
Thursday's victory completes a remarkable comeback for Tel Aviv. The team was in a shambles on January 1 after Oded Katash left the club, but Zvika Sherf took charge of the broken team and guided it to 11 wins in 14 Euroleague games and a place in European basketball's premier event. <o:p></o:p>
Maccabi was led on Thursday by Will Bynum, who scored 21 points in 28 minutes, and by David Bluthenthal, who also scored 21 points, hitting five of six shots from beyond the arc. Yotam Halperin added 17 points and nine assists, with Terence Morris contributing eight points and eight assists. <o:p></o:p>
Roger Grimau scored 18 points for <st1:City w:st=”on”><st1:place w:st=”on”>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:City>, with Fran Vazquez adding 15 points and 13 rebounds. 


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<st1:City w:st=”on”><st1:place w:st=”on”>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:City> executed its game-plan to perfection at the start of the encounter and led 10-3 after Basile scored his first two points of the game. <o:p></o:p>
Halperin's three-point move at the end of the quarter cut the deficit to a single point (19-18) and a Maccabi run at the start of the second period gave the hosts a stranglehold on the game. Bynum gave Tel Aviv its first lead of the night with a three-pointer at the start of the quarter and two triples by Bluthenthal increased the margin to 29-23. 


A Bynum steal then led to a Halperin basket-plus-foul, a double-digit lead and a <st1:City w:st=”on”><st1:place w:st=”on”>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:City> timeout. The visitors came up empty-handed from a four-shot possession, but Maccabi failed to take advantage. Basile ended the Barca drought with free throws. Morris and Vazquez traded baskets as Maccabi held a 43-34 halftime advantage. <o:p></o:p>
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Grimau scored five straight points at the beginning of the third period and two Denis Marconato free-throws midway through the quarter reduced the gap to 50-47. <o:p></o:p>
The pressure began to mount on the hosts, but Maccabi exploded on court when it needed it most and a 7-0 run regained its hold on the encounter. <o:p></o:p>
Cummings capped Tel Aviv's run with two points, but that proved to be his last contribution on the night as seconds later the American and Basile clashed under the Maccabi basket and both players were ejected. <o:p></o:p>
Sharp was also sent off for leaving his team's bench, further infuriating the sold-out Nokia Arena. <o:p></o:p>
Bynum's three to end the third period maintained Tel Aviv's double-digit lead (63-53) and it wouldn't be long before the hosts clinched a Final Four berth. 


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Maccabi looked to end the game early in the fourth quarter. First Bluthenthal hit a jumper and despite a Lakovic triple, Bynum fed Halperin for a fast-break layup and Bluthenthal came up with a steal and a slam to give Maccabi a 13-point lead. However the game took another twist when Batista was ejected with seven minutes remaining. Still the players on the floor did their job and Bluthenthal’s third triple made it 72-56. Vazquez and Lakovic continued to try and revive <st1:City w:st=”on”><st1:place w:st=”on”>Barcelona</st1:place></st1:City> and a Grimau triple made it 79-70 with two minutes remaining. Bynum calmly made free throws and on the next trip downcourt threw down a high-flying slam to the delight of the fans, who began celebrating. Still Sanchez hit from downtown, but it was too little, too late and a Bluthenthal triple wrapped up any doubts and secured Maccabi a spot at the Final Four.

המועדון

המועדון

Maccabi returns to the final four!!

The Israeli champs will play in their seventh Final Four in the last nine years, after beating Barcelona 88-75 in the decisive game 3 at Nokia arena

עוד כתבות

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