By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv opened the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague playoffs with an away win, but Monaco turned the situation around with two consecutive victories, the last one just two days ago in Menora Mivtachim.
Now, Game 4 is do-or-die for the Israeli team, and Oded Kattash needs a win to survive and try to book a place in the Final Four on Monaco’s turf in a potential fifth match scheduled on May 10 at 7 p.m. CET.
Maccabi‘s head coach took many positives from the previous loss.
“In many cases, when you go home and analyze every move, you see things differently. There were many things we did well. In the process, we made adjustments and found how to attack. It’s a playoff; many teams struggle when the intensity increases. We also have to make it difficult for them“, Kattash said.
He’s aware of Sasa Obradovic‘s team’s qualities, and he emphasized how Monaco strengthened its roster last summer with a couple of high-profile players such as Jordan Loyd, Elie Okobo, and John Brown…
“A basketball team is like a toolbox. It is possible that in a certain game, one player will be more or less suitable. The test is for me to identify whether the player’s security is compromised. Two to three three-pointers could change the situation, make them guard differently, and release other players,” the coach added. “We are playing against a good team that plays well. Monaco was built last year and added another 6-7 million dollars in players.”
The pressure is building, but Kattash believes both teams are feeling it.
“I think the pressure was on both teams, and we responded to it with runs. We needed a slightly better day, and we would be here now with a different result for the next game. We need to stay alert and prepare,” Ketch concluded,
DiBartolomeo: Another chance to make amends
Captain John DiBartolomeo, who scored nine points in Game 3, is determined his team can prevail.
“Of course, we are disappointed; we let the opportunity go to waste. We have another chance to make amends. We need to concentrate on ourselves and play to our strengths. They managed to distract us. Monaco is a very good team, but we know we can beat them,” John DiBartholomeo added.
Darrun Hilliard believes the team who plays more aggressively will come out on top.
“It will be a good test for us. Of course, we were disappointed with the result in Game 3, but that’s part of the process. We played hard, moved the ball quite well, played defense, and fought until the end. In the first game, we were more aggressive, and in the last two, we were more aggressive. We will have to go up and play as hard as they did; the results will be accordingly,” Darren Hilliard explained.