By Yarone Arbel
This isn’t about what happened on the floor. It’s about how what happened on the floor affected us – those who had the honor to witness it. It’s about the greatest fight ever in European basketball.
“Maccabi has no chances. Absolutely zero,” were the first words I heard from Christos right after Game 1. Just for the tease of it I tried to, well…tease. “You do remember what happened last year with Olympiacos and Montepaschi, right?” was my reply, tho that didn’t matter. Christos, one of the brightest basketball minds in Greece I had the pleasure to know, set his mind. In a very Greek way: “Maccabi has no chance.”
The way that makes almost everything either perfect or disgrace. The way that has almost no middle. You win – you’re the king of the world and the greatest genius. You lose – you’re something between the biggest amateur or just don’t deserve to be there.
I know that because I grew up around the same environment. The Greek street and the Israeli street are very much alike in that approach to life. In some ways it’s our beauty. In other ways it’s our disability. This way or another that’s our nature.
In one of his very first interviews in Israel Sarunas Jasikevicius pointed out that’s the first thing he noticed in Israel. The fact there’s no middle in the reactions. No proportions. Smart guy off the court as well that Saras, and if you were wondering how he was quickly adjusted to the Greeks style once he landed there, well… he went to pre-school in Tel Aviv. He arrived to Greece well educated.
“The thrilla in Manila” is still considered one of the greatest fights in the history of heavy weight boxing, because it confronted two giants of their times, and by now legends going out there with all they got. Because whenever someone seemed doomed he came out of the grave with a new trick. Because both sides refused to fall not because of things you teach in boxing school. Because of character. Because of pride. Because they were true champs. Knock after knock. Hit after hit. Comeback after comeback until both couldn’t take it anymore.
This series was the European basketball version of that fight. It was “The thrilla in Athina”.
The next four games were anything but the exact middle point between both teams. They were huge battles between two giants in the middle of the ring. They were balanced, and delivered four games in a row with a very close finish. We had at least one huge comeback in each game and saw that whoever took the first substantial lead eventually won. It was also enough to wake up a black and white approach on the other side.
“PAO has no chance,” told me one of the top Israeli coaches seconds before the tip off of Game 4. “David cracked them. They don’t know what to do,” he added in over confidence. The common people relayed on something else – their inability to remember when did Maccabi ever drop a game in front of its fans that could take them to the Final Four. His reaction, and the feeling around him, wasn’t any different than the one of Christos. It did act as a perfect example how each side behaves the same – from full dark to blinding lights. It exampled how the metronome of this series was shifting while the gods of basketball sets the tone.
That’s when the dissonance started, as the people who are used to make everything disaster or triumph were torn. In each side people felt both sides of the stick, and had such big confidence to dismiss the great-great rival on the other side. It’s a big part of what made this series so great, because nothing hurts more than a punch when you think you’re untouchable.
An encounter between these two giant teams, the two finalists of 2011 and the most crowned teams in the 21st century of European basketball is enough to create big drama but the fact this season might be the last dance of the Obradovic era in PAO added to that. The fact the red rivals made it to Istanbul before Game 5, despite the huge cut in the budget last summer. The fact Maccabi were the clear underdogs. It all added even more color before the last tip off.
Then there was Game 5. The one that made sure this series will be the greatest ever.
When the underdog is coming back twice in the second half from -12. When the last game of a series is decided by a single point in the last seconds. When the last shot of Maccabi jumped on the rim up in the air before going down in (Pnini, by the way, is one of the best clutch players in Europe. There was no chance he would have missed these free throws). When the last play is decided by a point and a steal of the same player who’s the icon and savior of the home club. When the better team eventually wins and the very worthy loser gets as close as possible. When 20,000 people create the best atmosphere for such game. That’s when you know you it was the best ever.
Maccabi is such a huge thing in Israel that there’s an actual term in our society that is called “Maccabism”. It describes those who will do whatever it takes to win. That care about nothing but the win. The path doesn’t matter, the bottom line does and only one bottom line can be considered a success.
When the smoke cleared, and there’s a lot of smoke in OAKA, it was the first time ever Maccabi people, the fans and media were talking positively after a loss. The fact it was against PAO and Coach Obradovic surely helped, because very few clubs and coaches have such respect in Israel.
It was a symbol how outstanding and unique this series was.
It managed to change the nature of the people.
We were all there to witness.
Do not underestimate it.
Embrace it.
Few last words on this occasion to my Greek sisters and brothers.
These days you’re going through very bad times. Bad times that suck out the very unique Greek style joy of life. I see that on the faces, I hear that in the voices and I read it in the texts of my Greek friends.
There are no words of comfort to cheer up the depressed one. Words of comfort only thicken the depression. There’s no “I know how it feels”, because each bad time of each person has a different nature and feel. Here in Israel we’ve been through rough times as well. Of a very different reason, but of the very same nature. The nature of uncertainty, which is the worst you can imagine – whether if a family member goes on a bus and you don’t know if the bus will reach its final destination, or you don’t know how much the money you have will be worth tomorrow. The uncertainty is the thing that kills you.
It still certainly doesn’t mean that “I know how it feels”. It does mean I can share my experience, hope for things to get better and say that the way to climb out of the big hole is to keep hoping and know that nobody is going to save you but… yourself. That depression isn’t the easy solution, because something that keeps you inside the hole can’t be any type of solution. The way out is through the acknowledgement that if you don’t do something to help yourself – no one will. It’s through actions. It’s through keeping your head up and fight back time after time. Get injured by the wall again and again until you break it.
To remember that you’re Greeks – the founders of the world we live in. The pioneers of modern thinking. That one throat in SEF/OAKA/Aleksandreio is louder than 1,000 throats in any other gym in the world, because of the incomparable Greek passion. The passion and belief that made unbelievable comebacks the face of the Greek basketball national team. The passion and hope that put Greece on the top podium in the Euro and made Coach K congratulate “#4 and #5”.
Believing, have patience, sticking together as a group with no ego and give 100% as individuals is the only way the world saw Greek national teams bring success. It’s the only way for the Greek people to recover.
Ela…Stay up!