Maccabi Euro champs

[holyland red]

Maccabi Euro champs



Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv crushed Skipper Bologna of Italy 118-74 to be crowned European champions for the fourth time in their history on Saturday. Maccabi won the Euroleague Final Four title in one of the most one-sided championship games ever, with an inspired defensive performance which completely shut out Skipper.

Aided by the constant deafening chants of 10,000 adoring supporters at Maccabi's home arena in central Tel Aviv, Yad Eliahu, the longed-for victory became a reality well before the final buzzer.

Anthony Parker, the hero of Thursday's semi-final victory over CSKA Moscow, again led the way for Maccabi with 21 points.

Maccabi previously won the premier European basketball competition in its various guises in 1977, 1981 and 2001.

Skipper scored the first basket in the game to take a 2-0 lead, but from the moment Maccabi replied with a three-point shot there was no looking back.

Maccabi's man-to-man defence soon threw Skipper off their guard and the hosts ended the first quarter with a 31-13 lead despite early foul trouble for top playmaker, Lithuanian star Sarunas Jasikevicius.

By halftime the lead had increased to 55-30 and a last quarter score of 38-23 rubbed salt into the Italian wounds.

Apart from Parker's contribution, David Bluthenthal added 20, Jasikevicius 18 and Tal Burstein 17. Skipper's top scorer was Milos Vujanovic with 21 points.

Celebrations were set to continue long into the night as thousands of fans who watched the game on giant screens in one of the city's main parks were joined by those lucky enough to be in the arena.

Security for the event had been made a national priority following the threat of terrorist attacks by Palestinian militant groups.

Some 3,500 security personnel, including 2,500 police officers, had guarded he three-day basketball festival, the first major international sporting event in the country since the start of the Palestinian uprising in October 2000.

The third-place playoff earlier in the night was won by CSKA Moscow who beat Montepaschi Siena of Italy 97-94.

 

[holyland red]

FINAL DE LA EUROLIGA 2003-2004
MACCABI TEL-AVIV 118 74 SKIPPER BOLONIA
ARROLLÓ POR 118-74 Y SE LLEVA SU FINAL FOUR EN TEL-AVIV
El Maccabi machaca al Skipper y gana la Euroliga
EFE


El Maccabi Tel Aviv pasó por encima del Skipper Bolonia en una final que nunca existió, por la enorme diferencia que hubo entre los dos equipos, y que significó el cuarto título de la máxima competición continental para los israelíes, aunque el conseguido en la temporada 2000-01 lo fue en la Suproliga.

El Maccabi salió en tromba, con un Jasikevicus especialmente metido en el partido y autor de los dos primeros triples de su equipo, que lanzaron a su equipo y la euforia de los aficionados macabeos. Tal fue su pasión que a los cinco minutos ya había cometido tres faltas personales y tenía que ir al banco.

Sin embargo, el Maccabi lejos de amedrentarse siguió disparando las ventajas en el marcador porque el Skipper no estaba acertado de cara al aro y demostraba que la defensa no es lo suyo.

Los italianos no hacían sino mirarse unos a otros como preguntándose qué era lo que pasaba, sin poder frenar el vendaval amarillo.

Diez minutos y todo resuelto
Al final del primer cuarto el Maccabi tenía medio título en el bolsillo (31-13) y su moral crecía como la espuma, permitiendo a sus jugadores intentar casi todo y que la mayoría de los balones acabaran en la canasta del rival.

Como dato baste señalar que Bluthenthal clavó un triple en el último segundo del primer cuarto ante la inoperancia de la defensa del Skipper que no hizo nada por evitarlo, teniendo en cuenta que los israelíes sacaron de banda y que Bluthenthal recibió solo para anotar.

En el segundo cuarto, el Skipper recurrió a una zona para intentar cortar la hemorragia de puntos que estaba sufriendo, sobre todo por parte de Bluthenthal y Parker, ante el delirio de la grada que estaba viviendo una final feliz y sin ningún sobresalto.

Sin poder recurrir a una defensa numantina, por su falta de actitud y aptitud, el único punto de apoyo del equipo italiano era su ataque, pero los tiros no entraban y las rentas del Maccabi se estabilizaron en los veinte puntos que le daban una gran tranquilidad y confianza.

Como almas en pena
Al descanso, el marcador era claro 55-30. No había partido, no había final y lo peor de todo es que en las caras de los jugadores del Skipper no había rabia, sino conformismo.

En la continuación, más de lo mismo. El partido no existía, la final era una caricatura y el Maccabi estaba pasando por encima a un Skipper que sólo tenía el recurso de lanzamientos de triples desde ocho metros.

Hasta los aficionados israelíes se cansaron de celebrar el título por anticipado. Con 80-51 al final del tercer cuarto, los italianos sólo pensaban en que el suplicio a que estaban siendo sometidos se acabara cuanto antes.

Con los brazos completamente abajo, los italianos intentaron soportar el paso de los minutos hasta llegar al 118-74 final. Cuarenta y cuatro puntos de diferencia que hablan por sí solos.

Ficha técnica

118. Maccabi Tel Aviv (31+24+25+38): Baston (9), Vujcic (9), Parker (21), Burstein (17), Jasikevicius (18) -cinco inicial-, Bluthenthal (20), Shelef (2), Halperin (7), Sharp (9), Sundov (4), Ben Chimol (2) y Thomas (0).
74. Skipper Bolonia (13+17+21+23): Mottola (7), Basile (10), Smodis (2), Vujanic (21), Delfino (6) -cinco inicial-, Spiegel (3), Mancinelli (3), Pozzecco (10), Lorbek (7), Guyton (0), Belinelli (3) y Prato (2).
Árbitros: Koukoulekidis (GRE), Belosevic (SCG) y Brazauskas (LIT). Sin eliminados.
Incidencias: Partido correspondiente al primer y segundo puesto de la Final a Cuatro de la Euroliga de Baloncesto disputado en el "Nokia Arena" de Tel Aviv con el pabellón completamente lleno, 10.000 espectadores.

 

[holyland red]

Maccabi brings new joy to Israel

Final Four Slide Show

Tel Aviv celebration
A sport and a country became one on Saturday night in Israel when Maccabi Tel Aviv lifted the Euroleague crown in a record-breaking show without precedent in world basketball. The facts speak for themselves. No team had ever scored more points (118) , nor won by a bigger margin (44) in any European final, but it was nonetheless a blowout that proved fascinating to follow to its end. Maccabi played near-perfect basketball during a flawless 40-minute barrage of triples, dunks and defense. "You could have brought the Lakers or the Spurs in here tonight," Maccabi center Maceo Baston said, "and we still would have wupped them." But the fascination on Saturday transcended even Maccabi's amazing performance to include a sea of yellow basketball lovers at Nokia Arena. "I've seen basketball played in a lot of places," ESPN's Chad Ford said after the game, "and this is the most amazing crowd I have seen anywhere." And yet, Saturday night was perhaps even more unbelievable outside Nokia Arena. The third-biggest television audience in the ratings history of Isreal was rivetted to every last dribble of the Euroleague Final, including 40,000 devoted fans watching on massive screens in a Tel Aviv park. After the buzzer, that crowd grew to 100,000, who were visited well after midnight by their heroes, the Maccabi players and coaches. There, in the middle of the night, Israel could have been the most joyful place on the planet at that moment, thanks to one perfect game in a beautiful sport called basketball. "The whole country stood behind Maccabi last night when they lifted the Euroleague trophy," the Israeli newspaper Maariv said on its front page, "and brought a smile back to Israel."

 

[holyland red]

 

[holyland red]

 

[holyland red]

 

[holyland red]

 

[holyland red]

and again!!!

Riccardo Pittis, Euroleague.net courtside analyst
After the Final: "Maccabi has played a very smart, smart game. They erased from the floor danger number one, Macijauskas, and Tau never found the alternative offense. They are not very famous for their defense, but now they have kept Tau stopped most of the time. There is not so much to say. It hasn't been a pretty game. Both teams made a lot of mistakes. And Maccabi has the big luck to have on their team Jasikevicius, who again tonight played a great game. He came and scored 5 points in a row when Maccabi hadn't scored in a few minutes. He's the man as usual. What they have done, win two in a row, is very, very hard. They were a favorite, the champions, and they play like the champions, and that's not always easy with the pressure. But they did it. They played great."