Another chapter in a budding rivalry will be written on Thursday when Maccabi Elite hosts Tau Ceramica in a Top 16 Group D showdown at Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv, Israel. Not only have these teams both reached the past two Final Fours, but they've met there each time, as well. Maccabi topped Tau 85-70 in last season's semifinals in Prague and 90-78 in the 2005 le game in Moscow. In fact, Maccabi has won the last four meetings between these teams. However, this time Tau arrives with the upper hand after finishing the regular season in first place in Group A with a 12-2 record, compared to Maccabi's 8-6 mark in Group B.
Tau will be without head coach Velimir Perasovic, who was hospitalized Monday with chest pains and did not travel to Israel. Assistant coach Nacho Lezcano will take his place on the sidelines and the players will surely be out to win one for their ailing coach. Tau's injured guard Zoran Planinic will also miss the game. Winning in Tel Aviv won't be easy for Tau, since no team has beaten Maccabi at its home in over a year. The game features a clash of two of the top big men in the basketball world, All-Euroleague center Nikola Vujcic, who is the focus of the Maccabi attack, and All-Euroleague power forward Luis Scola, Tau's unstoppable force in the paint. The keys to the game could be inside. Maccabi reserve Noel Felix may see extra minutes in place of rookie Lior Eliyahu and Jamie Arnold in the effort to stop Scola. One tool Maccabi may try is spreading around the fouls, as Tau ranked last in the Euroleague regular season in free-throw shooting with a paltry 65.9%, with Kaya Peker (38.9% FT) and Tiago Splitter (41.0% FT) prime targets.
Even without Planinic, Tau boasts a deep and experienced backcourt, led by Pablo Prigioni, Igor Rakocevic, Serkan Erdogan and newcomer Ender Arslan. They will challenge Maccabi's guard rotation of Tal Burstein, Yotam Halperin, Derrick Sharp, Will Bynum and newcomer Goran Jeretin. Maccabi coach Neven Spahija will hope to have an answer for Rakocevic and his 16.4 points per game in Jeretin, as the two were backcourt mates at Crvena Zvezda in 2003-04. Ultimately, the sellout crowd can expect a top-level clash between the two highest-scoring teams of the regular season. Like so many games in the past, this one could be decided by a heroic showing by any of the stars on display.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
http://www.euroleague.net/main/resul...w?gamecode=170
Maccabi reserve Noel Felix may see extra minutes in place of rookie Lior Eliyahu and Jamie Arnold in the effort to stop Scola.They haven't used Noel all year and now they want him to stop Scola
Anyway, does anyone know if you can watch these games online?
By the way Pau-Orthez is losing to Lottomatica Roma by 9 in the 4th quarter. Mahinmi has two points and two boards in 10 minutes so far.
You can get the running boxscores on http://Euroleague.net.
I don't know. Sorry. But I don't think so. Maybe if you have the cable with foreign channels...
I'm partially watching PAU-Horthez vs Roma right now. Damn, that's not pretty. Pau is playing very poor BB against a team who plays without their star Bodiroga.
Mahinmi hasn't play much.
I´m not sure if they do a play by play kind of thing,but this is the Tau´s website
www.baskonia.com
I spect Scola to have a good game
Pau is playing Taunext week.
They have the play-by-play for all the games on the Euroleague site. I just remembered last year you can actually watch some of the games on the internet. And I was wondering if that was available.
The game should be on nbatv (delayed).
Was it on legal sites ?
Cos I think you can catch them on some not so legal sites that disappear when too much people log on them. I know you can catch NBA games that are initially broadcasted on paying channels.
40 s. to play Pau down by 6
On legal and some not-so legal.
But Bruno is right I see on the TV schedule, it's going to be on NBATV (delayed).
http://www.euroleague.net/main/tv/by-date
game over, Pau lost by 10. Mahinmi was little used.
So you'll give us your appreciation on "much talked about" Luis Scola.On legal and some not-so legal.
But Bruno is right I see on the TV schedule, it's going to be on NBATV (delayed).
http://www.euroleague.net/main/tv/by-date
So you'll give us your appreciation on "much talked about" Luis Scola.
But tomorrow, I will not root for him. He's playing against one of my best friends.
But tomorrow, I will not root for him. He's playing against one of my best friends.
you have to tell us more about that. Who's this ?
Noel Felix - he (rarely) plays on Maccabi.
you have to tell us more about that. Who's this ?
I understand why you wanted to see the game.
Maccabi reserve Noel Felix may see extra minutes in place of rookie Lior Eliyahu and Jamie Arnold in the effort to stop Scola.
He has barely played in Euroleague all year and now they want him to defend Scola.
C'mon Noel, make your friend proud.
Eliyahu.
The long wanted small forward...
Poor Noel,he is getting owned tonite on the paint.
just kiddin Kori.
Will he get nasty with him?
He plays power forward there. They don't think he has the skills to play small forward. And they don't think he has the defense to play power forward in the NBA.Eliyahu.
The long wanted small forward...
He's super soft.
A little off topic, but what is the common language, if any, for teams in Europe (including soccer). Since each team has players from all over, do the players learn a new language each time they move to another team, or do they use translators, or does someone else on the team help them out? Sign language?
Shame. Hes got the build for the long 3.
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