Maccabi might have lost, but basketball won: electric Menora Mivtachim atmosphere from inside / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Seffi Magriso/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Seffi Magriso/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv might have crashed out of the EuroLeague without achieving a single victory in the series against Real Madrid, but the basketball future in the White City is safe.

Player of the Game EFF 25 Guerschon Yabusele Points 16 Accuracy 6-7 Rebounds 8 Assists 2

With one hour until the tip-off, the Gate 11 booed Real Madrid so hard it felt it was the decisive possession of the game. Ten minutes later, Trey Thompkins came to do some shootaround. Every time he missed, he was cheered by Maccabi fans.

Probably no one would argue that the legendary 1996 Chicago Bulls would defeat nowadays Maccabi. However, the majority would also agree that Macabbi pulled off a better pregame intro than one of the best teams in the whole basketball history.

With The Alan Parsons Project 'Sirius' playing in the background, Menora Mivtachim Arena was drowned in white and blue flags. It was followed by a huge banner from Gate 11, saying, 'These are the days we have been waiting for.'

For Maccabi fans, it has been a long wait. The Israeli powerhouse made its first playoffs appearance since 2015, and Menora Mivtachim Arena was ready for it.

"We knew that the atmosphere was going to be great," Pablo Laso praised Maccabi fans after the game. "Every time we play here, the atmosphere is great. I sincerely love to play here. I love the fans getting to the game, motivating their players."

"We knew it will be hard. My players knew it, and I told them about it before the game. I said to the players: 'We are Real Madrid; we love to play like this, in these kinds of atmospheres. We love it. [In such circumstances] we have to play even more together.

Credit to the fans, I'm always very happy to come here to play because we are having a great time. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose, but I give a lot of credit to Maccabi fans because they pushed their team to the limit, and they were a very important part of this series," Laso concluded his ode to Maccabi supporters.

John Dibartolomeo

Team:Maccabi Tel AvivPosition:PGAge:30Height:183 cmWeight:79 kgBirth place:Connecticut, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

It's hard to disagree with Laso. Maccabi could have given up on multiple occasions, but the electrifying crowd of Tel Aviv didn't allow their team to even think about it for a second.

Whenever Maccabi were trying to gain momentum, Real Madrid made the baskets in the most crucial time, whether it was Nigel Williams-Goss' bank shot, Vincent Poirier's free throws, or Rudy Fernandez's 3-pointer.

"When you play in front of these amazing fans, one of the things that you want to achieve is the momentum," Maccabi's head coach Avi Even answered the BasketNews question on unsuccessful attempts of taking the game over. "Unfortunately, every time we were one step [away] of taking the momentum and getting in the position of taking the lead, they had some crazy shots, or we missed."

"It is what it is. The momentum is crucial, and we played against a very experienced team. They had some good shots, good decision, combined with some crazy shots," Even added.

Real Madrid are simply that good, and the score of the series tells the story.

But this story is not about that. Despite which quarter it was or how much time there was left on the clock, relentless Maccabi fans were singing the songs, cheering for their team, and pressuring the referees and Real players.

Every questionable call was followed by the deafening noise of dissatisfaction. At one point, referee Tomislav Hordov received a chant, which included an F-bomb.

He wasn't the only one. Walter Tavares also received his share during the third quarter.

It's been a day Maccabi fans were waiting for, and it showed.

"It's unfortunate we couldn't put more of a fight," Angelo Caloiaro said after the game. "Especially here in front of our crowd. The atmosphere and the fans that we have are amazing. It was an amazing experience to play here tonight.

"It sucks we weren't able to give them something to reward them for their support," he added.

John Dibartolomeo and Caloiaro are long-time Maccabi players, but even they felt a difference in the atmosphere between a regular season and playoffs game.

"Like Angelo said, the atmosphere in all EuroLeague games here is second to none," DiBartolomeo noted. "The playoffs atmosphere took another notch. The people were outside when we showed up for the game, and they were on the court before players were warming up."

"The support here is amazing. That's why in this EuroLeague season, we have been such a strong home team. The credit goes to our fans. They support us throughout the game, they support us when we need a boost.

It's a huge advantage, and just as Angelo said, it was an amazing experience to play for them tonight. We're upset that we weren't able to give them more [reasons] to cheer with the win and another home game," DiBartolomeo added.

For Maccabi, it was upsetting and, at the same time, an amazing way to finish their European campaign. Upsetting because those fans deserved another go in Game 4, and amazing because now European basketball fans will have to wait for their return next season.

And that wait is thrilling, just like an atmosphere inside Menora Mivtachim Arena.

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