Oded Kattash: 'Compared to soldiers and people in Israel, we're lucky' / News - Basketnews.com

Kattash said that although there have been difficulties, his team shouldn't take it for granted because they're playing basketball at a time of war in Israel when their countrymen are fighting.

Credit: Valencia Basket/Miguel Angel Polo Credit Valencia Basket/Miguel Angel Polo

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv played their first home game away from on Thursday. Despite playing behind closed doors, the Israeli team beat FC Bayern Munich in Wade Baldwin IV's comeback game.

Player of the Game EFF 22 Bonzie Colson Points 19 Accuracy 6-11 Rebounds 5 Assists 1

Talking about it after the game, Maccabi's head coach, Oded Kattash, was pleased with the win but wanted to emphasize that the war in Israel is much bigger than the basketball matches they are playing.

"Obviously, I'm happy with the win. Still, I'm saying that in every press conference for the past month - we're thinking of the people back home, our fans, our soldiers. We're proud of the result, but we're happy for them, that's important," Kattash said.

"We found a way to get some W's in those tough times for us. Hopefully, we found a home here in Belgrade; maybe things will be easier for us a little bit," he said. "At the beginning of the game, to play a home game without our crowd, it's tough. We needed to find the energy somewhere inside ourselves."

With thousands of people already dead in Israel and the Gaza Strip, Kattash says that playing basketball at a time of crisis in the country is privileged and should not be taken for granted.

"It's not easy. We feel safe here, we feel ok. We just came the last week here. As I said, hopefully, we get some feel of home. It's not easy - not for the players, not for us - staying away from our families, people in Israel. In a way, I feel that the safest place for us is Israel. In a way, that's how we feel," he said.

"We have to take things to proportion. We do what we love to do, we know what we do, we play ball. Compared to people back in Israel, soldiers, people there, we're lucky in a way," Kattash declared. "We've had some difficulties, but we're lucky. Every single moment, every single day, our hearts are with the people in Israel. It's not easy. Hopefully, things will be solved as quickly as [they] can be. I always say that we're Maccabi, we're Israelis like the people in Israel. We never give up, and we will win."

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