Euroleague Basketball: Maccabi downed in European opener

Arroyo disappoints as Birenboim's Tel Aviv is defeated 81-79 at Cibona Zagreb.

By ALLON SINAI
macabbi croatia basketball 224.88 ap (photo credit: )
macabbi croatia basketball 224.88 ap
(photo credit: )
Any illusion Maccabi Tel Aviv may have had that its preseason woes wouldn't affect its Euroleague campaign was proved wrong in painful fashion on Thursday evening. Maccabi lost 81-79 to a mediocre Cibona Zagreb team at the Drazen Petrovic Arena, once again looking nothing like a team capable of reaching the Final Four of Europe's premier basketball competition. Tel Aviv fell in seven straight games against European opponents in the preseason before claiming two wins over BSL sides this past weekend. But its hope that all the pieces would magically fall into place for the Euroleague opener turned out to be complete fantasy. The final scoreline didn't even do Cibona justice, with the Croatians controlling the game and leading throughout almost all of the encounter. "We failed in the little things," coach Effi Birenboim said after his Euroleague debut. "My players fought, but that wasn't enough. It's my job to mold the team." Birenboim can at least console himself with the fact that Maccabi plays its next two Euroleague games at home. Next Thursday Air Avellino visits the Nokia Arena with French side Le Mans arriving in Tel Aviv the following week. The undoubted leader and barometer of the team, Carlos Arroyo, never found his footing in his Maccabi Euroleague debut, scoring 10 points and hitting just two of his 13 shots from the field. Tel Aviv's over-dependence on Arroyo has been evident from his first day at the club and the side will even struggle against ordinary opponents if Thursday's performance doesn't prove to be a one-off. D'or Fischer led Maccabi with 26 points and seven rebounds in 25 minutes on his Euroleague debut, with Lior Eliyahu adding 14 points and five rebounds. Veteran playmaker Davor Kus scored 23 points for Zagreb, with Rawle Marshall and Nikola Prkacin adding 20 and 14 points respectively. The hosts quickly found their rhythm in the opening minutes and Kus's three-pointer after four minutes gave Cibona a 9-8 lead over a nervy Maccabi. Fortunately for Tel Aviv, Fischer was keeping the team within touching distance, scoring 10 points in the first 10 minutes. Marcus Brown entered the game with three minutes to play in the period and immediately tied the score from the free throw line (15-15). That proved to be Brown's only point of the first half and Marshall's three to end the quarter gave Zagreb a 20-17 advantage. The game remained tight until the interval and the teams went into the break tied at 36-36. The lead exchanged hands numerous times at the beginning of the second half, but Zagreb would be the first to pull ahead. Marshall's basket opened a five point gap and Kus's lay-up after a Maccabi turnover with two minutes to play in the quarter put the hosts comfortably in front for the first time (54-45). A Brown basket midway through the final period brought the visitors within three points (66-63) and Tel Aviv looked to be well placed after Prkacin was fouled out soon afterwards. However, the hosts would never allow the margin to drop any lower, scoring the next five points and holding on for the win against a sorry Maccabi. In other Group A action Avellino hosted Yotam Halperin and Olympiacos in a late game on Thursday and Malaga beat Le Mans 84-79 on Wednesday.