Euroleague Basketball: 'We must pounce like pumas'

Maccabi TA's coach raises the bar ahead of tonight's clash with Le Mans.

By ALLON SINAI
MAc TA 224.88 (photo credit: AP [file])
MAc TA 224.88
(photo credit: AP [file])
Maccabi Tel Aviv will settle for nothing less than a second straight Euroleague victory when it hosts Le Mans at the Nokia Arena on Thursday night. After suffering a disappointing defeat in its Euroleague opener at Cibona Zagreb, Maccabi defeated Air Avellino 90-83 last week and will be confident of continuing its winning ways against the Frenchmen. "We need to be ready to pounce like pumas," said Tel Aviv coach Effi Birenboim, who had the rare pleasure of a full week of training with his entire roster ahead of the game, as the team's BSL game against Hapoel Jerusalem was rescheduled from this past Sunday to November 20. "Le Mans is a very athletic team and is a dangerous opponent, so this will not be an easy game." Le Mans, which defeated Toulon on Saturday to improve to 5-0 in the French league, lost 58-54 to Cibona at home last week and is still searching for its first win in Euroleague action this season. Brazilian center Joao Paulo Batista leads the visitors with 15.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, with former Maccabi sharpshooter David Bluthenthal averaging 12 points in Europe. "I feel excited to go back to this beautiful city, one of my favorite in the entire world. It will be interesting to play in Nokia Arena as a visiting player," said Bluthenthal, who spent three seasons and won the 2004 Euroleague title with Maccabi. "I'm looking forward to the excitement and it's a pleasure to go back to the great organization of Maccabi. After our two first games in the Euroleague, we feel good physically and mentally. I've got a lot of confidence in our team and I believe we will continue to improve." Maccabi defeated Le Mans both home and away in the Euroleague last season and coach John-David Jackson has no illusions about the task on hand on Thursday night. "Having lost at home to Cibona last week, we are now in a situation where we must win a road game to stay in the race," Jackson told the Euroleague Web site. "It is difficult to win in Tel Aviv and Maccabi is certainly the favorite in this matchup. But we will do everything we can to stay in the game and if the occasion to win presents itself, we'll be ready." Carlos Arroyo finally had the breakout game that everyone was waiting for last week, scoring 20 points, passing eight assists, and just as importantly orchestrating the team's play superbly. Birenboim is hoping for much of the same on Thursday and against the weak Le Mans his team has the potential to dominate. "In the last game we had some good minutes and we need to build on that," Birenboim said. "It's important the players feel the fans the way they did last week because that gives them a massive push. "It's very important for us to win at home again. It's vital to continue the momentum and gain confidence."