Basketball / Premier League / Only thing left for Maccabi TA is to win the local championship
By Vered Cohen
After losing its second title out of three possibilities, Maccabi Tel Aviv will try to recover tomorrow night with a Premier League game against Galil Elyon. The Israeli league is all that is left for Maccabi, and coach Zvika Sherf and his players have run out of excuses to lose. It is difficult to ignore the loaded and spicy matchup against their former coach, Oded Katash. And what effect will the loss in the Euroleague final have on the collective fear of Maccabi?
Terence Morris is not worried about the after-shock effect. "It won't affect us," he said. "We have a strong, tough team. We need to win the few remaining league games we have left."
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Esteban Batista is aware of the pungency of the moment. "We need to focus now on the Israeli league and win the championship," he said, driving the point home.
For Galil, which is fighting for its life, it will be an important game in the fight against relegation.
While this is going on, a number of Spanish clubs have expressed interest in Will Bynum. "I want to stay at Maccabi Tel Aviv next season," he said, and emphasized, "Even if I get a higher offer, I'll stay at Maccabi for less. That is, if Maccabi gives me my minutes. It's not just about the money; there are things more important than money. I want to stay at a place that I love, where I want to succeed and show what I can do on the court."
At the management level, the stormy winds continued to blow at Maccabi following the incident between part owner Raanan Katz and chairman Shimon Mizrahi after the Euroleague final (see story below). "Things will not go away easily," said a source at the club. "There have been a lot of discussions in the last couple of days about what happened, and it will have an effect."
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