Until a month and a half ago, Maccabi Tel Aviv did not believe that it would reach the playoffs in the Euroleague, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brought with it the expulsion of Russian teams from the factory, and the Yellows took advantage of it to enter the top eight and go for a great run. Thursday or Friday. A win on Wednesday against Fenerbahce will set up a series of the best of five games against Real. A loss, and Maccabi will meet Milan.
Milan: The team of Atoro Messina started the season excellently and was ranked in first place in the Euroleague for a long time, but in the second half of the season and since the relegation of the Russians Milan does not look good. In the last 11 games, it has a 5: 6 balance and has difficulty producing continuity.
However, this is a team that winning a series against it is not an easy task at all. Beyond the fact that whoever stands on the lines is one of the most experienced coaches in Europe, Milan has a staff laden with experience, led by Kyle Haynes and Sergio Rodriguez, two of the best players in Europe in the last decade. Alongside them can be found Shabon Shields, Malcolm Delaney and Devon Hall who are recording an amazing Euroleague debut season and of course two other players with a rich past like Niccolò Mali and Gigi Datuma.
For those who managed to forget, the last time Maccabi Tel Aviv met Milan in the playoff series was in the 13/14 season, which ended with a huge 1: 3 victory for the Yellows. As you may recall, Maccabi also came to that series without a home advantage, but managed to steal the home already in the first game with a comeback from the movies – in the end it was called Ness Milano.
Real Madrid: Pablo Lasso’s team is in a terrible period, with three wins in the last 11 Euroleague games and when it fell from first to fourth place. Despite this, coming to the series in front of it outside will not be easy at all because it is still one of the strongest teams on the continent with one of the widest and strongest staffs there is in Europe.
Aside from the huge Walter Tavares, Real have great players in the form of Gershon Yavosla, Vincent Fourier and Gabriel Dek who put up an impressive front line. The Blancos’ back line, however, did not look good enough this year, with Thomas Hartl and Nigel Williams Goss struggling to lead along with veteran Sergio Yul.
And if we have already talked about the miracle of Milan, then later that season, which was Maccabi Tel Aviv’s last winning season in the Euroleague, the Yellows met Real Madrid in the factory final and finished with a huge 86:98 victory. Will Maccabi come out on top on the way to the Final Four?