Led by DeShaun Thomas, Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv are keen to put last season’s nightmare season begin them and reclaim their status as a EuroLeague heavyweight.
Last season, Maccabi finished 14th with a 10-20 record, way short of Playoff contention. They were also eliminated from the Israeli Playoffs at the semi-final stage, rounding off a sub-par campaign.
Thursday’s deserved victory over Real Madrid, the 2015 champions and Final Four participants has certainly gone a long way to erasing that memory and restoring hope as Maccabi are welcoming heir usual full houses and rewarding them with wins.
They are also aiming for a first domestic title since the 2014-15 season, which is unheard of during their illustrious history where they have won a staggering 51 titles.
“This means a lot,” Thomas said after the 90-83 win over Real Madrid where he posted 21 points.
“We worked really hard for this. This lets us know that we can play with anybody. This game was a test for us to know who we are. I know after this game we turned a lot of heads. I think we kept our composure as a team and we played really hard.”
Maccabi are lying in fifth after six games, so it’s early days, but the belief and the passion that lies within this successful basketball club seems to have returned. Very similar to the team that captured the EuroLeague title in 2014.
