Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv coach David Blatt wanted his players to die on the court during their 80-79 success over BC Khimki last night.
Symbolically, of course.
Despite Ricky Hickman’s 30 points, which included a 14-point, fourth quarter surge and a game winning dunk, Blatt singled-out three players.
“I said that players needed to be ready to die on the court, symbolically. Moran Roth, Nik Caner-Medley and Darko Planinic died on the court tonight and brought us this victory,” Blatt said.
While admittedly confusing as the three players came off the bench and all combined for just nine points in total, the veteran American leader clearly noticed the determination and hustle that the role-players brought to the floor, especially in the third quarter.
All nine points were scored in the second half and at pivotal times in the match. Caner-Medley drained a jumper to halt a 10-0 run from Khimki in the fourth and again a few minutes later to lift Maccabi as the Russians seemed to answer most of the Israeli champions’ offensive challenges.
The hosts weathered the storm though and even though Hickman took the plaudits and the headlines, in Blatt’s eyes; the three of Roth, Caner-Medley and Planinic gave him a vital win.
This is Maccabi’s fourth win in a row and it lifts them to 6-5 and with that, closer to a birth in the last eight. Blatt knows that his side aren’t that close though.
“After our losses in the first half of the Top 16, I said it was painful, but we still weren’t out of the race,” he said. “Now after winning five out of six games, I say we’re not there yet. We are far from there, even very far.”
Ricky Hickman with the dunk late on
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