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History

[[xImage:NokiaArena.jpg|thumb|380px|right|Maccabi Tel Aviv's home court, the Nokia Arena.]] The Maccabi Tel Aviv sports club began its basketball activities in the early-1930s, with the Maccabi Tel Aviv Baskeball Club formed in 1932. In 1954, the Israeli Basketball League was founded, and Maccabi won the inaugural championship. They have dominated the League ever since, winning 47 national championship titles (including 23 in a row between 1970 and 1992) and 36 State Cups. The team has never finished below the third place in the national league.

Maccabi Tel Aviv's traditional rival is crosstown team Hapoel Tel Aviv, however the last time "the Reds" won a national title was in 1969. Since then, the only team to have defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli championship was Hapoel Galil Elyon in 1993, led by Doron Sheffer and coached by Pini Gershon. Eventually both Sheffer and Gershon joined Maccabi.

In 1958, Maccabi Tel Aviv joined international competition, soon becoming one of the best basketball teams in Europe. The club reached its first European cup quaterfinal in 1967/68, reaching the quarterfinals five more times before winning its first European championship in 1977 under coach Ralph Klein.

[[xImage:Tal Brody2.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Tal Brody raises the European Cup after Maccabi Tel Aviv's victory, 1977.]]In the 1976/77 final in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated Mobilgirgi Varese 78:77. However, of even greater symbolic significance was the semifinal win over CSKA Moscow, which is widely regarded as an historic moment for Israel. Due to the Cold War boycott of Israel by the Soviet Union, CSKA Moscow refused to play in Tel Aviv, and would not allow an Israeli team to play in Moscow. Maccabi Tel Aviv's home-game was therefore played in a neutral venue (Virton, Belgium). In the eyes of the whole country, it was not only an important win, but a form of 'revenge' on the Soviet Union, the country that provided military, financial and political support to Israel's enemies. In a post-match interview after Maccabi's historic win, captain Tal Brody proclaimed "We are on the map, and we are staying on the map, not only in sports, but in everything". The phrase has become part of Israeli culture. Maccabi Tel Aviv indeed stayed on the European basketball map, winning the European Cup, and then coming third in the following two seasons, second the following season, winning another championship in 1981 (this time defeating Sinudyne Bologna 80:79), coming second the following season (1981/82), and winning the 1981 Intercontinental Cup.

During the 1980s Maccabi Tel Aviv remained a powerhouse, reaching -- but losing -- the European finals five times.

The 1990s were Maccabi's "black decade", with the team managing only one Final Four appearance in 10 years (1991/92) and even losing the local title in 1993. In 1998 Pini Gershon, then considered one of the most vocal of the "anti-Maccabists" in Israel, became the head coach, thus inaugurating arguably the best period in the club's history. The team reached the Euroleague final in 2000, falling to the highly touted Panathinaikos in a close game (ironically, former Maccabi Tel Aviv and Israeli national team star Oded Kattash proved the decisive player in the final game). The following year the teams met again in the Suproleague final in Paris, and the Israeli club, led by Ariel McDonald, Anthony Parker and Nate Huffman, won 81:67.

Gershon returned to Maccabi for the 2003/04 season, with Anthony Parker also returning for a second stint with the club. Lithuanian star Šarūnas Jasikevičius (known as "Sharas" in Israel) also joined the team, and Maccabi Tel Aviv was the form team of the 2003/04 season, defeating Skipper Bologna in the Euroleague final game (held in Tel Aviv) in an unprecedented landslide (118:74), in the process setting 11 Euroleague records.

After a strong 2004/05 season, the team returned to the Euroleague Final Four (held in Moscow) in 2005, facing tough odds due to the rise of the dominant CSKA Moscow club that was favored to win the title at its home arena. In the semi-final Maccabi Tel Aviv was once again matched against rivals Panathinaikos, known as one of the best defenses in Europe. In a scenario that few in European basketball community predicted, TAU Cerámica stunned CSKA Moscow and Maccabi Tel Aviv celebrated yet another victory over the Greek team, then proceeded to defeat TAU Cerámica in a very competitive final (90:78) on May 8, 2005.

On October 16, 2005, Maccabi Tel Aviv set another milestone in their basketball history when they defeated the NBA's Toronto Raptors. It was their first win in 27 years over an NBA team, the first win over an NBA team by any Euroleague team in 17 years, and the first ever European win over an NBA team on North American soil. Anthony Parker's jump shot with 0.8 seconds lifted the Euroleague champion over Toronto 105:103.

In the 2005/06 season, Maccabi finished with two domestic titles - its 46th championship and 36th State Cup, both after wins over Hapoel Jerusalem. During Euroleague's Final Four, Maccabi Tel Aviv met TAU Cerámica in the first semifinal game, and won the game 85-70. Maccabi Tel Aviv faced CSKA Moscow in the final on April 30, 2006, losing 73:69, failing to win a third successive title.

During the summer, the "dynasty" ended as Anthony Parker and Maceo Baston followed Jasikevičius and left for the NBA, and coach Pini Gershon left for Olympiacos BC. This led to a major overhaul of the club's roster, and a mediocre 2006/07 season (although the team still won the domestic championship and qualified for the Euroleague quarterfinals).

The 2007/8 season opened with hope, as Oded Kattash, a former player, was appointed head coach. However, with the team failing to live up to fans' and management's high expectations, Kattash was replaced as coach by Zvi Sherf on January 1, 2008.

Maccabi has hosted the European Cup final once (1972) and the Euroleague Final Four twice (1994 and 2004), and has hosted European All Star events four times. Seven Maccabi players have been selected in the European All Stars: Tanhum Cohen-Mintz, Tal Brody, Lou Silver, Miki Berkovich, Doron Jamchi, Nadav Henefeld and Oded Katash.

The team played a charity pre-season game against the New York Knicks on October 11, 2007, at Madison Square Garden, their first appearance at the famous venue; the proceeds from the game benefited Migdal Ohr. The Knicks won the game 112:85.

Latest Attempt

Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Wt. Age PG 4 Bynum, Will 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) F 5 Fizer, Marcus 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) SG 6 Sharp, Derrick (C) 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) C 7 Vujčić, Nikola 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) PF 8 Eliyahu, Lior 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) F/C 9 Morris, Terrence 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) PG 10 Fanan, Regev 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) SF 11 Casspi, Omri 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) SG 12 Garcia, Alex 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) SF 13 Bluthenthal, David 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) PG 14 Cummings, Vonteego 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) F/C 15 Batista, Esteban 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) PG 21 Halperin, Yotam 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) PG 33 Burstein, Tal (+) 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) PG TBD Skverer, Ezequiel 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)	Head coach Oded Kattash Assistant coach(es) Guy Guddes Oren Amiel Legend (C) Team captain (+) Injured Roster Updated: 2007-11-12

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Works

Maccabi "Elite" Tel Aviv Current Roster
4		Will Bynum		1.83m (6 ft 0 in)	Point guard/Shooting guard
5		Marcus Fizer		2.03m (6 ft 8 in)	Forward
6		Derrick Sharp		1.83m (6 ft 0 in)	Shooting guard
7		Nikola Vujčić		2.11m (6 ft 11 in)	Center
8		Lior Eliyahu		2.05m (6 ft 9 in)	Power forward
9		Terence Morris		2.06m (6 ft 9 in)	Forward/Center
10		Regev Fanan		1.83m (6 ft 0 in)	Point guard/Shooting guard
11		Omri Casspi		2.03m (6 ft 8 in)	Small forward
12		Alex Garcia		1.91m (6 ft 3 in)	Shooting guard
13		David Bluthenthal		2.01m (6 ft 7 in)	Small forward
14		Vonteego Cummings		1.91m (6 ft 3 in)	Point guard/Shooting guard
15		Esteban Batista		2.08m (6 ft 10 in)	Forward/Center
21		Yotam Halperin		1.93m (6 ft 4 in)	Point guard
33		Tal Burstein		1.98m (6 ft 6 in)	Point guard/Shooting guard/Small forward
111		Ezequiel Skverer		1.88m (6 ft 2 in)	Point guard
		Oded Kattash		Coach
Updated: November 4, 2007

Old

Maccabi "Elite" Tel Aviv Current Roster
4		Will Bynum		Shooting guard
5		Noel Felix		Power forward/Center
6		Derrick Sharp		Shooting guard
7		Nikola Vujčić		Center
8		Lior Eliyahu		Power forward
9		Jamie Arnold		Power forward
10		Tal Burstein		Point guard/Shooting guard/Small forward
11		Sharon Shason		Small forward
12		Regev Fanan		Point guard/Shooting guard
13		Simas Jasaitis		Small forward
14		Yaniv Green		Center
15		Goran Jeretin		Point guard/Shooting guard
21		Yotam Halperin		Point guard
		Neven Spahija		Coach
Updated: March 19, 2007

Quarterfinals

Each quarterfinal will be a best-of-three series between a first-place team in the Top 16 and a second-place team from a different group, with the first-place team receiving home advantage. Quarterfinals will be played between April 3 to April 12, 2007.

Quarterfinal 1

	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Venue	Date
Game 1	TAU Cerámica	–	Runner Up of Group E	Vitoria-Gasteiz	Dates to be announced
Game 2	Runner Up of Group E	–	TAU Cerámica		Dates to be announced
Game 3	TAU Cerámica	–	Runner Up of Group E	Vitoria-Gasteiz	Dates to be announced

Bolded team is match winner.

Quarterfinal 2

	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Venue	Date
Game 1	CSKA Moscow	–	Maccabi Tel Aviv	Moscow	Dates to be announced
Game 2	Maccabi Tel Aviv	–	CSKA Moscow	Tel Aviv	Dates to be announced
Game 3	CSKA Moscow	–	Maccabi Tel Aviv	Moscow	Dates to be announced

Bolded team is match winner.

Quarterfinal 3

	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Venue	Date
Game 1	Panathinaikos	–	Runner Up of Group G*	Athens	Dates to be announced
Game 2	Runner Up of Group G*	–	Panathinaikos		Dates to be announced
Game 3	Panathinaikos	–	Runner Up of Group G*	Athens	Dates to be announced

Bolded team is match winner.

* Winner of Dynamo Moscow vs Benetton Treviso game, to be played on March 21, 2007 (see Euroleague 2006-07 Top 16 Group G).

Quarterfinal 4

	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Venue	Date
Game 1	Unicaja Málaga	–	Winterthur FCB	Málaga	Dates to be announced
Game 2	Winterthur FCB	–	Unicaja Málaga	Barcelona	Dates to be announced
Game 3	Unicaja Málaga	–	Winterthur FCB	Málaga	Dates to be announced

Bolded team is match winner.