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Maccabi Elite hosts Efes Pilsen on Thursday at Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv, Israel, in a much-anticipated matchup for two Group B powers. Although the two clubs are traditional rivals, the reason for the excitement is the man on the Efes sideline, David Blatt. The head coach is very popular among Maccabi circles after spending the first half of the decade with the club. Blatt helped Maccabi win two European championships as an assistant coach and guided the club to the 2002 Euroleague Final Four as its head coach. This game marks the first time Blatt will coach against Maccabi since leaving the team in 2004. Another headline in Tel Aviv concerns the status of All-Euroleague center Nikola Vujcic's knee, which will cause him to miss several games. In his place, Esteban Batista could make his first start, while Marcus Fizer and Terrence Morris may be looked upon to provide more offensive firepower. Maccabi will need its big guys to produce, as the team has had trouble rebounding and ranks last in the league in that category. Efes hopes to have the answer for whatever look Maccabi head coach Oded Kattash throws at it. The visitors boast a deep frontline with Loren Woods, Andre Hutson, Ermal Kuqo and Kerem Gonlum. And small forward Kenny Gregory could make a big impact in the Efes transition game if his team controls the boards. Another Maccabi weakness has been its three-point shooting (24.1%), despite the fact that it has two great marksmen on the roster in Derrick Sharp and David Bluthenthal. Efes guard Drew Nicholas has made just one fewer triple this season than the entire Maccabi roster. As playmaker Scoonie Penn takes more of a role since his late signing with the team, the more open threes Nicholas and Serkan Erdogan are likely to see, too. Without Vujcic being there to run the offense from the low post, Vonteego Cummings, Will Bynum and Yotam Halperin will all need to help setting up the other big men. Maccabi arrives with plenty of pressure after suffering an 18-point loss last week at Lietuvos Rytas. Coming off a loss, being without a superstar and facing a former mentor is the perfect storm for head coach Oded Kattash and Co., who will have the opportunity to show what they are made of in this game. For the visitors, who topped Armani Jeans Milano last week, a road win in Tel Aviv would send a message that the club is coming together and ready to challenge for the Group B leadership. There is no favorite in this encounter, which has the potential to be one of the most emotional and exciting basketball games of the week.

 

Two teams coming off big Week 2 wins square off on Wednesday in Group A when Union Olimpija hosts CSKA Moscow in the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana. Olimpija reinforced its reputation as a giant killer – especially at home – when it dumped Olympiacos 87-78 last week. This game could be a true test for Olimpija, to see if the club can become a force – at least at home – and challenge for the Top 16. One of the more interesting head-to-head matchups worth keeping an eye on pits Dragic against J.R. Holden and Papaloukas. Also, Olimpija's 2.20-meter center Begic will face Alexey Savrasenko, while the explosive Milic and hard-working Zupan test themselves against Smodis, Marcus Goree and David Andersen. Rarely will CSKA not be a favorite when it takes the floor this season and that will be the case this week, but CSKA also cannot make the mistake of underestimating Olimpija, as so many teams have paid for doing in the past.