ISR/ESP - Maccabi hit the road for opener

TEL AVIV (Euroleague) - It's go time in Europe.

The 2012-13 Turkish Airlines Euroleague campaign tips off on Thursday and there are no shortage of challengers for the title that was last won in incredibly stunning fashion by Olympiacos.

No one can forget how it all ended last season.

Olympiacos fought back from a 19-point deficit in the third quarter and beat CSKA Moscow, 62-61, in Istanbul.

Greece international Georgios Printezis had 12 points, including a go-ahead floater on the left baseline with 0.7 seconds remaining, to cap a remarkable comeback for the Reds at the Sinan Erdem Arena.

One of the clubs to watch on Thursday will be Maccabi Tel Aviv, who are led by Russia's esteemed national team coach, David Blatt.

Blatt, having steered Russia to a gold at EuroBasket 2007 in Spain and bronze last year in Lithuania, guided the national side to bronze at the London Games in August.

His Maccabi outfit will open its account at Unicaja Malaga, who are now led by Jasmin Repesa, a big success in his days with Italians Fortitudo Bologna.

Repesa coached Croatia this summer to first place in their Qualification Round group for EuroBasket 2013.

Maccabi have had a soap-opera like build-up to the Euroleague, with the club initially looking as if it wouldn’t have Israel national team point guard Yogev Ohayon after he signed a contract with Lokomotiv Kuban.

A FIBA arbitrator ruled that Ohayon could not leave Maccabi, though, since he was under contract with the team.

“That was a very pleasant ending to something that was ominous at the beginning,” Blatt said in the Israeli media.

“The story did not look good and the prospects for him being here were not very high.

"But when things took on a different light and management was able to overcome a lot of the difficulties, as was Yogi, it was a very happy bit of news for us and something that is obviously going to help us a great deal.”

It remains to be seen if Maccabi can have a third straight strong season under Blatt, who led them into the Euroleague title game and then fell one win short of the 2011-12 Final Four.

“The Euroleague also starts earlier this year because of the increased number of games so it’s coming up on us a little bit fast," he said.

"We are going to have to do something special to really be ready.”

“Maccabi is a strong team with a great history in the Euroleague, with many players that have won titles, but we have a great opportunity here to open the season at home with a great game,” Unicaja’s new Serbia national team center Kosta Perovic said.

“We are working hard all this week in order to give everything.”

One side that appears to have the makings of a special team this season is Real Madrid.

Winners of the Supercopa against Barcelona and then two straight in the Liga Endesa, some of the shine on the positive start was lost this week when Madrid travelled to America and lost to Memphis and Toronto.

It's important to quickly forget, though, because Panathinaikos come to the Spanish capital on Friday in Euroleague opener for both sides.

How good are Madrid?

They have Sergio Rodriguez, Rudy Fernandez, Felipe Reyes and Sergio Llull.

Each represented Spain at the London Games and helped the country reach the Final.

There is the emerging talent of Spanish youngster Nikola Mirotic, who was named Player of the Week award in the Spanish Liga Endesa his 26-point, 10-rebound effort in a 100-75 win at Blancos de Rueda Valladolid on 3 October.

Madrid also boast Martinas Pocius, a seasoned international with Lithuania, Slovenia national team center Mirza Begic and sharpshooter Jaycee Carroll.

"We want to do really well," Rodriguez said.

"We had a good Euroleague last season but lost a couple of critical games that stopped us from reaching the play-offs."

In all there will be seven games on Thursday and then five on Friday.

FIBA